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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook
No. 19
Monday, October 22, 2001
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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�2001 Bonesville.net
Miller Making ECU Automatic
in Red Zone
You would be hard-pressed to identify a position which can take a player
on a wilder emotional roller coaster ride than that of place kicker.
Late-game heroics can transform even the most enigmatic kicker into a
'Big Man on Campus'. Yet, one fatal miss can turn a hero into a goat in the
blink of an eye.
Though East Carolina's Kevin Miller doesn't boast a resume filled with
game-winning field goals, the Virginia Beach junior has shored up the
Pirates' kicking game this season. Through seven games, Miller has hit on 11
of 14 attempts, including a perfect four of four effort against Memphis.
According to Head Coach Steve Logan, Miller's consistency has taken a lot
of pressure off the Pirate offense, which is averaging better than 34 points
per game.
"A good field goal kicker changes the dynamics of everything inside of
the 30-yard line," he said. "When we get inside of the 30, we're still just
running our offense � we're not having to press to make a play.
"We really feel like we can get three out of it. Three is a big deal when
you know you can go get it, and so far, he (Miller) has been steady."
Miller burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman, and was a finalist
for the Lou Groza award before pulling a quadriceps muscle that caused him
to miss the latter half of the 1999 regular season.
After a somewhat disappointing 2000 campaign, Miller, who came to East
Carolina on a golf scholarship, pledged to focus solely on football and
worked out with the team during the summer to increase his strength.
Not only did the decision add muscle to Miller's six-foot frame, the
extra time in the weight room caught the attention of his teammates and,
more importantly, gave the Virginia Beach native a more serious perspective
on his own potential.
"I think it made me feel better about myself, number one," Miller said.
"Number two, I think I got a little bit of respect from the guys, staying
around and doing everything they were doing.
"I don't think there is a direct correlation between a better bench press
to more field goals, but when you feel better about yourself, you're going
to go out and perform well."
Miller's efforts have been aided by the presence of junior college
transfer punter Jarad Preston, who is averaging better than 44 yards per
boot. Now, Miller can concentrate solely on place-kicking, after having to
pull double duty last year as the Pirates struggled to find a consistent
punter.
Miller was more than happy to relinquish his punting duties.
"I saw something in Sports Illustrated this morning about how few
kickers there are that do the punting as well," Miller said. "There are not
many out there that do both well.
"It's just been a blessing with Jarad Preston coming in and doing the
punting this year. I know Coach Logan is thrilled to death with what he is
doing, and I'm thrilled. We're probably tied for being his biggest fans.
He's doing a fantastic job, and it helps me to have to concentrate on just
kicking."
Logan echoes that sentiment, noting that Miller carried too big a load
last year, which greatly affected his accuracy.
"Asking a kid to punt and kick is a little bit beyond what most of them
are capable of," Logan said. "Now that Kevin is back just kicking them on
the ground, he's right back into that 70-80 percent category, which is his
natural place."
One area of Miller's game that often goes unnoticed is his work on the
kickoff unit. Though he doesn't possess the necessary leg strength to blast
the ball through the end zone, Miller's pinpoint accuracy enables him to
angle kicks high and deep inside the ten-yard line, allowing the coverage
team to nail opponents deep inside the 20.
Miller notes the relentless efforts of his teammates who charge down the
field with reckless abandon.
"I don't have to go out there and try to over-kick and try to bang the
ball into the end zone every time," he said. "In fact, we're almost better
doing that, because we're hitting guys inside the 20-yard line week in and
week out.
"I could go on and on about every one of those guys on our kicking team.
Even when I kick a bad ball to say the 12 or 15-yard line, those guys are
still getting down there getting them inside the 20-yard line. You know,
it's hard to go 80 yards on any defense, especially the way our defense
played today."
And if Miller keeps lighting up the scoreboard with field goals and PATs,
those 80 yards will start to seem like an eternity.
Hardy's Return Has Pirates Looking Rose-y
Again
You could hardly blame ECU defensive coordinator Tim Rose for cracking a
smile following the Pirates' 32-11victory over Memphis on Saturday. After
all, the Pirate defense had just put together its best performance of the
season, taming the Tiger offense all afternoon long and yielding just 231
total yards.
It was an effort reminiscent of a '99 outing in which a Jeff Kerr-led
unit stifled Tulane's high-octane attack in a 52-7 Pirate victory. Like the
Green Wave, the Tigers roared into Dowdy-Ficklen stadium with offensive
momentum, only to be humbled by an aggressive Pirate D.
