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Game No. 11: Rice 62, East Carolina 38 |
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Game
Slants
Saturday, November 20, 2010
By Denny O'Brien |
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Defense going downhill
By
Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
HOUSTON, TX — Regardless of how the 2010 season concludes for East Carolina, the
pressing issues facing head coach Ruffin McNeill are already clear. They
have been for weeks.
If the Pirates are to again contend for the Conference USA crown, he and his
defensive staff must improve one of the nation's worst defenses. And that's
no simple task given the drought within the defensive talent pool.
In an embarrassing
62-38 loss to Rice Saturday, the Pirates made the Owls
look as if they might possess the nation's most proficient offense. Had you
not known that Rice entered the afternoon with a 2-8 record — and only a
131-yard per game rushing average — you might have believed that to be the
case.
Against a helpless ECU defense, Rice found little resistance regardless of
the personnel or package. When freshman running back Jeremy Eddington was in
wildcat formation, the Owls collected many of their 410 rushing yards. When
quarterback Taylor McHargue was behind center, Rice was just as efficient on
the ground, and borderline lethal through the air.
The numbers were so alarming that Rice had compiled 426 total yards of
offense by intermission. Nearly 300 of that occurred on the ground with
Eddington directing the traffic.
“The wildcat, we knew about
it, prepared for it and worked on it,” McNeill said. “They out-executed us. They had some different plays earlier in the game with it. But for the most
part, the wildcat stuff we knew. We had worked on it and prepared for it. It
comes down to execution.
"I know (defensive coordinator) Brian (Mitchell) and
the kids are disappointed, but sometimes it comes down to just making a
play. There is no magic defense.”
That's unfortunate for an ECU defense that surely could benefit from
mystical intervention. It especially could have used it in third down
situations where Rice converted on 10 of its 16 attempts.
Had Rice not lifted its foot off the throttle, perhaps it would have
converted at an even higher percentage. It most certainly would have
generated more than the 639 yards of offense that it compiled on the day.
“That's an offense that is
similar to the wishbone, where somebody has got to make a play,” McNeill
said. “You are going to be singled up. You have a guy on every guy. Somebody has got to defeat a guy and make a
play.”
Obviously that didn't happen a lot Saturday, nor has it occurred much over
the past four games. During this stretch, the Pirates, who once were 5-2,
have managed to go 1-3 while surrendering an average of 57 points per game.
Those numbers are especially puzzling when you consider the Pirates
held
N.C. State to 27 and
Marshall to 10 in consecutive weeks. An offense with
Rice's personnel shouldn't be posting a basketball score.
So, you can't help but wonder how the defense has regressed so much.
To some degree, you can't overlook the fact that the injury list has
lengthened. Neither Michael Brooks nor Marke Powell have played over the
past four weeks, and both were starters along the defensive front.
But aside from them, along with the loss of Justin Dixon against
North
Carolina, this is the same personnel the Pirates have had since the
beginning of the year. With a young, growing defense, you would expect to
see significant improvement, not the degree of backsliding we have witnessed
of late.
It's no secret that East Carolina lacks the personnel to consistently
execute in the type of system that McNeill and Mitchell have attempted to
run this year. It has resulted in the inability to pressure the quarterback
and receivers routinely freeing themselves from coverage.
Oversized openings along the defensive front have also become the rule.
Whenever the season does conclude, be it this Friday in Greenville or in
December after a bowl, McNeill has some serious decisions ahead. Some of
them surround player personnel, while others involve the overall defensive
philosophy and the staff that is responsible for implementing it.
A thorough evaluation of the current talent is obviously needed to ensure
that ECU is fitting the right players in the appropriate spots. McNeill also
must be strategic in the caliber of players he targets along the recruiting
trail.
Beyond that, McNeill should seriously consider whether or not he has the
right staff in place and is running the type of system that can be
successful in offensive-minded C-USA. Though such scrutiny might seem
unfair one year into his tenure, the numbers and lack of production suggest
otherwise.
It's just hard to imagine the East Carolina defense making significant
strides by simply staying the course.
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11/21/2010 04:22:24 AM |
