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Game No. 10: East Carolina 54, UAB 42 |
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Game
Slants
Thursday, November 11, 2010
By Denny O'Brien |
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Davis in league of his own
By
Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The 2010
season will likely be remembered as the greatest ever by an East Carolina
quarterback. At least until next year.
That's when Pirates trigger
man Dominique Davis will shatter ECU's single season passing records— the
ones he is setting this year.
In a 54-42 shootout victory
over UAB Thursday night, Davis established himself as the most prolific
single season passer in Pirates history. And that's in a lineage of
quarterbacks that includes Jeff Blake, Marcus Crandell, and current NFL
standout David Garrard.
Pretty good company to say the
least.
It was Blake, the maestro
behind the Pirates' memorable 1991 season, whose records Davis erased
Thursday. He did it with arguably the best performance of his brief ECU
career, a 331-yard, five-touchdown effort that brought his season totals to
3,077 yards and 31 scores.
“Dominique is the epitome of a
quarterback in this offense,” Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill said. “He doesn't
even have the hang of it yet. Trust me.
“He's only been a part of it
since August 6th. This off-season and spring, he'll get even better. I think
he'll even tell you that, too.”
That perhaps is the most
intriguing detail about Davis' performance to date, the fact that three
months ago there were questions about his ability to fit within the Pirates'
new system.
Widely regarded as a dual
threat tailored more towards today's pistol formations, many doubted he
could handle the demands of an offense designed so heavily around the pass.
During stops at Boston College
and Fort Scott Community College, he didn't possess the level of accuracy
typically required to make his current system a success. And given that most
quarterbacks within this system have been generally confined to the pocket,
it seemed as if much of Davis' skill set would go to waste.
But that hasn't been the case
thus far.
Davis has proven himself adept
at reading defenses, running through his route progressions, and delivering
the ball on target. His wheels have also enabled offensive coordinator
Lincoln Riley to expand the playbook to include roll-outs like the one he
called with 53 seconds remaining before the half.
That's when Davis, rolling to
his right, found Jonathan Williams alone on the far sideline for a 77-yard
gain that led to the Pirates taking the lead at the break.
“It was a little bootleg,”
Riley said. “They were a pretty aggressive defense. We thought we would get
them flowing with Dominique.
“We just wheeled Jon after we
faked it out of the backfield. Sometimes they don't always turn out the way
you draw them up, but that one did.”
Davis would be the first one
to tell you that his career hasn't gone exactly the way he envisioned. He
also is humble to the point where he deflects praise and credits his
offensive linemen and receivers for much of the heavy lifting in the
offense.
They certainly have played a
part in this record-breaking season. A big part. The line has kept him off
the turf, while the receiving corps has found openings and extra yardage
after most catches.
But the fact that Davis has
been unanimously chosen as a team captain in eight of the Pirates' games
this season tells you where he stands among his teammates. It also
demonstrates that Davis has the intangibles to match his ineffable skills.
After ten games, there is more
than enough evidence to give Davis a fair evaluation. Considering his
accuracy, mobility, and aptitude at reading defenses, there is only one
conclusion you can draw: he is the total package.
He's also the most prolific
passer we've ever witnessed at ECU in any given season, and he has two
regular season games and likely a bowl remaining. That means a lot of snaps
to create separation between himself and Blake.
But wherever the final tally
ends in 2010, it will probably be in jeopardy next fall.
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11/12/2010 03:53:37 AM |
