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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook
No. 4
Monday, September 3, 2001
By Denny O'Brien |
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�2001 Bonesville.net
Hurting Pirates Shift
Focus to Green Wave
East Carolina head coach Steve Logan didn't have to say a word in his
post-game press conference Saturday night to convey a picture of his team's
somberness following the Pirates' 21-19 loss to Wake Forest.
The look on his face said it all.
�There�s a bunch of heartbroken boys down in the locker room,� said Logan.
�There�s no question, they�re really heartbroken. And some coaches too, I
mean, that�s a tough deal.�
The challenge now facing the Pirates is to pick up the pieces and prepare
for their conference opener against Tulane on Saturday in New Orleans.
If there is a bright side to Saturday�s disappointment, the
loss to the Demon Deacons does nothing to damage ECU's primary goal for 2001
� winning a C-USA championship.
That consolation doesn't do much to ease the short-term
pain, though, according to Logan.
�At least it didn�t hurt us in the conference, but at the same time, I mean
it�s just hard. Like I say, that�s a hard break," he said. �When you
work all through three-a-days like we have and build up for that game, and
you come up short, it really hurts.
"We�ve just got to kick off the hurt and go back and play
some football. Just go win the next game and then we can probably be able to
manage this a little bit better.�
The Pirates are left with little time to reel, as they must hastily turn
their attention to a Tulane team that is equally hungry for a win.
A win against the Green Wave is a virtually mandatory first
step if ECU's league title aspirations are to remain intact. Just as
important, according to Logan, crashing the Wave in New Orleans would be
just what the doctor ordered to erase the bitter memories of Saturday
night.
�We�ve got a big, big, big, big game coming up in six-and-a-half days down
in Louisiana,� Logan added. �There�s nothing wrong that a victory won�t
cure. I know that to be true.�
For quarterback David Garrard, Saturday�s loss was tough to stomach,
especially since it came at the hands of an ACC opponent. Wake Forest�s win
marked the first time an ACC opponent has won at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, a
streak that Garrard wanted to keep in tact.
�We didn�t want an ACC team to come in here and get a win,� Garrard said.
�But they�re a good team. They�re not the same team they were last year.�
That�s the same tune Logan has been singing throughout fall practice. Though
many observers had passed off Logan�s preseason praise of Wake as
coach-speak, the Demon Deacons undoubtedly won over some new believers
Saturday night.
�I tip my hat to them,� Logan added. �They�re a good football team. And I
think if they stay healthy, I think that they will win several football
games this year.�
Morris Shines in Loss
Overshadowed somewhat by the loss was a stellar performance by junior split
end Torey Morris. The Toms River, NJ, native emerged as the go-to guy for
the Pirates, highlighted by his 49-yard third quarter touchdown reception.
�Torey will go up and get it,� Logan noted. �He�s a 40-inch vertical guy,
and we design things to throw the ball deep to him. If it�s one-on-one, we
want him to go up and rebound the football � he�s a good player.�
Morris, who finished the evening with four catches for 93 yards, including
the touchdown, recognizes that the receiving corps must step up, what with
the losses of standouts Marcellus Harris and Keith Stokes.
�His main guy was Marcellus Harris last year,� said Morris, referring to
Garrard�s favorite target last season. �So I�m trying to step up and make
some plays. Somebody has to step up and make some plays.�
So far, Garrard and Morris seem to have developed quite a
chemistry.
�I know we�ve got to do a better job as receivers, though," he said. "We all
work hard � we�re going to get better.�
Morris, like most of his Pirate teammates, grasps Logan�s theory for
remedying a tough loss.
�Just go out and win the next game. We�ve got Tulane next week � just got to
win the next one.�
Townes Packs Powerful Combination
After sitting out last season as a redshirt, Marvin Townes made his
much-anticipated debut in a Pirate uniform Saturday night. The running
back/kick returner from Warrenton showed glimpses of a promising future,
while bringing to mind to the Pirate faithful of two former ECU standouts.
Combining the elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability of Keith Stokes and
the breakaway speed of Jerris McPhail, Townes electrified the Dowdy-Ficklen
stadium crowd on his second kickoff return. Though the return netted only 23
yards, Townes dodged several tacklers on the play, and for a split-second,
looked as if he might take it the distance.
�He�s going to be something if he just stays the course,� Logan noted. �He
is very coachable right now � he�s learning. You saw a little bit of drama
there on the kickoff return, some of the things that we�ve seen in practice.
�More and more, by and by, we�ll just keep giving him a little bit more. I
think that he�ll contribute a lot before the season is over.�
Although disappointed by the outcome, Townes felt good to be on the field
after the one-year layoff.
�I kind of had some butterflies when I heard the crowd,� he said. �Then I
felt like myself again when I caught the ball. From there, I was just
running � trying to get the best field position I could get for my team.�
As for the loss, Townes refuses to dwell on Saturday�s outcome, instead
using it as motivation to perform better next week.
�We�re not going to let that one loss get to us. We�ll just go out and play
that much harder the next game.�
Punting Game Shows Promise
Jarad Preston�s six-punt, 43.7-yard average may have been the solid signal
Logan had been looking for that ECU's punting efforts will be more
productive than it was in 2000. Preston, a junior-college transfer
from Tuscon, Arizona, was recruited to improve a unit that struggled for the
majority of last season.
Thus far, Logan is pleased.
�I think Jarad (Preston) got off to a good start, and I certainly hope that
becomes normal," he said. "That was a much better punter and punt team
than we had in place last year. So, I�m crossing my fingers that
that�s the way that stays. He did a fine job � he was very competitive. I
was proud of him.�
Preston�s longest boot measured 53 yards, and he nailed one punt inside the
Wake Forest 20-yard line.
Nelson Prognosis Not Good
The Pirates lost starting right guard Chris Nelson early in the game to a
knee injury. Nelson, a senior from Hickory who has been a steady performer
throughout his ECU career, didn�t return to the game.
�I believe that Chris (Nelson) will be out for some time,� Logan said. �It�s
anywhere from a cartilage all the way to an ACL. We�re hoping it�s a
cartilage and maybe we can get him back in about two, three, or four weeks.�
Brian Fox, a 6�2� 284-lb. sophomore from Cumming, Georgia, is listed as
Nelson�s backup, and will most likely be his replacement against Tulane.
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02/23/2007 01:41:14 AM
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