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Bonesville staff writer Denny O'Brien recently
conducted an exclusive interview with Charlie
Adams, the North Carolina High School
Athletic Association's executive director. In
addition to O'Brien's accompanying report
about the interview and the circumstances
leading up to and surrounding it, the session
(approximately 40 minutes long) was digitally
recorded and the unedited audio can be
heard by clicking the link below:

Click here to read Denny O'Brien's
special report about the Friday Night Fight...

<<< Audio: Interview with Charlie Adams >>>

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T-SHIRTS WITH A FLAIR!
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CHECK OUT THE BOOTY
AT PIRATELOOT.NET...
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Any way you slice it, East Carolina can't afford a loss to South Florida on Saturday — especially if the Pirates are determined to secure one of Conference USA's five bowl slots.

A loss to the Bulls could be a devastating blow to those dreams, dropping ECU to 2-4 and making that fourth-consecutive holiday retreat seem improbable.

Even with a win, gaining bowl eligibility will be difficult, what with a remaining slate that contains no gimmees, capped off by a rescheduled-for-TV regular season finale with Cincinnati on December 6 that may well be played after C-USA's guaranteed postseason berths have been awarded.

That's the hole in which the Pirates currently find themselves as USF strides into town. Whether or not the Bucs can dig themselves out will depend largely on what happens this weekend against an upstart program stockpiled with Sunshine State talent.

"We've got to try and win the next game, period," head coach Steve Logan said. "We really haven't looked up to see who we're playing.

"We're just trying to get ourselves organized. That's the conversation now. We are trying to take care of East Carolina, coach East Carolina, get East Carolina ready to play some East Carolina football and then whoever shows up, hopefully we will be competitive."

What may have been perceived as a Homecoming cupcake when the game was originally scheduled now presents the texture of overcooked brisket. With lenient admissions standards, head coach Jim Leavitt has quickly built a Top 50 program in Tampa, luring bushels of Prop 48s and Jucos in an attempt to make the Bulls instantly competitive.

It's not a new formula for Leavitt, who masterminded defenses under Bill Snyder at Kansas State as the two raised the Wildcats from the doldrums of Division I-A. That get-rich-quick scheme has proven successful again, with USF already knocking off a few name-brand outfits over the past two seasons, including Pittsburgh last year and Southern Miss last week.

Much of the reason for the Bulls' prosperity has been the work of their quarterback, Marquel Blackwell, whose passing and running skills can be out-flashed only by his Web site — MarquelBlackwell.com.

Logan has a point, though, in that his young team can't get overly concerned about its opponent, instead placing most of its emphasis on internal matters. With the lone exception being West Virginia, the Pirates have proven themselves to be their most fierce opponent, as narrow losses to Duke and Wake Forest can be attributed solely to their own blunders.

In three losses, East Carolina has lost the turnover battle by an astounding 12-2 margin. That statistic was flipped in both victories, with the Pirates holding a 5-2 turnover advantage.

If the Pirates can keep the turnovers at bay, there's no reason to think they can't prove the oddsmakers wrong by upending the fast and feisty Bulls. A victory Saturday could give East Carolina just the momentum and confidence it needs to race into the Derby City and steal a victory over preseason league favorite Louisville, which has already proven itself vulnerable despite upsetting Florida State.

That would put the Pirates two wins away from bowl eligibility and set up a possible run for the C-USA roses. For a team young in so many vital positions, that would be a major, if not improbable accomplishment.

For that dream to become a reality, though, East Carolina must take care of business on Saturday. To do so, the Pirates best make sure they don't beat themselves.

The last two seasons could be evidence that Logan is the victim of his own success.

For a program that for years thrived on its underdog role and adopted the label of "Giant Killer," East Carolina became a targeted team during David Garrard's final two seasons, rarely playing a game in which it wasn't favored. The results were somewhat disappointing, with the Pirates compiling a 14-10 record during that time, including three straight losses to close out the 2001 campaign.

