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Game 2: ECU 24, West Virginia 3 |
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Game
Slants
Sunday, September 7, 2008
By Denny O'Brien |
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Pirates seize their moment
By
Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
GREENVILLE — There are defining moments
that shape the perception of a college football program, moments so special
that they command the spotlight of national television and the anticipation
of the most visible pigskin pundits.
East Carolina found itself on that stage
Saturday, front and center, opposing a member of the BCS aristocracy for the
second week in a row. It was a rare chance for the Pirates to showcase their
program in what was, perhaps, the nation’s marquee game of the day.
Opportunities like this don’t happen too
often. Not at East Carolina. But after the Pirates’ 24-3 humiliation of No.
8 West Virginia, we can officially say that ECU belonged in that showcase.
That was evident from the opening
possession when the Pirates marched 80 yards in 11 plays, to the final one
when West Virginia humbly surrendered. ECU thoroughly dominated a long time
nemesis, and did so amid glaring media attention.
“We’ve come a long way,” Pirates coach Skip
Holtz said. “There was a time when we couldn’t win three games in a year.
“So, to win three in the last three games
against ranked opponents is tremendous. I couldn’t be more proud that we’ve
accomplished three. I almost wish we had a fourth one at this point so that
we could keep this train rolling, or at least have a chance.”
At this stage, who would bet against him?
Not Frank Beamer. And certainly not Bill
Stewart.
Both coaches witnessed first hand how far
East Carolina has advanced in the relatively brief time that Holtz has
overseen the program. And for Stewart and West Virginia, they saw a team
that they
hammered 48-7 last year completely
embarrass them Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates pounded the Mountaineers so
soundly that you would have thought ECU was the Top 10 program. ECU held a
convincing 386-251 total yardage advantage over one of the most respected
offenses in the country, one that was made to look so incredibly inept by
the Pirates’ defense.
“It wasn’t scheme,” Holtz said. “I’d love
to sit here and tell you it was, but in all honesty sometimes less is more.
“I thought Greg Hudson and the defensive
staff did a phenomenal job of putting together a game plan to keep this
high-powered offense in check. It was an unbelievable job. As I told them
earlier in the week, I don’t think that we scheme this team and win. You’re
not going to out-scheme them.”
If it sounds like a complete departure from
the old blueprint East Carolina has used to stun football superpowers, it
was. The Pirates didn’t need smoke and mirrors to
beat Virginia Tech last week, and
there was not a single rabbit pulled out of the hat against the
Mountaineers.
East Carolina routed West Virginia with
superior physical toughness, the type you typically see each week around the
Southeastern Conference. Perhaps that was fitting when you consider the
intimidating setting inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
While the latter is certainly a sign of
progress, it is the former that represents the most significant storyline of
the 2008 season. ECU appears to have evolved into a program that can now
match up physically with the more talented programs on its schedule.
Now comes the mental part.
“Hopefully we took a step forward today,”
Holtz said. “You’ve heard me say a million times, we’ve learned how to win.
Can we learn how to handle winning? I think today was a good step in that
direction.”
Make that a giant step forward. The Pirates
followed a win over one elite program with a win over another one, and did
so with more national attention than the program has seen since the 1999
season.
That’s certainly a step in the right
direction.
But after the Pirates’ dominating
performance over the Mountaineers, the media swirl will only increase. And
while discussions of BCS possibilities are beginning to percolate, there is
way too much football remaining to be peering down the schedule.
Almost as prevalent as ECU’s new trend of
beating Top 25 opponents is its annual propensity for faltering when
favored. It happened
two years ago at Rice and last
year at Marshall.
It could also happen this year if East
Carolina doesn’t prepare itself mentally in each of the remaining ten weeks
left on the gauntlet. An unexpected loss could do as much damage to the
Pirates’ reputation as the victory over West Virginia boosted it.
But for now, East Carolina looks like it
belongs with the big boys.
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09/07/2008 04:05:31 AM |
