ECU Football Blog

11/25

Legion Field

As I stood on the turf of Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the history of the field overwhelmed me. Legion Field has seen many historic battles between Alabama and Auburn. The annual battle between Alabama and Auburn called the "Iron Bowl" was played at Legion Field from 1948 to 1988. Now it is home to the University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers football team and the stadium has seen its better days.

The stadium used to hold a capacity crowd of 83,091 people but since the removal of the upper deck because it was a safety hazard it holds 72,000 spectators. On this day, with the Conference USA East title on the line, ECU took on UAB and those 72,000 seats remained mostly unoccupied. There were roughly 1,000 people watching another low scoring battle for the Pirates. The only thing nice about Legion Field is sitting in the press box you have a beautiful view of downtown Birmingham, which is very similar to Charlotte for those who have never seen it.

As the pre-game rituals began for ECU, Skip Holtz roamed the sideline talking to his players and getting acquainted to his surroundings. Maybe the thought that some 40 years ago, legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was roaming these very sidelines preparing his team for battle, crossed Holtz's mind while preparing his team. One of the highlights of my visits to Legion Filed was visiting the memorial of Bryant outside of Legion Field.

The game was nothing new for the Pirates. It was a defensive battle with many turnovers that had me ready to throw something off the perch under the scoreboard. The Pirates--as they have done many times this year--came through in the 4th quarter sealing the 17-13 victory. The relief from the coaches, players, parents and loyal workers who made the journey to Birmingham was evident. The team broke many "curses." The win last Saturday was the Pirates first win in the state of Alabama and was the first win in the 11th week of the season in three years.

After controlling their own destiny the past two years the Pirates lost late road games to destroy their hopes of playing in the conference championship. They would not be denied this year sealing their spot in the Conference USA championship game. Saturday's war adds to the history of Legion Field maybe not on the level of the "Iron Bowl" or Paul "Bear" Bryant, but it was a historic day for the Pirate Nation. The win placed ECU in its first Conference USA championship game.

After the historic win the entire coaching staff and players were all smiles. The feat of making the championship game was impressive considering the number of freshman, redshirt freshman and sophomores in ECU's two deep depth chart. The team boarded the plane in a much better mood than last week. It was a great feeling to see the players and coaches relaxed having finally achieved their goal since August 1st. Now they have to prepare for senior day versus UTEP on Friday and the Conference Championship. It is a great time to be a Pirate fan.

11/20

It's a Pirates' Life for Me

There is no doubt that this has been a long season with many ups-and-downs for the Pirate Nation. The hysteria after beating Virginia Tech carried on for a month, which included one of the biggest wins in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium history--versus West Virginia.

The dream of being a BCS buster came to a crashing end after losing to hated in-state rival N.C. State in overtime. Then, the two games following that we all wished we could forget, losses to Houston and Virginia. The past few weeks the Pirates finally got thing back on track with a pair of C-USA wins. Then we had to travel down to "The Rock," a place we historically struggle and this tradition continued after ECU dropped another game to Southern Miss.

After the loss, I boarded the plane from Hattiesburg to Kinston with lots on my mind. Why can't our offense get anything going and produce more than three points? Why do we have more injuries than any other college football team in America? The one thought that I had stuck in my head was why am I an ECU fan?

Through the past years, I have had this thought many times and every time I come up with a different reason. Everyone reason for supporting the Pirates is different. My dad was the head soccer coach at ECU in the late 80s. I was born at Pitt Memorial Hospital on December 11th, 1988 and I have lived in Greenville ever since. I guess that is where my love for my hometown Pirates began. My dad's stint as head coach was short, but that did not cause my love for the Pirates to faultier. As I grew up watching all ECU sports, I live for the results of the games.

I was there when Dwayne Wade's Marquette team came in nationally ranked and was defeat by Bill Herrions' basketball team. I was also there through the Ricky Stokes years, when the basketball team was bad. I came to football games at Dowdy Ficklen as David Garrard led ECU to many successful seasons. Like the Pirate fan that I am, I was still in my same seat during the John Thompson years that no one wants to recap. ECU is not like any other school in North Carolina that has banners and trophies all over their stadiums and coliseums. We have won many bowl games in football, but a conference championship has eluded us.

Who can forget the last two seasons with our own destiny in our hands? The football team dropped late games versus Rice and Marshall. Even through these awful times my fandom did not changed. I moved on from my devastation of not going to the CUSA championship and continued and I again supported my team.

Now with two games remaining on ECU's schedule and only having to win one of the two I have to recover from last weeks lose and pray this season does not end like the last two. In the end, the Pirates never make anything easy on themselves or their loyal fans--but it does not phase me. I will always support ECU regardless of the product it puts on the field. It is a Pirate's life for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

11/15

Southern Miss Postgame

As I sat on the plane waiting to fly out of Kinston, NC to Hattiesburg, Ms., I watched as the players file into their seats. The faces were different than the ones that took the field on August 30th versus Virginia Tech.

