News, Analysis and Opinion from Bonesville's Denny O'Brien

Pirate Notebook No. 146
Tuesday, September 30, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

The fog is beginning to clear on the future of Conference USA and the forecast isn't pretty. Not only will the league likely lose several of its flagship programs, it probably will replace them with a handful of misfits.

Wave goodbye to Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and Saint Louis, which are on a one-way caravan for greener pastures. Say hello to Central Florida, Rice, Southern Methodist, and Tulsa, the next generation of C-USA.

No, this isn't a nightmare. It is the harsh reality in which C-USA appears destined to soon exist.

You can't help but question the soundness of refilling the ranks with four football doormats. After all, strength in numbers doesn't necessarily equate to strength on the field. In any event, it's a stretch to visualize such a move as a best-case expansion scenario for a league often considered the best of the non-BCS bunch.

True, replenishing the basketball cupboard would be impossible given the hardwood clout of the sayonara six. Without question, the conference will feel great impact from those defections each March.

But given that only Cincinnati and Louisville will be lost on the gridiron, there's no reason to think C-USA can't emerge with similar — if not fiercer — pigskin punch. For that to happen, though, league presidents must modify their present approach and seek at least one school that already is a football force.

In other words, proceeding with an expansion plan that excludes Marshall will be a major faux pas.

Since making the jump to Division I-A in 1997, Marshall quickly has become one of the nation's most consistent programs. In just six seasons, the Thundering Herd already has collected five Mid-American Conference titles, along with five bowl victories.

Not only does Marshall possess the résumé of an up-and-coming prize fighter, it has the swagger to go with it.

"We play for championships," Marshall coach Bob Pruett said following his team's 64-61 come-from-behind win over East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. "That's our standard, that's our goal, and that's what we play for. Anything else is unacceptable. We believe at Marshall."

No school outside the BCS receives as much media attention or as many marquee television appearances as Marshall. Few schools, including the BCS heavyweights, have produced as many legitimate Heisman candidates since '97 as the Herd's three amigos — Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich.

Dollar for dollar, it easily can be argued that Marshall provides more bang for the buck than any program in Division I.

Bottom line, that should be the primary criteria C-USA presidents consider during the next round of conference expansion. Not television markets. Not arbitrary locations that enable a fortunate few league members to bus for road games.

That won't help C-USA keep a respectable number of bowl tie-ins, and it most certainly won't help the league as it seeks new postseason destinations.

It's past time for C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky to realize he is the captain of a sinking ship. Adding Central Florida, Rice, Southern Methodist, and Tulsa will only make it sink faster.

East Carolina coach John Thompson won't be the only first-year skipper featured in tonight's Pirates-Cougars showdown.

Houston coach Art Briles also is making his first lap behind the wheel and has steered the Cougars to an impressive 3-1 start.

"Art Briles is doing a great job," Thompson said. "They attack both sides and give you so many looks on offense. Obviously that has been successful.

"They jumped ahead against Mississippi State the other day — they know how it feels to win. But we'll just see what happens here (tonight) based on who's played who and the kind of scheduling."

Much of the success is due to the performance of true freshman quarterback Kevin Kolb. In four games, Kolb has completed 60 percent of his passes, while tossing seven touchdowns strikes and only one interception for an offense averaging almost 30 points per game.

"I've only been able to peek at him and some of their stats a little bit ...," Thompson said last Tuesday. "Their running and throwing — especially throwing — has accounted for a lot of yards, and scoring a lot of points. The system they have takes a lot for a quarterback to do, to be in control."

The East Carolina offense has been scrutinized this season for its lack of creativity.

Against Wake Forest, offensive coordinator Rick Stockstill added a few wrinkles to what had been a bland menu.

"I think Rick did a very good job play calling the other night," Thompson said. "We opened our offense up in a lot of ways with different formations. We were able to stretch the field a little and throw downfield.

"We need to do that more, and get guys that can get down the field. We mixed in some option, and some 'quarterback power' and Desmond ran the ball well there. Rick really exposed the defense with his play-calling."

The most obvious area in which Thompson knows the Pirates must improve is turnovers. Heading into tonight's game, East Carolina ranks 115 out of 117 teams in turnover margin.

"We can't turn the ball over that many times, give up the momentum on a big play, and still expect to win," Thompson said. "If you examine our turnovers, it's easy to find where you can point fingers.

"I can't stress it enough — that does not happen on our football team. We don't have players that are not accepting responsibility. If you look at some of the things that have happened, it's not just one person."

Though not the only victim in the Pirates' ongoing affliction with errors, quarterback Desmond Robinson has been bitten by the turnover bug on a disproportionate number of occasions. Through four games, the junior field general has thrown seven interceptions and is responsible for three of the team's eight lost fumbles.