PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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Keys to the
Game
Friday,
September 11, 2009
By Kevin Monroe |
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ECU at West Virginia
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, 3:30 p.m.
Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown
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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 West Virginia if it accomplishes these key objectives:
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Move The Chains
Much has
been said about why the Pirates weren’t successful moving the football
in the second half last week. Were the Pirates holding back plays so
that West Virginia wouldn’t see much on film. Was ECU out of sync on
offense and just struggling to get something going? Or did Appalachian
State just make the necessary adjustments to shut out the East Carolina
offense in the second half? Whatever the case, a repeat of last week's
anemic second half performance will result in a big loss for the Pirates
in Morgantown. East Carolina must get first downs and keep the chains
moving. Moving the chains will put the Pirates in scoring position, keep
their defense fresh, and keep WVU’s high-powered offense off the field.
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Eleven Men to the
Ball
This week's Mountaineers run a similar offense to
last week’s Mountaineers, but with bigger, stronger, and faster players.
The WVU offense amassed over 450 yards last week. Quarterback Jarrett
Brown isn’t quite as good a runner as his predecessor, Pat White, but he
is still a very good runner — and he is a better passer. Brown accounted
for 243 yards in the air and yards on the ground in the opener versus
Liberty. Brown is a threat, but so is speedy running back Noel Devine
who had 120 yards rushing against the Flames. In the passing game,
speedy slot receiver Jock Sanders deserves some extra special attention
after a good 2008 season and a great start to 2009 with 95 yards
receiving in week one. Every defensive player on the field for the
Pirates has to rally to the ball on every play. It will take team
tackling to disrupt this offense.
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Turnovers Swing Outcomes
ECU QB Patrick Pinkney threw two interceptions in week one and both of
them came at very inopportune times. The Pirates must protect the
football against WVU if they expect to win in Milan Puskar Stadium. West
Virginia’s defense is one of the best in the Big East and it will be
after the football on Saturday. The Mountaineers only came away with one
turnover against Liberty and they will be hungry for more. On the
flipside, the ECU defense will need to force some turnovers to stop some
of the Mountaineer drives and to get the Pirate offense back on the
field. The team that wins the turnover battle will probably win this
game.
The
Bottom Line
East Carolina has played some tough games over the years on Mountaineer
Field, but they have never won a game there. It will take a much better
effort this week than they gave last week for the Pirates to have a chance
to win on Saturday. Protecting the football, swarming on defense and no
mistakes in the kicking game would be the perfect recipe for the Pirates to
bring back their first win from Morgantown.
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09/11/2009 02:26:13 AM
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