There were 13 new players on the travel squad from their first road trip to Charlotte. The familiar faces of Quentin Cotton, Jerek Hewitt, Marcus Hands, Khalif Mitchell, T.J Lee, Zack Slate and Jamar Bryant were not on the flight heading to Hattiesburg. The new look Pirates knew they were up for a steep challenge playing Southern Mississippi, having lost 10 out of their last 12 games versus the Golden Eagles.

Though the players on the travel team have changed and many starting spots have shifted to younger players, the team seemed to come out ready to play in pregame warm-ups at "The Rock." As the stadium filled up, you could feel the atmosphere starting to intensify. All of the Golden Eagle supporters came in wearing black and those that were not in black were given a black shirt to mark the occasion.

?The team also came out of the locker room in all black setting an even more intimidating atmosphere for the Pirates. Just as many expected with our past woes versus Southern Miss, ECU came out flat offensively and star freshman wide receiver DeAndre Brown proved to be a matchup problem for the Pirates.

The game moved quickly and as the time ticked away the deficit continued to grow. The third quarter could not have gone worse for the Pirates as it looked like they were going through an all at war and the Golden Eagles were dominating. Dwayne Harris, Jeremy Chambliss, Darryl Reynolds and T.J Terrell all left the game with serious injuries in the third quarter.

The game finally came to end, which was actually a positive for Holtz' army since it was losing players to injuries left and right. The score was nowhere near what most expected when they headed down to Mississippi, losing 21-3. Who knows why the Pirates can't beat Southern Miss, falling to 2-13 in the past 15 years. Maybe it's the banners and memorials over all over the campus of New York Jets and former Southern Miss quarterback Brett Favre, which creates an awe when the players enter the stadium.

It may just be the fact that they have our number and we allow them to punish us every time they get the ball. Who knows? I have never seen complete domination of a rivalry like the one between us and Southern Miss. After the game the deflated Pirate faithful gathered around the locker room. Some were parents waiting to see their child, others members of the athletic department trying to comfort the coaching staff and the rest were working to get all the equipment back on the truck.

Coach Holtz was addressing the few media members that made the journey and I have never seen a coach that looked as stressed and down as he did standing outside the locker room. Then the players began to make their way to the bus. Some were fine, just a few nicks and bruises, then came the devastating realization of Dwayne Harris, TJ Terrell, Darryl Reynolds and many others on crutches or in a boots.

The team arrived back in Greenville with an extensive amount of MRI's schedule for this week and the playing status of many players in limbo. Hopefully the 20 players that are now members of the injured list will not affect the Pirates' chances of sealing a berth in the Conference USA championship game versus UAB on Staurday.

11/6 Emmanuel Davis

During Sunday nights' game versus UCF, at Bright House Networks Stadium, ECU's defense had its best performance since not allowing a touchdown to West Virginia's high-powered offense.

ECU's defense was constantly in UCF's backfield causing trouble for not only quarterback Michael Greco and running back Brynn Harvey, but offensive coordinator Tim Salem. The Pirates' defensive line played a stellar game, led by Jay Ross, Linval Joesph, Zach Slate and CJ Wilson.

One player stood out to me on Sunday night that was not on the defensive line. Redshirt freshman Emmanuel Davis had a huge game for the Pirates. He had four tackles, a forced fumble and an overtime interception.

Late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 10, UCF was trying to put together a game winning drive. A 5'11 defensive back from Manteo, North Carolina stood in their way. With 33 seconds left, Davis stripped the football from Michael Greco and the fumble was recovered by the Pirates, setting up a potential game-winning drive.

ECU's offense took the field trying to setup a game-winning field goal. Its struggles would continue though, quarterback Rob Kass threw an interception on the first play following the fumble sending the game to overtime.

Davis would not be denied the victory again though. On the first play of overtime, Greco threw a pass that landed in the hands of Davis, setting up another potential game winning drive. This time the offense didn't let Davis down, setting up a game-winning field goal by Ben Hartman.

Many People do not know much about Davis, a redshirt freshman from Manteo High School. He was honored as a two time member of the All State and Conference teams and was named All Area Player of the Year as a junior. Davis did not just play football in high school; he also played basketball and track. He was a three-year member of the varsity basketball team, where he averaged 20 points per game. Davis starred on the track team, playing four years on the varsity level; capturing the 1A state title in the triple jump as a senior.

On the football field, Davis played on both sides of the ball. He was an all- purpose back and quarterback on offense and the full time free safety on the defense. As a senior, he led his defense to nine shutouts, and a berth in the state championship game, which they lost 28-7 to Elkin. During his senior campaign, Davis logged 127 tackles, 11 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 4 recovered fumbles and 8 interceptions. Davis was labeled as the 31st best high school prospect out of North Carolina by rivals.com.

Davis was originally committed to the University of North Carolina. He played in the 1A state championship his senior year, which was hosted by UNC. During his senior season, UNC head coach John Bunting was fired. Davis de-commited from the Tar Heels, and committed to the Pirates. What a steal Davis has become for Skip Holtz and the pirates.

Emmanuel Davis is a budding star on defense for ECU. A team that is highlighted by youth at running back, wide receiver, and linebacker has found a new young star in the defensive backfield. Defensive back play has historically been the punch line of jokes around North Carolina, but with the emergence of Emmanuel Davis, the defensive backfield looks much improved.

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.