Harris BCS Poll
For the sixth year in a row, columnist Denny O'Brien is a member
of the voting panel
for the Harris Interactive College Football Poll
commissioned by the Bowl Championship Series. O'Brien was nominated to the panel by Conference USA.
The
Harris Poll is a component of the BCS Standings. O'Brien's
ballot below was filed in conjunction with this week's
Harris BCS Poll.
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Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll Ballot
[Ballot
cast
11.20.11]
(Conference USA
teams and ECU opponents highlighted in yellow.)
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Oklahoma State
5. Houston
6. Oregon
7. Stanford
8. Virginia Tech
9. Boise State
10. Georgia
11. South
Carolina
12. Oklahoma
13. Kansas State
14. Michigan State
15. Wisconsin
16. Penn State
17. Baylor
18. Texas Christian
19. Clemson
20. Michigan
21. Nebraska
22. Tulsa
23. Virginia
24. Georgia Tech
25. Auburn
|
BCS
Standings |
Harris/AP/Coaches Polls |
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|
C-USA Standings |
(Through games of 11.19.11) |
|
East
Division |
SCHOOL |
C-USA |
ALL |
USM
ECU
Marshall
UAB
UCF
Memphis |
5-2
4-3
4-3
3-5
2-5
1-6 |
9-2
5-6
5-6
3-8
4-7
2-9 |
|
West
Division |
SCHOOL |
C-USA |
ALL |
Houston
Tulsa
SMU
Rice
UTEP
Tulane |
7-0
7-0
4-3
3-4
2-5
1-7 |
11-0
8-3
6-5
4-7
5-6
2-10 |
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By
Denny O'Brien
©2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
It was fitting
that East Carolina needed one last defensive stand to finish off Central
Florida Saturday night. It was equally suitable that the deciding play
was delivered by sophomore safety Damon Magazu, who earlier stopped
Rannell Hall on fourth-and-goal from the one-foot line.
Magazu's
interception in the end zone on fourth-and-ten applied the finishing
touches to
the Pirates’ 38-31 victory,
keeping ECU’s postseason hopes alive while eliminating UCF from bowl
contention.
“Andrew
Bodenheimer came up to me (during the timeout) and said ‘Big time
players make big plays and big games,’ ” Magazu said. “I’ve heard that
before, but when he said it, something clicked.”
Just like
something has been clicking for the East Carolina defense throughout
much of 2011. The Pirates’ defensive turnaround has been nothing short
of astonishing when you consider their abundance of issues last fall.
ECU's defense
finished at or near the very bottom of every major statistical category
in 2010, and was unable to hold anyone under 40 points over the final
six games. Tucked within that stretch were afternoons on which the
Pirates surrendered
76 points to Navy and
62 to Rice.
It reached a point
where 500- and 600-yard outbursts became the norm. That hasn’t been the
case this season, as the Pirates have improved by nearly 70 spots in the
national rankings for total defense.
“We try to forget
last year, but we try to keep it in the back of our minds that we were
last in the nation in defense,” Magazu said. “We had nowhere to go but
up.
“We put so much
work in, especially with the coaching staff and Coach (Jeff) Connors. He
got us ready this year to run to the ball. That’s what we pride
ourselves on, running to the ball. We love running to the ball. When you
run to the ball, people make plays and that’s exciting.”
The shift to a 3-4
alignment and a more aggressive approach have proven a much better fit
for the Pirates’ personnel, putting more athletes on the field
without sacrificing ECU’s ability to contain the run.
That much was
evident Saturday during several short-yardage scenarios. The Pirates
stood their ground on multiple occasions, including Magazu’s 3rd quarter
hit on Hall.
Unlike 2010, this
is an East Carolina defense that is improving every week. And with eight
starters returning next year, the Pirates could make an even bigger jump
in 2012.
Conditioned bunch
As has been often
the case this season, East Carolina was at a supreme disadvantage in
time of possession Saturday. The Pirates’ defense was on the field for
over 34 minutes against UCF, but it never appeared winded, especially
late.
Credit that to the renewed emphasis on running and conditioning under
strength coach Jeff Connors.
“That goes to
Coach Connors and our defensive coaching staff,” Magazu said. “They make
us run during practice, and we want to. Even if they don’t say anything,
we continue to run because we know it’s going to prepare us for games.
"In
the off-season, Coach Connors and his staff did a phenomenal job
preparing us for this.”
That none of the
Pirates’ defenders were gasping for air is a testament to that. It’s
clear that Connors’ return to ECU after a stint at UNC-Chapel Hill has
provided a significant upgrade to ECU’s strength and conditioning
program.
Not
too special
It doesn’t take a
football whiz to determine the Pirates’ most glaring deficiency this
season. Their inability to cover kicks has been a major Achilles’ heel,
one that has negatively affected the outcome of games.
That was true
last week in El Paso, and it was
nearly the case against UCF. Twice the East Carolina defense bailed out
its special teams by standing tall after long returns — one punt and one
kickoff.
With only one game
remaining in the regular season, a major turnaround in this area is
unlikely. Like the defense from last year, special teams will require a
major overhaul during the offseason.