PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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Keys to the
Game
Friday,
September 4, 2009
By Kevin Monroe |
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Appalachian St. at ECU
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, 12 p.m.
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville
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For the fourth
straight year, Kevin Monroe, color analyst for the Pirate ISP Sports
Radio Network, provides “Kevin’s Keys to The Game,”
his weekly breakdown of what East Carolina must do to beat its
upcoming opponent.
Monroe brings a unique perspective to the task as a
member of the broadcast team and as a former star defensive
back for the Pirates (1995-99). |
©2009 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
East
Carolina can defeat Appalachian State if it accomplishes these key objectives:
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Strike Fast
East Carolina needs to come out of the gates quickly. The opening drive
needs to make a statement and attempt to break the spirit of the
Mountaineers. The longer the Apps stay in the game, the more dangerous
they will become. The Pirates are fully aware of what the Mountaineers
are capable of offensively. After three straight national championships
in the Football Championship Subdivision and a shocking upset victory on
the road over the Michigan Wolverines in 2007, ECU knows not to take
them lightly. Even though star quarterback Armanti Edwards probably
won’t play, the Mountaineers still have
plenty of firepower on offense.
-
Dominate the
Trenches
The way to win this game is to control the line of
scrimmage on offense and defense. The Pirates will be the bigger team on
the offensive and defensive lines, but that will mean little if they get
out-schemed. Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore is used to having
smaller offensive linemen that are quick and agile and work efficiently
in the spread offensive attack. C.J. Wilson and Scotty Robinson and the
rest of the veteran Pirate defensive line will need to stay in their
rush lanes and play disciplined football to make sure they are not
out-flanked by the Mountaineers' crafty offense. Backup quarterback
DeAndre Pressley played in nine football games last year and accounted
for 314 yards of offense in his lone start.
-
Protect the Football
If the Pirates don’t turn the ball over, they will be tough to beat —
but turnovers can change everything. Thursday night, N.C. State fumbled
on its first possession and never recovered as it suffered a 7-3 home
loss to South Carolina. Patrick Pinkney, ECU's seasoned QB, makes very
smart decisions when passing but can be careless when scrambling.
Pinkney led the team in fumbles last season. Appalachian State can even
the playing field with the Pirates if it is opportunistic and comes up
with turnovers.
-
Avoid the Big Play
The Mountaineers have a ton of talent at the skill positions and they
could pop for a big play at any time. Wide receivers CoCo Hillary and
Brian Quick were among the team's leaders last season in receiving
touchdowns, and Hillary led the Apps in all-purpose yards with over
1,400. Hillary and Quick are just two of many weapons that will be on
the field for the Mountaineers. The ECU defense will need to minimize
gains of 20 yards or more and make Appalachian State earn every point it
gets.
The
Bottom Line
East Carolina will be the bigger, more talented team on the field on
Saturday. If it runs the football effectively with Brandon Jackson, Jonathan
Williams and Dominique Lindsay and contains the Mountaineers running game,
it should win this game by a couple of touchdowns. The X-Factor will be
Jerry Moore’s offense and quarterback DeAndre Pressley. There isn’t much
film on Pressley and he has the athletic ability to do some damage if given
time. Expect a good game early. The Mountaineers won’t come into
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium and give up. They will fight for 60 minutes.
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09/04/2009 04:13:20 AM
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