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Pirate Notebook No. 23
Wednesday, November 6, 2001

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

When East Carolina defeated Cincinnati in its last trip to Nippert Stadium, back in 1998, the Bearcats' style of play closely emulated that of many of the neighboring schools in Big 10 Country � Big. Powerful. Hard-nosed.

But when the Pirates travel to the River City for a 3:30 nationally-televised game (ESPN) on Saturday, they'll see a Cincinnati team that has taken an about-face with its football mentality.

Gone is the Power-I, which fueled a 41-carry, 234-yard performance by then-freshman DeMarco McCleskey. It has been replaced with a spread, no-huddle attack, much like what the Pirates have seen in previous conference match-ups with Tulane, Army, Memphis, and TCU.

Much of the reason for UC's offensive evolution was the presence of multi-talented quarterback Deontey Kenner, who finished a solid four-year career last season.

Despite Kenner's departure, the Bearcats haven't skipped a beat offensively � thanks largely to the rapid emergence of true-freshman Gino Guidugli, who was perhaps the state of Kentucky's top prep quarterback as a senior.

ECU head coach Steve Logan has certainly taken notice of coach Rick Minter's young quarterback prodigy.

"They've got one of the bright young quarterbacks coming into this league," Logan said. "I think before it's all said and done, this youngster's going to be the next real-deal guy to come out of this league.

"He's a mobile guy that can throw and it's going to be a real test to see if we can slow him down. He plays much more mature that you'd think a true freshman could do."

Guidugli burst onto the scene in the second game of the season, leading a second-half charge to defeat Army, 24-21. Since then, Guidugli has thrown for 1,840 yards and 11 touchdowns, and is averaging a C-USA best 262.9 yards passing per game, which doesn't bode well for a Pirate secondary that has struggled for much of the season.

A more recent change, however, has been Cincinnati's approach on defense. The Bearcats have chosen a similar path taken by the Pirates when defensive coordinator Tim Rose stepped on board, trading size for speed, while incorporating a blitzing mentality.

"They're a little bit young in the secondary � they're playing their kids a little bit off," Logan said. "They're doing a lot of blitzing and playing what I would call a soft man-to-man coverage.

"Somewhere along the line, they've decided to go ahead and try to get pressure. They've done a good job of that. There is no rhyme or reason to their blitz scheme. It's anytime, anywhere, any moment. It's kind of disconcerting. Normally you can get a few tendencies and make a few calls off of that."

Though Cincinnati is undersized, the Pirate offense could find the running lanes hard to come by. According to Logan, the Bearcats are likely to stack eight men in the box, forcing quarterback David Garrard to beat them through the air.

Still, Logan knows the importance of establishing the running game, which has been the benchmark of the Pirates' offense all year.

"They would like to stop the run first and make you throw it," he said. "We're going to have to scheme up some things kind of particular on how we run the football with Leonard [Henry] and Art [Brown]."

Though Cincinnati lost control of its C-USA title destiny with a 28-13 loss to Louisville in the annual battle for the 'Keg of Nails,' don't think for one minute that the Bearcats are lacking any confidence.

It certainly didn't take the Bearcats long to bounce back, thumping Connecticut 45-28 in an out-of-conference bout last week.

Even more importantly, the Bearcats could have easily won their nip-and-tuck battle with neighboring Louisville, but made a few costly mistakes down the stretch.

"I think they feel like they certainly could have, and maybe should have won the football game against Louisville," Logan said. "They had a couple of unfortunate breaks go against them.

"They lost control of a game that they had control of. I think they still feel very, very good about themselves, and they're going to look at this game as kind of a have-to deal."

Logan noted Monday that it will take a supreme effort by his club if it is to win at Cincinnati. And another second-half performance like the one in Fort Worth last week could almost assuredly leave the Pirates snake-bitten.

"It's going to take a really big effort, a clean effort on our part," Logan said. "We can't go out and make any mistakes, certainly like we did the second half last week.

