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Allison making it big in first season with Pirates
By KEITH PARSONS
Associated Press Writer
GREENVILLE — Aundrae Allison thumbed through
the media guide soon after he arrived at East Carolina and searched for the
receiving records.
What he found hardly impressed the junior
college transfer.
``We didn't have too many big-time
receivers,'' he said. ``Everybody either had a lot of receptions, or a lot
yards, or a lot of touchdowns. No receiver had all three. I set that as one
of my goals.''
At the time, Allison didn't even know where he
fit in with the Pirates. He transferred in time for spring practice after
two years at Georgia Military Academy, and while he put up impressive
numbers there, they came against junior college competition.
Even his new coaches didn't know quite what to
think — at first.
``Our first thought was we could redshirt him,
so he could have an extra year to learn the offense,'' wide receivers coach
and recruiting coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said. ``But when we saw him on
the practice field, we realized he could help us right now.''
Or as coach Skip Holtz puts it: ``He's not
hard to evaluate. A blind man could evaluate Aundrae.''
Allison isn't physically imposing at 6-foot
and 185 pounds, but he more than makes up for that with his speed.
Kirkpatrick and the other coaches saw him run from defenders and
consistently make plays, and that led to a quick move to the top of the
depth chart.
Now, those goals Allison set don't look so
imposing. He has 39 catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns in only five
games, with limited playing time in one because of a sore hamstring. Carried
out to the full 11-game schedule, Allison's stats are eye-popping: 86
catches, 1,261 yards and 11 TDs.
All would be single-season school records. But
with games underway, Allison claims he's not paying attention.
``I don't like getting into the stats and
stuff during the season,'' he said. ``I just want it to be a surprise, when
I look it up at the end of the season.''
Others already are taking notice, particularly
opponents, who have started to rotate coverages to his side of the field to
create a double-team. Off the field, Allison has kept a low profile. Few
people appear to have heard of the new receiver at East Carolina, which had
fallen on hard times in recent years, posting only three victories in the
previous two seasons.
``I really don't believe there's a lot of
people that have heard of me,'' Allison said. ``In the past few seasons, we
haven't been doing too well, but I'm pretty confident that as the season
goes on, people will be looking me up.''
His journey to East Carolina was a bit
circuitous. After starring at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, Allison
didn't have the academic credentials to qualify for a Division I-A
scholarship. He first journeyed to Coffeyville (KS) Community College but
never played, then ended up at Georgia Military College.
There, he excelled in the solid program run by
Coach Bert Williams, totaling 70 catches in two seasons.
``He stuck it out,'' said Ron Massey,
Allison's high school coach. ``A lot of times, a lot kids we send off to
JC's or prep schools, it's a 50-50 chance. If they don't have a strong
academic background, they tend to give up.
``He didn't, and I'm proud of him. Now he's
reaping some rewards from it.''
Allison credits his time at the small school
in Milledgeville, GA, as a big reason he has been so successful with the
Pirates.
``It taught me a lot about life,'' he said.
``Once I got a better understanding of what was going on in the world, I
started being more accountable, being more responsible. I was that way when
I got here.''
Allison made quite the first impression when
the season started. In a season-opening victory against Duke, he caught 10
passes for 163 yards, including one that went for a 50-yard touchdown. He
has at least seven receptions in every game, except a loss to Southern Miss,
where he finished with only four after injuring his hamstring in pregame
warmups.
He was back to being almost 100 percent last
week, when East Carolina beat Rice 41-28. Allison's knack for making big
plays continued, too, as he hauled in a 40-yard TD late in the first half to
give the Pirates the lead.
``We went into that game thinking, `We've got
to get the ball to Aundrae,''' Kirkpatrick said. ``A lot of times, he sees
so many double teams, we might look away from him. We made sure this time we
got him the ball.''
It figures to be that way down the stretch, as
East Carolina tries to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
``The most important thing is us getting
wins,'' Allison said. ``I'm not going to take a lot of things for granted
right now, and get too cocky or too bigheaded. I think that's part of my
success.''
Copyright 2005 The Associated
Press. All rights rights reserved.
Bonesville.net contributed to this report. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:43:22 AM
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