After a 1-3 start punctuated by a humiliating 536-yard rushing effort by West Virginia, Logan put his troops back into full gear, sending them through a week of full-contact drills. His "Vietnam" tactics were designed to re-instill toughness and attitude into a team that some were labeling soft.

"Practice was hard — real hard," freshman linebacker Chris Moore said after the Army game. "But it was worth it.

"We didn't agree on a lot of stuff Coach (Logan) did this past week, but that's why he's the coach. That's why we came out and got a victory."

Junior outside linebacker Vonta Leach, who started in place of senior John Williamson, a practice casualty with a broken arm, agreed.

"It's like dog fights," Leach said. "Offense against defense... dog fights. It's time to go full combat. The defense really loves that."

Logan, who has spoken with a much more assertive tone since the Morgantown massacre, ideally would prefer not to take the Pirates down the "Ho Chi Minh Trail." But until his young Bucs earn their keep, the 11th-year head coach will continue to steer them down a violent practice path.

"The core element of football is physical toughness and that has to be developed," Logan said. "Normally we could develop it without doing what we're doing, but with this particular group, we were unable to do that. We have made a little progress and continue on this track until we get it straight."

Several true freshman have emerged during the Pirates' throwback practices, embracing the physical nature of the game while displaying the chip-on-the-shoulder attitude on which East Carolina's proud pigskin program was built.

Included among those are linebacker Lonrenza Pickett, defensive back Jared Brogden, and receivers Bryson Bowling and Mickey McCoy, all of whom saw action against Army. All of them graduated from the school of hard knocks at the Cliff Moore Practice Facility and are now rising rapidly up the depth charts.

According to Logan, who prefers to redshirt his freshmen, that could be a growing trend as the season progresses.

"Our freshman class is one of the more talented groups that I've seen come through here in my time," Logan said. "I don't like playing freshmen, but at the same time, their talent is demanding that we do get them on the field.

"We've got some older youngsters not performing like they should. So, we're getting some young guys on the field. That's probably going to continue throughout the year."

Possessing two quality quarterbacks has a tendency to spurn controversy at most schools. Not at East Carolina.

After guiding the Pirates to touchdowns in each of his first two series in purple and gold against Army, the fleet-footed Desmond Robinson entertained questions hinting about a possible QB dilemma.

But the shifty sophomore suggested nothing of the sort. In fact, Robinson reaffirmed his role as the Pirates' backup, while stating he and starter Paul Troth have established a positive relationship.

"I'm always confident in him. He's the starter, I'm clearly the backup. When my time is called, I've got to go out there and execute the offense."

Though Robinson completed just one of his two pass attempts, he directed two otherwise flawless scoring drives of 25 and 65 yards. The Pirates didn't seem to miss a beat, as offensive coordinator Doug Martin accentuated the backup's skills by rolling him out of the pocket, while mixing in a nice dose of option.

"Desmond operated, which is all we're trying to get either quarterback to do," Logan said. "Just operate. We don't want (Troth or Robinson) to win the game. Please, just don't lose the game. They're not ready to win a game yet."

But if Logan and Martin can put the quarterbacks into situations where each is expressing the more polished aspects of his game, the Troth-Robinson duo might be enough to do just that.

What's the quickest way to send Logan to the medicine cabinet? Try giving up an 84-yard punt return, a lapse which soured the coach's stomach over an otherwise dominating win over Army.

"Our special teams so far each game have been very, very good, with one glaring blowup," Logan said. "To have a punt returned 80 yards will absolutely ruin me for the next two weeks.

"That's repulsive. That's what that is. That was absolutely repulsive in the execution. Repulsive in the effort. And it will be severely confronted over the next two weeks. We will cover punts until it freezes over. We'll get that fixed."

Junior running back Art Brown is quietly making a run at the East Carolina record books. Literally.

Through five games, the Winston-Salem standout has reached paydirt nine times (8 rushing, 1 receiving). With seven games remaining, Brown has a legitimate shot at rewriting Leonard Henry's single-season record of 18 touchdowns.