"If we do that, we're probably going to push the envelope a little bit too far and end up getting beat. We're going to have to play clean, play smart, and go out and give it a great effort. These guys are good."

With a possible C-USA title matchup looming next Thursday night when East Carolina hosts Louisville, it would be easy for some to overlook the Pirates' upcoming matchup with Cincinnati on Saturday.

But as Logan has learned many times over during his tenure in Greenville, you never count your chickens until they have hatched, especially when it comes to conference play.

"Anybody that overlooks Cincinnati on this team is too stupid to play for me," Logan said. "Each game from now on literally can be the last game of the season.

"That's the way I look at it. Cincinnati feels that way about our game, I would think. I think Louisville will feel that way about our game. I think Southern Miss will feel that way about our game.

"We've got three games, but I told the players yesterday it's Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Cincinnati and that`s all that can matter at this moment. We'll be focused when we kick it off."

Ironically, though, the Pirates concentrated heavily on their Louisville package during practices on Thursday and Friday of last week. But according to Logan, the break in routine was due to the Pirates' quirky schedule, not their lack of respect for Cincy.

"We did that so that we would have some sort of a mental jumpstart once the Louisville week gets here, because we have a short week," he said. "We've got a regular week of preparation for Cincinnati, and that's enough.

"What happens most of the time when you get extra days to prepare for an opponent, you end up putting in too many ideas. I'm comfortable with the way that we are doing things right now. We're back on a regular schedule, finally."

A primary reason that the Pirates haven't overlooked opponents this season is the strong leadership of quarterback David Garrard and linebacker Pernell Griffin.

Prior to the season, Logan stated that success would hinge greatly on the efforts of his prized seniors, both on the field and in the locker room. Thus far, Logan is pleased with what he has seen.

"They've (Garrard and Griffin) done every thing that has been asked of them," Logan said. "They've been positively confrontational to all the people around them.

"In times when we've lost games, they've done that. And in times when we've won games, they've exhibited the leadership that a fifth-year senior should do. Both of those guys have been warriors for us, really, over a five-year period. I'm hoping they can finish out in a style that will be befitting for both of them."

It would be hard to imagine a better ending to two storybook careers than a conference championship. With a tough three-game stretch against Cincinnati, Louisville, and Southern Miss, all of which have a mathematical shot at the conference title, the road certainly won't be easy.

Nobody understands that better than Garrard and Griffin, both of whom have been down this path many times before and fully embrace Logan's one-game-at-a-time mentality.

"Right now, I think they understand more, or as much as anybody that it's this game this week, and then it will be the next game next week, and right on down the list we go," Logan said. "It's 'Everybody Remembers November' and that's where we are � we're into November.

"If you're going to be any kind of significant football team, you've got to win games down the stretch. That applies to everybody, every year, and it never changes. So that's where we are. It's November and we've got to make a show."

With Garrard and Griffin leading the way, you would be wise not to put your money on the Pirates being a 'no-show.'

It's hard to fathom an East Carolina home football game without the silky-smooth sounds of public address announcer John C. Moore.

But when the Pirates host Southern Miss on November 23, it will mark the final time that Moore's voice will ring out that hallowed "First Down.... Pirates!," which has become the signature stamp of an ECU home game.

Moore's voice has left an indelible mark on the Pirate gameday experience. Combining grace, clarity, and distinction, you would be hard-pressed to find a PA guy whose voice draws chills quite like Moore.

Moore seemed at his best during sudden shifts of momentum, and it often seemed that the men in purple headgear fed passionately off the man behind the microphone.

Moore's impact on Pirate football tradition and his contribution to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium lore are immeasurable.

His trademark saying should ring in Dowdy-Ficklen stadium forever. I, for one, can't imagine Pirate football without:

"The ball will be placed at the 20-yard line, where it is a First Down..... PIRATES!"

Just like a family heirloom that gets passed from one generation to the next, that signature phrase should be passed to Moore's successor.