Memphis could manage only a third quarter field goal and a late token
touchdown, as the Pirates executed Rose's game plan almost to perfection and
darn near pitched a shutout.
"It was a game plan designed more or less to stop the pass and react to
the run," Rose said. "It was born out of what they had done and what our
weaknesses had been during the year, and our guys played outstanding
football, obviously.
"We were just going to try to pursue, and not give any big creases to the
running back. We tried not to give up any big plays in terms of the passing
game, playing deep, deep zones and breaking on the ball short."
Cornerback Kelly Hardy, who was making his first appearance since
suffering a knee injury against William and Mary, exemplified Rose's
strategy with a tackle on third-and-goal early in the third quarter that
forced Memphis to kick a field goal.
On the play, Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine found Darron White open
in the flat, but the Tiger receiver was immediately met by Hardy and thrown
for a seven-yard loss.
Hardy's return no doubt provided a spark for the Pirates, and Rose made
prominent note of it.
"He's a guy that was coming into the season as a top defensive back for
us at the field corner," Rose said. "Not having him out there certainly was
a problem.
"It was just like losing Charlie Robinson after Tulane. We had really
been out of sync at the corner spot from the third game on."
The secondary got it together against the Tigers, yielding a season-low
159-yards passing, 45 of which came on a play late in the fourth quarter
that set up Memphis' lone touchdown � after the Pirates had the game well in
hand.
"We played inspiring football," Rose added. "Standing around on the
sideline watching those guys play was a lot of fun."
Alston Feeling Right at Home
If you didn't know any better, you could easily mistake junior H-back
Richard Alston for a seasoned veteran deeply enriched with pass-catching
pedigree. But Saturday's six-catch, 105-yard effort against Memphis marked
just the seventh game that the Warrenton native lined up as a wide receiver.
Alston, who spent two seasons as David Garrard's backup at quarterback,
was too talented to keep on the sideline according to Logan.
Thus, the switch to H-back during spring practice. So far, the move has
paid dividends.
"Richard Alston has found a home," Logan said. "He is a wonderful wide
receiver.
"A lot of times when you move a quarterback to wide receiver, you end up
with an athlete playing wide receiver. Richard is a true wide receiver. He's
got a wonderful set of hands, and he's got a good heart.
"The neat thing about it that the fans don't see is he is out there
coaching a lot of those young wide receivers, which is good. He's having to
coach them all, but he can do that because of his experience at quarterback.
He gets the big scheme of things. He has really given himself to the
football team."
Alston is quickly asserting himself as the most dependable member of the
Pirates' receiving corps, and has become Garrard's favorite target with a
team-high 17 catches.
To go along with a solid pair of mitts, Alston possesses a lethal
combination of speed and power that makes him tough to bring down in the
open field. And with each practice, each game, Alston improves another facet
of his game.
Much of the credit, according to Alston, goes to the coaching staff,
which has nurtured his development since he made the move from QB to
receiver.
"I'm getting good coaching from coach Martin and Coach Leahy," Alston
said. "They teach me something every day to add to my abilities, so that
each week, I can go out and definitely improve.
"I've been asking questions about how I can get better and watching film
of Troy Smith and those guys, trying to get better. Being a former
quarterback, I definitely know where to get to."
Lately, he certainly seems to be in all the right places.
Redeeming Victory
After last year's disappointing 17-10 loss to Memphis, which cost the
Pirates a share of the C-USA title, you can rest assured the Pirates had
redemption on their minds on Saturday.
Though the defense played well enough to win last year's tilt, the
offense stumbled out of the gates, and couldn't recover in time to post a
late-game rally.
Senior offensive lineman Chris Nelson, who made his first appearance
since breaking his leg in the season opener against Wake Forest, was
motivated not to have a repeat of last year's performance.
"That (Memphis) defense last year was really good," Nelson said. "I think
they've got four guys in the NFL right now.
"We didn't play too well last year, especially on the offensive line. I
know we had some big busts that really cost us the game. I think we redeemed
ourselves today."
The Pirates will have another shot at redemption one week from Tuesday
when they travel to Fort Worth to play TCU in an ESPN2 matchup. The Horned
Frogs spoiled East Carolina's dreams of a ten-win season with a 28-14
victory in the '99 Mobile Alabama Bowl.
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02/23/2007 01:41:25 AM
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