ECU Football

11/03 UCF Postgame

Sunday nights' game versus UCF was an epic defensive battle between two Conference USA East foes. I know you rarely hear the words "Defensive battle" uttered after a Conference USA game.

In a league where you have the NCAA leader in points per game, Tulsa, and other high-powered offenses, there is rarely a game where the two teams combine for 23 points.

The Pirates were never able to get the offense rolling Sunday night. They tried everything including a double reverse Davon Drew pass attempt to Patrick Pinkney and using both quarterbacks, Rob Kass and Patrick Pinkney. The one bright spot offensively was the performance of sophomore running back Norman Whitley. Whitley rushed for 135 yards and he tied the game up with 1:51 left in regulation on a 2-yard touchdown run. The UCF defense struggled to figure out a way to stop the speedy back from Richmond County.

The defense played lights out for from the opening whistle Sunday night. They applied pressure to UCF quarterback Michael Greco all game and did now allow the Golden Knights to establish the run. The defensive line lead by C.J. Wilson, Linval Joesph and Jay Ross, who were constantly wreaking havoc in the UCF backfield. Linebackers Nick Johnson and Pierre Bell had huge games racking up, 14 tackles combined.

The unsung hero for the Pirates Sunday night was redshirt freshman defensive back Emmanuel Davis. Davis stripped UCF quarterback Greco with 33 seconds remaining in regulation and the ball was recovered by the Pirates setting up a potential game-winning drive. The very next play, ECU Kass threw an interception and UCF would take a knee sending the game to overtime. Emmanuel Davis would come up big again though, on the 1st play of overtime Davis intercepted Greco's pass attempt and set up the Pirates for their game winning drive.

After missing two field goals from 46 and 48 yards, kicker Ben Hartman drilled a 39-yard attempt to win the game in overtime. Hartman is now 3-for-3 on game-winning field goals, dating back to last year when he defeated hated in-state rival UNC and Boise State. Sticking with special teams, Matt Dodge had a solid performance punting for ECU. Dodge had eight punts for a 47 yard average, frequently pinning UCF inside its own 20. Dodge's onside kick in the 3rd quarter, where he rifled the kick off of UCF's Alex Thompson and was recovered by ECU's Dustin Lineback was a huge special teams' play.

One of the pressing questions the Pirates have to answer if they want to pick up another crucial C-USA win next week is what does the offense need to do to put more points on the scoreboard? I would try and give the ball to three players as much as possible: Norman Whitley, Davon Drew and Dwayne Harris.

Norman Whitley is a fast running back that is hard for opposing defenses to catch. ECU needs to continue to give him the ball 25 times a game if they are going to be successful.

Davon Drew is a big, quick tight end who needs to touch the ball 5-10 times a game. Drew has great hands and has great speed for a tight end and is a match-up problem versus most linebackers.

Dwayne Harris had a quiet game versus UCF; I think he is still nursing his injured shoulder. Regardless of his statistics versus UCF, Harris can change the game with every time he touches the ball.

The old adage "A win is a win," has never proved to be truer than it did on Sunday. The Pirates struggled offensively, turning the ball over in crucial situations but in the end they prevailed with a huge C-USA win to improve to 3-1 in conference play.

10/30 Norman Whitley

Most people know very little about East Carolina running back Norman Whitley. Whitley was a highly touted running back out of Richmond County high school, where he piled up 2,168, 3,700 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. The 5-foot-9, 187-pound running back has seen limited action since coming to ECU in the fall of 2006. Multiple injuries have caused Whitley to miss considerable practice and game time since arriving on campus.

But with Dominique Lindsay sidelined for the year with a knee injury and Jonathan Williams suspended indefinitely, Whitley becomes the featured back for the Pirates.

In limited action this season, Whitley has compiled 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Most people remember Whitley's game changing receiving touchdown earlier this season in a 28-24 win over Tulane. Whitley is a versatile running back, who has the ability to make big plays out of the backfield in the passing and running game.

Even though I feel Whitley will receive the bulk of the carries versus UCF, do not forget about senior running back Brandon Simmons. Simmons' powerful running style complements Whitley's speed and the combination of the two could be a great duo for the Pirates. In today's style of offense, two running backs are a valuable asset. Many NFL and NCAA teams feature two running backs, like Arkansas last year with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, and former Pirate standout Chris Johnson and LenDale White with the Tennessee Titans.

I am expecting a breakout performance for Whitley versus UCF on ESPN Sunday night. The UCF defense is ranked number one in the NCAA in interceptions, and because of this I am looking for the Pirates to try and pound the ball on the ground. If the Pirates are able to establish the running game early and win the turnover battle, I am expecting a big Conference USA-East win on Sunday.