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The Slants of the Game
Sunday, November 5, 2006
By Denny O'Brien |
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Pirates up to the task
©2006 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
ORLANDO East Carolina is looking more
comfortable in the driver's seat of the
Conference USA East Division race. That
much was confirmed with the Pirates' 23-10 win over Central Florida on
Saturday.
In what had all the makings of a hangover
after a groundbreaking win over Southern Miss, ECU proved sober enough to
joust the Golden Knights. That UCF entered the game on life support and
approaching a flatline didn't even matter.
Simply stated, this was a game in which the
opponent wasn't the primary issue. What ECU needed was to prove it could
handle success, a test it passed with a blue collar effort that has been
uncharacteristic of the program for what seems like forever.
It was just the answer Pirates coach Skip
Holtz needed from his upstart bunch. Any other response and ECU again is
faced with the same haunting question that has tormented the program since
it entered C-USA:
Will East Carolina ever win a conference
title?
Though the answer remains undecided, the
Pirates at least kept themselves firmly in position to make that
determination on their own. And they did so with a resurgent effort from an
offensive line that spring-boarded Brandon Fractious to his most memorable
day at ECU.
But as good as Fractious' 128 yards looked
on the stat sheet, it paled in comparison to the suffocating performance by
ECU's defense. Suddenly the porous bunch from two years ago has evolved into
a giant brick wall, one that looks sturdy enough to weather almost any
storm.
And it was the defense that sealed the deal
with 50 seconds remaining as Kasey Ross choked off what UCF hoped would be a
game-winning drive with an interception and 51-yard return for a touchdown.
"I thought the defense was awesome
tonight," Holtz said. "The only drive (Central Florida) really put together
all night to get a touchdown was the one where they hit the wheel route on
us on the sideline early, and then the facemask.
"The first thing we said, if you're going
to go on the road which we have to do four of the last five games you've
got to play great on defense. Try and take the crowd out of the game, don't
let momentum go against you. I think they are really excited about the role
that we're asking them to play, and they've done a phenomenal job."
That's an understatement when you consider
the rapid rate at which UCF has been scoring points of late. The Pirates
took care of that by latching a padlock on the red zone, limiting the Golden
Knights to one measly visit.
And it's a good thing they did, too. Any
less of an effort and ECU's championship ambitions are squashed, thanks to
an offense that at times couldn't get out of its own way.
Though Fractious and the offensive front
often shined, they received little support from a passing attack that
suddenly seems dysfunctional. Just two weeks removed from a 391-yard
performance against Southern Methodist, quarterback James Pinkney's play in
the pocket was indecisive at best, akin to a true freshman at worst.
Not that this is something that we haven't
seen before. Much of Pinkney's career has been lined with stumbles, from
which he always emerges larger than before.
Keeping that trend is paramount to ECU's
title hopes, an ambition that continues to gain momentum with each week.
"There are three things that we talk about
all the time," Holtz said. "We talk about the humble and hungry and we talk
about 1-0.
"That covers the past, that covers the
present, and that covers the future. Let's just keep our sights set on what
we've got to get done this week to find a way to win a game. I refuse to
talk about the big picture at this point."
Be that as it may, there is no denying that
the canvas continues to grow. And with each win, East Carolina is faced with
the recurring challenge of proving they fit in a championship picture.
An ample load no doubt remains in ECU's
path. For a program unfamiliar with winning streaks, taking both of its
final two C-USA contests is far from a given.
But after Saturday, this at least looks
like a club that is prepared for the heavy lifting.
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02/23/2007 02:03:49 AM |
