PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
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Keys to the
Game
Wednesday,
October 3, 2012
By Kevin Monroe |
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ECU at Central Florida
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 � 8 pm
Bright House Networks Stadium (cap. 45,323)
TV: CBSSN
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For the seventh
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).
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By
Kevin Monroe
�2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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East
Carolina can defeat Central Florida Thursday night if it performs well in these
key aspects of the game:
ESTABLISH THE RUN
The Pirates had their best rushing day of the season last
week against Texas-El Paso. That ground attack was led by Vintavious Cooper,
who had 23 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown. Cooper averaged over 6
yards per carry against the Miners. Quarterback Shane Carden complimented
Cooper nicely, gaining 63 yards on 9 carries (7 yards per carry) and scoring
on a pair of touchdown runs. Central Florida has a solid front seven on
defense that gets after the quarterback, so having a solid running game will
help to slow that rush on passing downs.
PROTECT THE
QUARTERBACK
UCF has amassed 11 sacks through the first 4 games, led by defensive end
Troy Davis who has 4 of those sacks. Davis certainly isn�t alone when it
comes to getting after the passer. Six other defenders have at least half a
sack this season. The defense rotates and comes at you from every angle.
Lyle Dankenbring has 3 sacks from his safety position. East Carolina�s
offensive line had a big turnaround from the UNC-Chapel Hill game to the
UTEP game. Carden was given more than ample time to throw the ball against a
stout Miner front four. Keeping Davis and his band of brothers off of Carden
will be priority number one Thursday night.
PLAY
SOLID ON SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter
Trent Tignor has been a breath of fresh air for the Pirates this season.
Coming into a season with a new punter is nerve-racking for any coach, but
Tignor has dispelled those worries by averaging 42 yards per punt with 7 of
the boots landing inside the 20-yard line. Kicker Warren Harvey is 4-of-8 on
field goal attempts, but has made 4 of his last 5 tries after missing his
first 3. ECU's return game started with a bang in the season opener against
Appalachian State. Lance Ray returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD and Justin
Hardy returned a punt 43 yards to set up the go-ahead score. Since that
game, there haven�t been any highlight-film returns but the Pirates have
been solid enough. Conversely, a gap was exposed in ECU's kick return
defense last week when UTEP's Autrey Golden ran one back for 96 yards and a
score. The Pirates can�t afford a slip-up like that against Central Florida.
The team that performs best on special team�s Thursday night will probably
win this game.
WIN THE
TURNOVER BATTLE
It's hard
to get away from turnovers being a key with the Pirates each and every week.
The team had a 5-turnover game against South Carolina and was unable to get
any takeaways from the Gamecocks, resulting in a lopsided loss. Last week
against the Miners, Carden threw 3 interceptions, but the ECU defense
managed 4 takeaways of its own. Coming out on the plus side of the turnover
battle can make the difference between winning and losing in Orlando.
BOTTOM LINE
This will
be a road game for the Pirates against one of the best teams in Conference
USA. The path to victory is to be sharp in all facets of the game. Coach
George O�Leary�s teams are always big, strong and fast. The Knights will be
well-coached and ready to play. The Pirates will have to "bring it" to win.
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Kevin Monroe.
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archives.
10/03/2012 02:39:45 AM
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