|
East
Division |
SCHOOL |
C-USA |
ALL |
ECU
Marshall
UCF
USM
Memphis
UAB |
1-0
1-0
0-0
0-1
0-1
0-2 |
1-2
1-3
2-2
3-1
1-3
0-3 |
|
West
Division |
SCHOOL |
C-USA |
ALL |
SMU
Tulsa
Houston
Tulane
Rice
UTEP |
2-0
1-0
0-0
1-1
0-0
0-1 |
3-1
1-3
4-0
2-2
1-2
2-2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By
Denny O'Brien
©2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
When East Carolina adopted Texas Tech’s
version of the spread offense, the rewriting of the Pirates’ record book
seemed imminent.
Who knew that would eventually lead to
eclipsing the single-game turnover mark?
That’s exactly what occurred during the
Pirates’
surprisingly narrow victory over
an inferior UAB club. Thanks to being on the beneficial end of seven
turnovers, the Blazers literally came within an inch of beating heavily
favored ECU.
“I’m proud of my team for being able to
do that,” Pirates head coach McNeill said in reference to winning
despite the presence of seven turnovers. “A lot of teams would not be
able to withstand that and have the competitive desire to do that.
“The seven turnovers, I was very
disappointed in that. We talk about taking care of the ball. But to be
able to overcome that and to win the football game, I’ll be able to use
that to our advantage.”
The big question is how.
Turnovers were a point of emphasis after
the Pirates committed five of them in
a loss to South Carolina in the
opener. ECU’s inability to secure the ball let the Gamecocks overcome a
17-0 deficit and eventually take control of the game.
After
an improved effort against Virginia Tech,
followed by an off week of preparation, the Pirates returned to their
careless ways. At times it even seemed as if the Pirates were taking for
granted how easily they were moving the sticks against the Blazers.
And turnovers weren’t the only moments
of self-destruction.
ECU had 60 yards in penalties Saturday,
all the product of major infractions. One nullified a big punt return by
Lance Lewis, while two others extended UAB drives after the Pirates had
stopped the Blazers on third down.
The final penalty — a personal foul on
Pirates linebacker Justin Dixon — extended what nearly was the
game-winning possession for UAB. Given this was the only time this
season that we’ve witnessed the Pirates lose their cool, this seems more
the exception than the rule.
But it’s difficult to make that same
assumption about the turnovers. Given the number the Pirates committed
against the Gamecocks, along with the debacle against UAB, it has the
characteristics of a trend.
If that continues, the number of ECU
losses will most certainly exceed the wins.
Bullock, line emerge
Despite East Carolina’s landslide of
turnovers Saturday, there still were numerous offensive bright spots.
Running back Reggie Bullock was one of them.
The junior college transfer broke loose
against the Blazers for 169 yards on 24 carries and scored a touchdown.
Most of those yards were amassed outside the tackles where Bullock used
his shiftiness to elude defenders in space, and his speed to run away
from them.
Pirates quarterback Dominique Davis
wasn’t at all surprised by the performance, or by the success of a
relatively inexperienced offensive front that opened sizable holes.
“We knew what he was capable of doing,
and it finally showed for him,” Davis said. “It’s all on the offensive
line. The offensive line probably played its best since the new coaches
have been here, even from last year.
"There
wasn’t a time when I had to scramble. I was able to just stay in the
pocket.”
Even more impressive about the Pirates’
offensive front is the unit's performance without center Doug Polochak,
who left the game with an injury. It didn’t miss a beat with backup
center Hugh Parker snapping the ball.
Coaching veto?
Scheduling the military academies for
occasional home-and-home series is one thing. Getting force fed games as
part of a conference schedule is another.
It’s no secret that head coaches and
defensive coordinators don’t look forward to playing the service
academies, almost exclusively due to their style of play. In addition to
generating a preparation nightmare, it introduces the potential for
injuries throughout the defensive depth chart.
Especially along the defensive front.
If the Big East adds both Air Force and
Navy, that will add two annual games in which league members will be
tasked with defending the triple option. That means two games each
season in which the defensive line will spend the better part of three
hours with offensive linemen diving at their legs.
Just think of the net result if a
current Big East member drew Air Force and Navy on consecutive weeks.
The training staff would more than earn its keep in that scenario.
It’s not far-fetched to believe that the
additions of Air Force and Navy could deplete the defensive line depth
for Big East programs and, ultimately, negatively affect the recruiting
of those athletes in the future.
Considering that possibility, you have
to wonder if current Big East coaches might encourage the league to seek
a different direction.