Five questions in need of answers

5. Is this the year ECU gets a Conference USA title?

Any member of the football team will tell you that unless ECU makes it to the C-USA title game then the season is a failure. The Pirates have been close the last two years but have fallen apart at the end of the conference schedule, with losses to Rice in 2006 and Marshall in 2007 costing them greatly.

This year the goal is clear: win C-USA. The schedule is in ECU's favor this year, as it gets most of its toughest conference opponents at home and has a bye week before its toughest conference road game. Three of the final five games are on the road however, so if the pattern of the past two years is followed then the Southern Miss, UAB or UTEP games could be the ones that dethrone the Pirates conference title hopes for a third straight year. The Pirates' coaches and players have stressed the importance of winning C-USA this season, and if they can learn from what has happened the last two years, there's a good chance this is the year.

4. How will the special teams be?

While the special teams play last year earned ECU two of its biggest wins-North Carolina and Boise State-the unit was otherwise below average. Matt Dodge had moments of brilliance as the punter, averaging 41 yards per punt, but he lacked the consistency that coach Holtz demanded from him.

As far as field goals, Ben Hartman was a sub-par 13-of-22 with eight of those misses coming from less than 39 yards. Hartman seemed to find consistency in the latter part of last season, any momentum he had came to a screeching halt this summer as he suffered a leg injury that could leave his availability in the early part of this season in question. The special teams unit will certainly be a big question mark this season and should get tested early with the first two games against Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

3. Will the secondary be able to stop the pass?

While the ECU defense will get recognition for its strong defensive line, the Achilles heel of the unit is the secondary. Last year, ECU ranked among the worst in the nation in stopping the pass, allowing 289 yards per game through the air.

The Pirates are simply hoping that last year was a learning experience and that with another spring/fall of practice under their belts, the secondary will be able to step up to the challenge. If not, then the pass happy offenses of Conference-USA will once again give ECU fits.

2. Can the running game handle the loss of Chris Johnson?

Last season was the year of Chris Johnson. This year it could be the year of Dominique Lindsay, Jonathan Williams, Norman Whitley or Brandon Simmons, among others who are trying to replace a game changer such as Johnson.

Doing that is much easier said than done however. Last year, Johnson ran for 1,423 yards and 17 touchdowns in 13 games. The next closest running back to him was Dominique Lindsay, who had 205 yards and five touchdowns. While Johnson did get the majority of attempts it is certainly unknown at this point in time if one of the backs this year can even get close to matching that production in the running game. Of course Johnson was also great in the passing game. Last year he was the second on the team in receiving with 528 yards and six touchdowns. Lindsay was once again the next running back closest to Johnson in that category, with 58 yards receiving and one touchdown on only nine receptions.

With limited experience returning and Lindsay's injury, it will obviously be tough for the ECU offense to replace its departed star.

1. How will weekly quarterback competition affect the offense?

While the question of who will start the Virginia Tech game as quarterback is presumably Patrick Pinkney, it will probably still be a week-to-week situation as to who will start the rest of the games. Last season, Rob Kass was slated to start against the Hokies for the season opener, but due to a DUI arrest, he didn't make his first game appearance until the fourth game of the season, against West Virginia. Pinkney made the most of his starting duties-especially against in-state rival North Carolina, when he threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns. Kass also had his share of success, including engineered the final drive in the Hawaii Bowl, in which the offense was able to get into position for a game-winning Ben Hartman field goal.

While both quarterbacks bring different things to the table, Patrick is more of a scrambling quarterback where Kass is a pocket passer. The two, along with offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, were able to put in place an offense that could handle a dual quarterback system and find success. Why coach Holtz has been more in favor of settling with one quarterback, he isn't opposed to going back to the duel quarterback system if it means wins. The competition will go on week in and week out especially if one doesn't perform much better than another on a consistent basis.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.