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Game No. 1: ECU 51 Tulsa 49 |
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Game
Slants
Sunday, September 5, 2010
By Denny O'Brien |
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Air Raid pilot makes grand
entrance
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The video
scoreboard atop
the new "Boneyard"
section of
Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium displays
the final score
and East
Carolina coach
Ruffin McNeill's
reaction after
the Pirates'
dramatic victory
over Tulsa on
Sunday.
(Photo: Rebekah
Whitford) |
By
Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
GREENVILLE — It didn’t take
long for Dominique Davis to deliver one of the more memorable performances
by an East Carolina quarterback. One game to be exact.
Make that one wild shootout of
a game that included 14 lead changes, 100 points scored, more than 1,100
combined yards, and too many subplots for the Pirates’ new scoreboard to
keep track. ECU’s 51-49 victory over Tulsa featured the unveiling of the
Ruffin McNeill era, the christening of ‘The Boneyard’, and the maiden voyage
of the new Air Raid offense.
But all took a back seat to
the Dominique Davis Show.
There were moments — many of
them during an unbelievable fourth quarter — when it looked as if Davis (27
of 46, 383 yards, 5 TDs) might be the runner-up in a thrilling quarterback
derby. Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne was equally magnificent, slicing through the ECU
secondary for nearly 400 yards and five scores.
If Kinne had one flaw, it’s
that he left too much time on the clock after the Golden Hurricane’s final
score. His touchdown pass to fullback Charles Clay left 1:22 on the clock,
nearly an eternity in this era of the spread offense.
That Davis drove the Pirates
66 yards in 82 seconds wasn’t the most impressive detail of the day. We’ve
seen that before. That he made it look so effortless and never panicked
demonstrated the type of presence he brings to the ECU huddle.
“This offense is simple, but
at the same time there are some complications with it,” McNeill said.
“Because the quarterback calls just about every play once he gets it from
(offensive coordinator) Lincoln (Riley).
“Lincoln gives him two or
three calls to make. It’s (Dominique’s) job to get us in the best play
possible. I was proud of Dominique. He had some tough times in the game, but
he came back and led our team. He made the plays he had to make.”
Like the six-yard touchdown
strike he threw to Dwayne Harris on 3rd and goal to push the Pirates ahead
38-35 with just under 10 minutes remaining. Or on ECU’s next possession when
he connected with Joe Womack for 26 yards on 4th and 3 after scrambling to
his right to buy extra time.
And, of course, there was the
33-yard toss to a leaping Justin Jones as time expired, delivering the final
blow to Tulsa.
“That was the greatest
experience of my life,” Davis said about his final heave into the end zone.
“There were probably people in the stands, our fans, who thought that it was
over. But I told the team, ‘Just trust.’
"As soon as I let it go, I
knew that he was going to catch it. When he caught it, I just fell out.
Nothing can compare to this play today.”
Just like there aren’t too
many quarterback performances that can compare with Davis’ effort on Sunday.
While it likely won’t rank as
historically significant as Jeff Blake’s effort against N.C. State in the
’92 Peach Bowl or David Garrard’s against Miami in ’99 — not yet, anyway —
you have to acknowledge the circumstances under which Davis delivered. This
was his first game at his third school and the third playbook he’s had to
grasp in as many years.
Yet at times Davis operated
with the precision of a quarterback who has been playing within the system
for two years, not two months. Pretty good for a player whose skills seemed
more tailored to an attack that places more emphasis on the run.
It should be pretty clear now
that Davis is a good fit for the Air Raid offense. Needless to say he’s
passed that test. The next question is how he will respond now that
opponents have game footage of him in it.
Good coaches identify
tendencies and develop game plans to expose a player’s weaknesses. Memphis,
Virginia Tech, and North Carolina each will have a better idea of when to
blitz, when to drop seven, and what type of coverage packages are best
suited for ECU’s personnel.
How well Davis and Riley
compensate for the looming defensive adjustments will likely dictate how
successful the Pirates can be this fall. Given the many defensive
shortcomings against Tulsa, it’s no stretch to suggest that the offense must
carry the load.
So far Davis seems capable.
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09/07/2010 12:54:28 AM |
