DALLAS So where would you rank the significance of East
Carolina's 24-17 victory over Southern Methodist on Saturday?
If we're talking historically, it likely doesn't register
among the top ten in its category. Ten years from now, no one will look back
at the win over the Mustangs and compare it to the program's several in the
postseason or those memorable ones over Top 25 opponents.
But if this and the previous two seasons are the measuring
stick, the Pirates' third win of 2005 would finish a solid first.
Bigger than Duke. Bigger than Rice. And Certainly bigger
than Army and Tulane.
That the win was on the road and against a capable
opponent pushes Saturday's performance over the edge. For a program slowly
beginning to regain its footing, it was the next building block towards
restoring the foundation.
"I don't think that playing on the road was as big for
this team as big of a hurdle, as big of an obstacle, or as big of a monkey
on our back as it has been for everybody on the outside," Pirates coach
Skip Holtz said. "Just because from this team's standpoint, this isn't last
year's team. It's got a different group of seniors, and it's got a different
group of leaders on it.
"To them, we've played on the road. We played well on the
road at West Virginia on defense. We played well on the road at Wake Forest
on offense. We just had to pull together."
And win.
Of the road games remaining, SMU looked like the best shot
at a victory coming in. The Mustangs entered the game ranked at or near the
bottom in almost every category on both offense and defense in Conference
USA.
What's more, Ford Stadium is easily the most manageable
road venue on the schedule. Winning there is much easier than doing so at
Memphis, Tulsa, or Marshall.
"It was really important," receiver Aundrae Allison said.
"A lot of people were against us. They said we couldn't win on the road.
"I would say that this was the biggest win. Coach had told
us earlier in the week that SMU said we were the lighter part of their
schedule. (We) came and played this game with a chip on our shoulder. We had
to get this win to show the critics that we could win on the road."
In effect, they did it playing only two quarters.
Erase the first and third quarters and East Carolina
doesn't need two late interceptions to seal the game. The Mustangs were the
better bunch out of the locker room, especially following the half.
"I saw way too many smiles on the sideline at the end of
the second quarter," Holtz said. "I know that Coach Hudson got really upset
at the defense, that there were way too many smiles in that locker room.
"We've all been in this game before, where momentum starts
rolling against you and it's too hard to find. You can't get it back. Even
if you had it, and then everybody goes, 'OK, let's play' it doesn't work
that way.
"I don't think that we handled that (aspect) very well,"
Holtz added. "I think this will be a good learning lesson for us."
Good point. Ten-point cushions aren't a luxury to which
these players have grown accustomed during their careers. That ECU may have
been complacent when the third quarter began shouldn't have been an
overwhelming surprise.
It was a new situation for a team that is beginning to
establish some confidence. Saturday provided enough reason for East Carolina
to not overindulge in self-satisfaction, especially given the steady number
of legitimate concerns.
The Pirates mounted only 127 yards on the ground, much of
which was produced by James Pinkney on quarterback scrambles.
Chris Johnson again struggled between the tackles and
looks more like the running back from last year than the one who added 20
pounds to his chiseled frame.
As good as the secondary performed (four interceptions),
it struggled on third down and yielded a few big plays. SMU converted over
50 percent of its third down opportunities, many of which were long-yardage
situations.
Addressing the offensive and defensive deficiencies will
give the Pirates a better chance on the road moving forward. Beating the
Mustangs in Dallas was a good start.
