By Denny O'Brien
©2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

There is little more taxing on locker room dynamics than a quarterback controversy. If not handled properly, it can create division, with players choosing a personal favorite for the starting spot.

That’s the immediate challenge facing East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley in the aftermath of the Pirates’ humbling 56-3 loss to Houston Saturday night.

An inability to properly handle the sudden uncertainty at the position could divide the locker room. We saw that first-hand during John Thompson’s initial season with his poor juggling of Desmond Robinson, Paul Troth, and James Pinkney.

McNeill took a step in the right direction after Saturday’s game by taking a non-committal approach to either Dominique Davis or Rio Johnson. He wisely didn’t want to make an impulsive decision or say anything that might damage the confidence of either quarterback.

“I think we’ll watch film,” McNeill said. “That will be tough for me to make a decision right after the game tonight like this. We’ll watch film as a staff and make decisions on where we go with that.

"We didn’t hesitate to put (Rio) in there, and we won’t hesitate to play him if we need to.”

After Davis’s performance against Houston, there is no denying that East Carolina now has more questions at the position than answers. For the first time in his career, the once steady Davis was pulled from a game for poor performance.

Saturday, like other days this season, Davis was a far cry from the astute decision maker and ice cold competitor that led the Pirates to several comeback victories during the first half of 2010. He has seemingly been replaced by an indecisive, somewhat gun shy version of his former self — with a tendency towards panic at times when under pressure.

Davis finished Saturday’s game 13-of-23 for 169 yards and three interceptions. It marked the eighth-consecutive game in which Davis has thrown a pick, and many of those games included multiple miscues.

His final interception Saturday occurred on the opening drive of the second half and prompted Riley to make the switch. Johnson relieved Davis and completed 13 of his 21 attempts for 94 yards and an interception.

Johnson, like Davis, was under constant duress from a barrage of Houston blitzes, but didn’t seem to flinch from the pressure. On the contrary, he demonstrated surprising pocket awareness for a quarterback who had never played a down of college football.

“It looked like he was ready to go,” McNeill said. “Rio is a smart football player. We’ll look at the film and let Lincoln grade that. Having not played much, he may have run (the offense) a little bit slower. The more he plays, he’ll get better at that.

"But as far as making the decision as to who is there, we’ll watch the film and Lincoln and I will get together and we’ll see where we go with it.”

The remainder of the season rests on that looming decision. Making the right selection is only part of the challenge.

Effectively and authoritatively communicating it to Davis, Johnson, and the rest of the ECU locker room is the other.

In the ‘Hunt’

It’s tough to find many bright spots in the Pirates’ loss at Houston Saturday, but running back Torrance Hunt certainly stands out.

Hunt relieved starter Reggie Bullock, who was ineffective with six yards on six carries. Hunt responded with 65 yards on 12 carries in his first extensive action in the ECU backfield.

“I was proud of Torrance,” McNeill said. “He’s worked extremely hard. He’s been on special teams and has been a fixture for us.

“We moved him from wide receiver to running back in the spring and he did a great job. He’s really worked his way up the ladder. I felt so comfortable with him out there and so did Lincoln. He can make some guys miss.”

Hunt made a statement for a starting role with solid open field running. His combination of elusiveness and speed could give the ECU offense a needed boost.

Showing their youth

The most perplexing detail about Saturday’s game wasn’t the 56 points Houston posted on the scoreboard.

The ease with which the nation’s 93rd-ranked defense ransacked ECU quarterbacks was as puzzling as it was frustrating to watch. Houston registered nine sacks and nine quarterback hurries, often met with little resistance from the Pirates’ offensive front.

“Grant Harner, our most experienced lineman, got beat a couple of times,” McNeill said. “We’ll see where we are and grade that, if it was a technique thing.

“They put some speed guys on the field. We knew they might do that, and they did. They did get to the quarterback more than anyone has all year, which was surprising to me.”

Houston’s defensive coaches obviously detected something on film that led them to believe they could exploit the ECU offense. Given this and other recent trends, East Carolina’s offensive staff must figure out a way to stay a step ahead of the competition.