PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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Keys to the
Game
Friday,
September 10, 2010
By Kevin Monroe |
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Memphis at East Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, 12 p.m. (TV:
WITN/CSS)
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville
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For the fifth
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). |
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
East
Carolina can defeat Memphis if it accomplishes these key objectives:
Offensive Consistency
The
Pirates looked good in the the Air Raid system implemented by Coach Ruffin
McNeill and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley. Quarterback Dominique Davis
appeared comfortable and poised in the system last week against the Tulsa
Golden Hurricane. Running backs Jonathan Williams and Giavanni Ruffin also
performed well, averaging over 6 yards per carry. The key to the offense
this week will be consistency. The last five possessions of the Tulsa game
ended in touchdowns for ECU. The Pirates will need that type of consistency
to defeat the Tigers on Saturday.
Tackling and Alignments
East
Carolina lost 9 of 11 defensive starters from last year and the inexperience
showed versus Tulsa. Overall the defense graded out poorly. There were too
many missed assignments, missed alignments, and missed tackles. The latter
hurt the most — there were several times when Pirate defenders had Tulsa
boxed in and poor tackling allowed the opposing players to slip out of those
situations. There were some bright spots. Corners Travis Simmons and Emanuel
Davis played well as did defensive tackle Josh Smith. The big surprise of
the day was the play of defensive end Justin Dixon who harassed quarterback
G.J. Kinne all day and is going to be a force this season. To beat Memphis,
ECU will need to do a better job of team tackling and address the missed
assignments and alignments.
Home Field Advantage
Tulsa
was a long way from home last Sunday and it showed in the lack of fans and
support it brought to Dowdy Ficklen Stadium. The new stadium is an awesome
venue for watching a game and the Pirate fans are second to none. When the
Memphis offense gets backed up to the student section end zone, the Tigers
won’t be able to hear themselves think. The Pirate faithful must continue to
come out in big numbers and get loud in order to guarantee ECU the biggest
home field advantage in Conference USA.
THE
BOTTOM LINE
East Carolina can get to 2-0 in C-USA and be the early league leaders before
venturing out of conference for bouts against Virginia Tech and North
Carolina. Memphis has always been a formidable foe in the East Division and
this year will be no different. Another impressive offensive output coupled
with solid special teams and an improved defensive effort will be necessary
to beat the Tigers. Memphis is much better on defense than Tulsa, but not as
good offensively. It will be a much different look for the Pirates.
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09/10/2010 02:52:41 AM
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