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Game No. 7: East Carolina 37, Marshall 10 |
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Game
Slants
Saturday, October 23, 2010
By Denny O'Brien |
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Pirates exceeding expectations
By
Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
GREENVILLE — With its 37-10
victory over Marshall, East Carolina has officially exceeded the
expectations of many for 2010.
Count me among those surprised
by the Pirates' 5-2 (4-0 Conference USA) start. Had ECU started 2-5, it
would have seemed more realistic given the amount of personnel turnover, the
introduction of a new coaching staff, and the installation of completely new
offensive and defensive systems.
That's not a scenario that
typically leads to a good start. Not unless you are the type of traditional
power that runs on autopilot.
But here the Pirates stand,
one win away from bowl eligibility and firmly in control of their own
destiny for a third-consecutive C-USA crown. When many believed they'd
struggle to claw their way to four victories by Thanksgiving, they've
notched five before Halloween.
“Everyone has doubts,” senior
linebacker Dustin Lineback said. “Are we going to pick up the system? Are
guys going to flow with these coaches? Are they players' coaches?
“At first, everyone is going
to be a little shaky. But now we're clicking. At first it started with a
puzzle in a box, and we're piecing it together each week. Deep down, each
player knows what he can do.”
That's apparently a lot more
than many of us ever considered. Especially players like Lineback, a former
walk-on whose blue collar work ethic has propelled him up the depth chart
and likely on a path to All C-USA honors.
And he's just one of many
surprises who has helped the Pirates notch their first 5-2 start since the
2000 season.
There are guys like junior
college transfer receiver Lance Lewis who were unheralded prior to the
season but now are legitimate stars. There also is no shortage of role
players like freshman safety Damon Magazu and receiver Mike Price, who've
proven themselves capable when their numbers have have been called.
“I believe in the kids, and I
know that anything is possible,” Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill said. “I had
high expectations for our football team. I'm not going to back off that.
“I knew it would be a lot of
work replacing a lot of starters, a lot of guys who contributed to and were
mainstays in back-to-back championships here. So, I knew it would be a
fight. But I'm very pleased with our guys.”
McNeill certainly had to be
pleased that, despite a terribly rusty start, the Pirates thoroughly thumped
a league opponent. After
beating rival N.C. State in
thrilling fashion last week, the Pirates were largely going through the
motions early against Marshall.
To overcome the degree of
uninspiring play ECU demonstrated during the opening half was a testament to
how quickly this team can press the accelerator and how dangerous it can be
when it is completely interested.
It took a flurry of personal
foul penalties against them and a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Dwayne
Harrris to give the Pirates and their crowd a spark. And once East Carolina
found the gas pedal, the Herd would have faced better odds had it bused to
the closest 7-Eleven and played the Lotto.
To put the Pirates' surprising
success to date in proper perspective, you would be hard pressed to find
anyone who could have predicted this type of start had there not been a
changing of the guard. With almost the entire defense missing from the past
two C-USA championship teams, it would have been a stretch to suggest this
level of success with Bill Belichick as the coach.
So it hardly seemed logical to
expect it with a first-year head coach.
But when many might not have
believed in these Pirates during the spring or summer, it's clear that
McNeill did. That belief has permeated throughout a roster that clearly has
bought into its coaches and each other.
We witnessed the first
evidence of that when Dominique Davis hit Justin Jones with
that 33-yard prayer with time
expiring in the opener. We've gotten much more with the
comeback in Hattiesburg, the
victory over the Wolfpack, and
Saturday's
pounding of the Herd.
If there is anyone who still
doubts this team, it's clearly time to convert. Though the Pirates are
hardly a lock to three-peat in C-USA, it wouldn't make sense to bet against
them.
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10/24/2010 04:54:16 AM |
