PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
-----
 |
Keys to the
Game
Friday,
October 7, 2011
By Kevin Monroe |
|
|
|
East Carolina at Houston
Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011, 7 p.m.
Robertson Stadium (cap. 32,000), Houston, TX
TV: CBS Sports Network
|
For the sixth
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). |
©2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
East
Carolina can defeat Houston Saturday night if it achieves these key objectives:
PROTECT
THE FOOTBALL
This
key is starting to get a little repetitive, but there is no need for me to
list any other keys if the Pirates don’t stop turning the ball over. East
Carolina is last in the nation in turnovers with 17 through 4 games — 7
interceptions and a mind-boggling 10 fumbles. Coach Ruffin McNeill speaks
about daily ball control drills that the offensive goes through, but, when
the lights go on, it's up to the players to take care of the ball. The one
thing we can be sure of is that everyone is fed up with the turnovers and
anybody who fumbles the ball on Saturday will be on a very short leash.
Houston has the best offense ECU will see all year. With that in mind, the
Pirates cannot afford to give the Cougars any extra possessions.
LIMIT CASE KEENUM
The Houston offense, led by quarterback Case Keenum, is one of the most
prolific offenses in the country. The Cougars are averaging 45 points per
game, and Keenum is passing for 451 yards per game. Keenum runs this Cougar
show like a magician. After throwing for over 5,000 yards as a sophomore and
more than 5,600 as a junior, he has the opportunity to be the first QB in
FBS history to have three seasons of at least 5,000 yards. With 202 passing
yards on Saturday, Keenum will pass Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell for second
place on the all-time passing yardage list with 15,794. Ironically, Harrell
piloted the Air Raid offense at Tech during Coach Ruff's stint on the Red
Raiders staff. Houston is going to pile up yardage between the 20s because
its offense is nearly unstoppable, but the Pirates need to be tough in the
red zone and limit the Cougars to field goals. Coming into this game, ECU is
holding opponents to under 200 yards passing and has only given up 5
touchdown passes, including two circus catches last week versus North
Carolina.
BACK TO
BASICS
If you
are around Coach McNeil enough, you'll often hear him say, “Football is
about blocking and tackling.” To a certain extent he is exactly right, but
there are a few other things that are important when it comes to wins and
losses. Things like finishing games and playing four quarters of football.
Things like taking a sack or throwing the football out of bounds instead of
throwing interceptions. Things like being perfect on special teams by making
crucial kicks and by not giving up a big returns. Houston’s offense will
make the Pirates pay if they make mistakes. Being fundamentally sound is the
only way ECU gets this victory.
THE
BOTTOM LINE
The Pirates
are 1-0 in Conference USA and every
conference game is a must-win. It’s no secret that Houston was picked by
most of the experts to win Conference USA and
its 5-0 record is proof that it is
on its way to proving the prognosticators right. Beating the Cougars on the
road will be a huge feat if the Pirates can pull it off. East Carolina's
blueprint for victory revolves around protecting the football, playing
fundamentally sound and not letting Keenum go nuts. Now all the Pirates have
to do is put the plan into action.
Send an e-mail message to
Kevin Monroe.
Dig into Kevin Monroe's
archives.
10/07/2011 03:12:33 AM
----- |
