By Denny O'Brien
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All Rights Reserved.

With much of East Carolina�s two-deep chart returning next fall, it�s no stretch to predict the Pirates� return to the postseason.

Most of the defense is back, which should translate into another step forward there. And if the defensive staff can find suitable replacements in the secondary, the Pirates could return to the caliber of defense that carried the program to consecutive Conference USA titles in 2008 and 2009.

The offense is slightly different story.

With Dominique Davis departing, the Pirates are nearly back to square one at the quarterback position. He takes with him 25 games of starting experience in ECU�s spread offense, and his leadership is an intangible that everyone within the locker room unanimously insists the Pirates will miss.

Regardless of who breaks the huddle in East Carolina�s opener, he will be making his first career college start.

His success would be greatly aided by a more reliable running game. That�s an area in which the Pirates struggled throughout the season, and it even forced the staff to give a recruited tight end a decent load of carries down the stretch.

Without a reliable running game, opposing defenses are likely to adopt Marshall�s defensive blueprint for containing the ECU spread. On Saturday, Marshall�s game plan literally was to send a herd after Davis on nearly every play.

�They did a great job all year,� Pirates Coach Ruffin McNeill said of Marshall�s pass rush. �They were the first team to bring pressure against us last year. They are doing a great job with it. They do it out of odd man fronts and out of even man fronts. They brought a lot of pressure and blended in coverages very well.

"I thought they had a very good game plan and baited us into some throws.�

If the Pirates can�t find more consistency between the tackles next fall, more of that is certain to come. And a relatively green quarterback without the support of a capable rushing attack is the perfect recipe for turnovers.

With a long off-season ahead, the Pirates� most immediate challenges are two-fold. Finding a quarterback and developing a running game should top the priority list.

Big kicks

Michael Barbour�s 57-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest in Joan C. Edwards Stadium history. That was until he nailed one from 58 yards with time expiring in the 2nd quarter to give the Pirates a 20-17 halftime lead.

Barbour�s 58-yard boot tied the ECU all-time record held by Jeff Heath.

Following the game, McNeill said he felt good about Barbour kicking from long range when the Pirates were moving towards the locker rooms.

�We felt going toward the field house, with the wind, he was good from the 50-plus range,� McNeill said. �We determine that in pregame.

�We know on the opposite end, we knew he was good from the 30-yard line. What I go by is yard lines. Get the ball to the 30. But going towards the field house, we felt from the 40 in, he was good.�

Barbour missed later from 52 yards, noting that he got his foot a little too far under the ball.

Red zone threat

The return of receiver Justin Jones has been a fruitful one. Over the past two games, Jones has produced four touchdown receptions, including all three TDs against Marshall Saturday.

All four scores occurred from close range.

�You see the last two games what Justin would have meant to us all season,� McNeill said. �Justin has been one of those guys who we counted on being a primary weapon for us offensively.

�It wasn�t a good year for him. He had knee surgery and then wrist surgery after that. Then he had to get back into the swing of it. These last two games, you see what Justin brings to the table for our quarterbacks.�

Jones� presence has been a missing element to the Pirates� red zone package for most of the season. His return to the lineup certainly paid dividends there.