|
By TOM FOREMAN, JR.
Associated Press
GREENVILLE (AP) — Steve Logan's primary job is East
Carolina football coach, but he'll also take on part-time work this
weekend as a travel agent of sorts for Conference USA's postseason.
The Pirates (3-6, 3-2 C-USA) have a home date against
No. 22 Texas Christian in a league matchup that will have a bearing on
the conference standings and bowl bids.
C-USA's champion goes to the Liberty Bowl. The next four
teams also have a shot at a bowl, given they're bowl eligible.
The Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1) are atop the league, just
one game ahead of Louisville, Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati and
Alabama-Birmingham.
If East Carolina can get the upset victory, it would put
the standings in chaos with precious little time left in the year. The
top six teams would each have two losses in C-USA play, including East
Carolina.
"In November, it's like that for everybody," Logan said.
"It doesn't matter if you're on the top of the heap, bottom of the heap
or in the middle. In November, every game really takes on a bigger,
larger significance every weekend."
Logan places all the pressure on TCU coach Gary
Patterson's team, which is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak
after an opening-day conference loss at Cincinnati.
"They've got a lot riding on it coming in here," he
said. "As it sits right now, because of the fact we have three more
games in conference — everybody else mostly has one or two left — we
really have a lot to say about how this thing is going to settle."
The Pirates have games remaining at Southern Mississippi
and at home against Cincinnati.
Patterson says going to Greenville is the least of his
worries.
"I think we play better on the road because we focus on
the game and we only count on each other," he said. "We don't have any
distractions with family members or friends wanting tickets or anything
else. All we have is ourselves. We show up with helmets and pads, we put
them on and we go about our business. We are a very business-like
group."
And business has been good.
The Horned Frogs are in the top 25 in part because of
the work of running back Lonta Hobbs. The freshman collected 73 yards
against Houston in his first college competition. Then came 80 yards and
two touchdowns against Army and his first 100-yard performance against
Louisville.
However, Patterson is looking for a little more after
scraping past Tulane, 17-10.
"Against Tulane, we did everything right except get in
the end zone. We hurt ourselves with penalties when we got inside the
30-yard-line," he said. "We will not be able to do that on the road.
Sometimes, you can get away with it at home, but not on the road. We
have to make the most of our opportunities on offense and score
touchdowns, not just field goals."
Patterson expects to need more than the one touchdown
his team got against the Green Wave — and that was the result of a
blocked punt.
"If you want to beat East Carolina, you have to outscore
them," he said. "Their record doesn't have anything to do with their
offense. South Florida is the only team to go into their place and beat
them and they had to score 45 to do so."
If TCU can't find the points, C-USA's football title
chase will turn into a knot of teams trying to reach the top, all with
two losses.
"That would be a conference commissioner's nightmare,"
Logan said. "We'll see if we can accommodate him."
02/23/2007 10:51 AM
Copyright 2002
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Visit ECUPirates.com...
|
