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Welcome to the Big Time:
Old Dominion
Monarchs coach Bobby
Wilder has never
been to Greenville,
but he knows that
dealing with the
atmosphere there
will be the team's
biggest challenge.
East Carolina
will be the first
Football Bowl
Subdivision opponent
for ODU. Wilder
said his Monarchs,
who are
transitioning to FBS,
are inexperienced.
Of the 70 players
ODU is taking to
Greenville, 34 have
never played in a
college game and 26
are either true
freshmen or junior
college transfers.
"The challenge for
us is that we're
going to have to
really grow up fast
in a difficult
environment," he
said.
On the flip side,
ECU coach Ruffin
McNeill said the
Pirates have seen
too much film on the
Monarchs to take them lightly. ODU
averaged 45.2 points
per game last
season. "Their quarterback,
Taylor Heinicke, is
one of the best
we'll face, and he's
got some weapons
around him,"
McNeill
said. "We haven't
overlooked them. Old
Dominion is all that
we've been thinking
about."
Wilder said his team
must play a
near-perfect game �
and get a little
lucky � to win. "...
We've going to have
to take some risks.
We're going to have
to find some ways to
steal some
possessions. If that
happens, we might be
able to find a way
to hang around until
the fourth quarter."
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ODU** |
TALE OF
THE TAPE |
ECU* |
|
55th/154.4 |
Rushing
Offense |
90th/135.4 |
|
1st/393.8 |
Passing
Offense |
36th/273.2 |
|
1st/548.2 |
Total
Offense |
56th/408.5 |
|
1st/45.15 |
Scoring
Offense |
47th/31.5 |
|
100th/197.3 |
Rushing
Defense |
53rd/155.0 |
|
69th/128.62 |
Pass
Efficiency
Defense |
83rd/137.36 |
|
94th/420.0 |
Total
Defense |
87th/430.7 |
|
89th/30.5 |
Scoring
Defense |
88th/31.6 |
|
49th/.15 |
Turnover
Margin |
58th/0.0 |
|
15th/2.85 |
Sacks |
59th/2.0 |
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61st/2.08 |
Sacks
Allowed |
78th/2.2 |
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*ECU 2012 FBS
ranking;
**ODU 2012 FCS ranking |
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TOP PERFORMERS AT A
GLANCE |
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PASSING
ATT. CMP. INT. YDS.
TD |
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ODU
- Terrence Broadway
283 185 8 2531 16 |
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ECU - Shane Carden
371 248 9 2838 21 |
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RUSHING
ATT. YDS. AVG. TD |
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ODU
-
Alonzo
Harris
149 774
5.1 5 |
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ECU - Vintavious
Cooper
191 1030 5.4 7 |
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RECEIVING
NO. YDS. AVG. TD |
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ODU
- Harry Peoples
61
997 16.3
5 |
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ECU - Justin Hardy
83 1471 12.6
6 |
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TACKLES
UT AT TFL SACKS |
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ODU
- Justin Anderson
67
27 8 2 |
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ECU - Damon Magazu
37 35 0 0 |
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Schemes: ODU
utilizes a spread
offensive attack
while employing a
4-3 defensive
alignment.
ECU will also line
up in the spread
and is
multiple on defense. |
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WORTH NOTING |
�
ECU has won
four of the
last five
season
openers,
seven of the
last eight
home
openers, and
is 1-2-0 in
the month of
August. The
Pirates have
won 32 of 61
all-time
matchups
(32-28-1)
against
current FBS
and FCS
programs
from the
Commonwealth
of
Virginia. ODU is 4-0
all-time in
road
openers, and
will be
tested this
week as it
opens the
season on
the road for
the first
time �
against its first-ever FBS
opponent.
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�
ECU Junior
IR Justin
Hardy
currently
ranks second
among all
active FBS
players
nationally
in
receptions
per game,
surpassing
the 100-yard
mark five
times in
2012. Antonio
Vaughan is
the leading
returning
wide
receiver for ODU,
catching 60
passes for
885 yards
last season.
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�
Both teams
had
difficulty
stopping
opposing
offenses in
2012. As
a result,
both teams
have new
defensive
coordinators
for 2013. Rick Smith
returns to a
Pirate
program
where he
served as
defensive
backs coach
under Skip
Holtz from
2005 to
2009; Rich
Nagy takes
over at ODU.
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�
ODU Junior
quarterback
Taylor
Heinicke was
named the
2012 Walter
Payton Award
Winner, the
FCS
equivalent
to the
Heisman
Trophy. He
finished
with an FCS
single-season
record 5,076
passing
yards and
led the FCS
in passing
touchdowns (44) and
total
touchdowns (55). Led
by Heinicke, ODU
had 34
scoring
drives under
two minutes
in 2012,
including
three one-play drives.
Junior Shane
Carden,
after taking
over as the
Pirates� top
QB prior to
the third
game of
2012,
responded
with 3,116
aerial yards
(the
third-highest
single-season
passing
total in
school
history) and
accounted
for 31 of
ECU�s 45
offensive
TDs. He also
led all ECU
ball-carriers
with eight
ground TDs
in 2012.
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