|
Game
Slants
Saturday, November 3, 2012
By Denny O'Brien |
 |
McNeill, Pirates answer
doubters
By
Denny O'Brien
©2012 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
[View
the Mobile Alpha version of this page.]
View box score and statistics on ecupirates.com
Read game recap on ecupirates.com
GREENVILLE — By all measures,
Saturday’s Conference USA showdown against Houston had the buildup of the
most critical game of Ruffin McNeill’s tenure at East Carolina.
Fresh off
last week’s 56-28 debacle against Navy,
McNeill suddenly found himself in testy territory with a fan base beginning
to question the program’s direction. To say that McNeill and his staff
needed to demonstrate bounce-back ability would understate the situation.
There also was plenty on the
line for the Pirates, namely bowl eligibility and preservation of their
C-USA title hopes. ECU also desperately needed to regain its collective
swagger after getting thoroughly bullied by the Midshipmen last week.
The response? A dominating
performance that resulted in a much-needed 48-28 cakewalk victory over the
surprisingly well-tamed Cougars.
“It was a tough week to battle
back from,” Pirates Coach Ruffin McNeill said. “I thought it said a lot
about our character.
“A lot of teams wouldn’t have
bounced back from the week we had before. I’m proud of our coaching staff
defensively. They did a great job of getting those guys to bounce back
against a team that really works at a high execution level. They did a great
job of controlling this team.”
Not only did the Pirates
bounce back from last week’s loss, they completely outclassed a group that
had won four of its last five and was still in the hunt for the C-USA West
division crown. The Pirates did so with a sense of urgency seemingly absent
for much of the season to date.
Offensively, the Pirates
attacked with proficiency through the air and efficiency on the ground.
Defensively, they forced punts on Houston’s first four possessions, which
fueled a 28-0 first half lead.
In short, a coaching staff
whose preparation has been questioned this year should be applauded for how
well the team was prepared Saturday.
Before Houston could blink, it
was on the business end of a blowout that could have been much worse. And
the Pirates were doing it with a mix of Vintavious Cooper runs and Shane
Carden passes.
Even more impressive was the
volume of contributions from players who generally haven’t been go-to
options. Receiver Danny Webster immediately comes to mind with a hat trick
of receiving touchdowns, as do receiver Derrick Harris and running back
Reggie Bullock, both of whom had standout days.
“We had those receivers
there,” Carden said. “It was never really a confidence thing with them. It
was just today.
“We got them the ball more. We
want that. We want everyone touching the ball and we want everyone to score.
When we’re working like that, the offense flows better.”
It’s hard to envision it
flowing much better outside a pair of turnovers that negated potential
scores and led to one Houston touchdown. Even the nation’s most astute
offensive minds would embrace a 305-yard passing effort, complemented by 245
on the ground.
In terms of play calling, you
could hardly ask for a better afternoon from Pirates offensive coordinator
Lincoln Riley, who kept the puzzled Coogs off balance all day. He had an
answer for every Houston set, be it an all-out blitz or seven men in
coverage.
With two games remaining, the
Pirates now are bowl eligible with a welcome off week and two very winnable
games remaining. An 8-4 finish and an appearance in the C-USA championship
game suddenly feel within reach.
There’s no question, though,
that East Carolina still has some serious deficiencies on both sides of the
ball. The Pirates are at a clear disadvantage any time the opponent drops
back to pass, and pass protection isn’t exactly a strong suit.
Saturday’s convincing victory
didn’t resolve that.
But if the mettle of a team
and its staff is measured by how well they pick themselves off the turf, the
Pirates’ passed a serious test on Saturday.
View box score and statistics on ecupirates.com
Read game recap on ecupirates.com
Send
a message to Denny O'Brien.
Dig into Denny
O'Brien's Bonesville archives.
11/04/2012 01:18:20 AM |
