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Bailey's
Take on Game Week
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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Signs Abound that Kickoff Is Near
�2001 Bonesville.net
First the freshmen report, then it�s the freshmen�s
first practice, then comes the varsity, and media day and on and on�.
The first true sign of game week though, is the weekly media conference at
East Carolina.
Pirate Coach Steve Logan was in an upbeat mood on Monday afternoon as he
faced the microphones and cameras. He seemed at ease, answering even the
wackiest of questions with interest and enthusiasm.
Logan says this team is ready to play.
�There comes a point each summer when you need to go
and play a game,� said Logan. �I think that we have reached that point. We
just need to go out and play.�
Pirates Have Reason to Be Wary
East Carolina is a 21 1/2 point favorite in Saturday
night's opener versus ACC neighbor Wake Forest in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Logan is similar to Lou Holtz in not taking any team
lightly. This time he may have good reason.
New Deacon coach Jim Grobe brought eight assistant coaches to Winston-Salem
from Ohio University, plus the school�s strength coach.
During Grobe's six years at Ohio, he rebuilt what had
become one of the nation's weakest programs into a MAC title contender --
and the Bobcats gave Logan and the Pirates fits on the two occasions the
teams met.
In 1996, ECU barely prevailed in Greenville 55-45. Two
years later, the Pirates survived the Bobcats 21-14 on the road, scoring the
game winning touchdown in the final minutes.
�Coach Grobe is one of the finest coaches in the business,� said Logan. �And
I think he was pleasantly surprised with the talent base that he found at
Wake Forest.�
Turnovers Can Upset the
Equation
As far as talent goes, there is no comparison between East Carolina and Wake
Forest. The Pirates have much better athletes, and if East Carolina takes
care of business this should be an easy win.
Avoiding fumbles and interceptions is the key to not squandering the
advantage.
�I always look at turnovers,� said Logan. �Any team in
college football can beat any other team with the help of a couple of
turnovers.
"We can�t turn the football over in any of our games
this year and expect to win that game.�
A glance at the two quarterbacks in Saturday's contest best illustrates the
contrast between the teams.
David Garrard has set a Conference USA championship as his goal for 2001. He
is experienced and is in his fifth year of working with the complexities of
the Pirate offense.
Anthony Young, the Deacon quarterback, came in last year as a true freshman
in the third week of the season in the Clemson game. He is more of a runner,
but can also throw the football in the Wake offensive scheme.
If the Pirates can confuse Young, the Deacons will be in for a very long
night.
Martin Wound Up About ECU Receiving Corps
Pirate offensive coordinator Doug Martin was my guest on my first
radio/cable show for the year on
WCZI 98.3 FM and Cable 7 on Monday night.
If the offense is as good as Martin says that it can
be, then look out!
�I really like our offense, especially our receivers,� Martin told me. �They
all have a big play capability. I think they can be as good as the group
that included Troy Smith, Mitch Galloway and Larry Shannon. They are that
good.�
The collection of pass catchers whom Martin lumps into such favorable
company includes Derrick Collier, Terrance Copper and Arnie Powell. If this
corps of receivers meets the benchmarks set by their record-setting
predecessors, this will be a great offense.
The football season is finally here! Get to the game early on Saturday
afternoon, and treasure every second of a great day to tailgate!
Send an e-mail message to
Brian Bailey.
02/23/2007 01:19:24 AM
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