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East Carolina 2010 Offensive Analysis
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Prologue
Thursday, July 1, 2010
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By Ron Cherubini
Staff Feature
Writer |
→ QUARTERBACK →
- Dominique Davis (TR-JR): For a guy who
didn’t even enroll till the summer, Davis has been the talk of the fan
base from spring and into the summer. In part, this is due
to the fact that he has experience, lots of it, beginning with an
emergency starting role at Boston College as a true freshman and then, after transferring to Fort Scott Community College, leading
his team to the Junior College National Championship game. Though he was
not part of the team in the spring, he came to the practices and he
watched and he learned. Now that he is in the fold, he is learning the
playbook and will try to make a run at the starting position in the
fall. From all points of view, he has the toolset to thrive in new OC
Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense. And, according to his JUCO coach, his
accuracy has improved exponentially, which should give him a more than
fair shot to nudge his way onto the depth chart if not atop it.
- Brad Wornick (WO-SO): Surprise,
surprise… look who took the top spot on the depth chart in the spring.
No one more than Wornick exemplifies the notion that all jobs are up for
grabs in the new Pirates regime. A walk-on two seasons ago from Ardrey
Kell in Charlotte, Wornick was first of the quarterbacks to lock onto
the playbook and get it down. His accuracy has been impressive and he
appears ahead of his scholarship-wielding brethren in understanding how to
execute Riley’s offense. What may be a surprise to many fans is not a
new revelation to
those who know Wornick and saw him play at Ardrey Kell. There, he was a
very good quarterback who had opportunities to play at smaller schools
for financial support. Still, he has supreme confidence in himself and
appears determined to prove it. Riley has said in many interviews that Wornick
is the guy at this moment in time.
- Josh Jordan (RS-SO): Almost as surprising
as Wornick’s rise to the top of the depth chart in the spring is
Jordan’s inconspicuousness on the field. It was as if he was a walk-on
freshman himself, not the former No. 2 looking to win the starting job. Despite being the only QB on the roster with game
experience, he struggled in adapting to the new offensive schemes and
not only failed to seize the top spot, but saw the RS-FR Rio Johnson pass
him by as well. Jordan, a strong-armed pocket passer from Bayou country,
has his work cut out with two more QBs coming into camp in the fall if
he hopes to get back into the battle for the starting job.
- Rio Johnson (RS-FR): Johnson had a solid
spring as he learned the new system. He earned the No. 2 spot on the
depth chart and showed flashes of what he might be able to do in the new
offensive system. He is young and has time to learn the system before he
is expected to truly challenge for a starting role, but he still finds
himself in the hunt for the job. The battle, as Johnson clearly knows,
is far from over and the fall will be when the true pecking order
emerges.
Position Analysis
– Gone is long-standing starter Patrick Pinkney, leaving only a collection of
potential quarterbacks in wait. Among the group, only 7 pass attempts have
been completed in actual ECU games. With the slate cleaned, the fact that
Jordan is the only “experienced” QB on the roster means little. Wornick won
the position hands down in the spring, but the question is what does that
mean? Is Wornick a big story that will break in 2010 or is the ECU QB
situation somewhat dire? The answers will not be known until the fall when
an infusion of quarterback talent should give rise to quite a battle for the
starting job. Incoming JUCO transfer Davis is long on experience
and has been in championship games at the college level already. Texas
All-State quarterback Shane Carden, a true freshman, will be the only QB
groomed in this type of offensive system. Should Wornick emerge in the fall,
the Pirates may just have a rags to riches story on their hands. If not,
then the quarterback who does emerge will have to truly separate himself
from the pack, which can only mean good things for an offense rich in
receiving talent, looking for someone who can get them the ball.
Next Page:
Running Back
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07/02/2010 04:24:27 AM
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