Pirates looking to make a statement against Tulsa

When Steve Kragthorpe was named the head football coach at Tulsa in December of 2002, he inherited a football program that had just two wins in the previous two years combined. Three years later, Kragthorpe led the Golden Hurricane to a Conference USA championship and a victory in the Liberty Bowl. Saturday, Kragthorpe will bring his 4-1 Tulsa team to Greenville to take on an improving ECU team bent on turning its program around.

"They are where we aspire to be," said ECU Head Coach Skip Holtz. "They're 4-1, they're leading the conference. They have a great offense, they have a great defense and they've got a great kicking game. That's where we want to be."

Tulsa, which beat Southern Miss, 20-6, on Oct. 3, brings an explosive veteran offense led by senior quarterback Paul Smith. The Golden Hurricane have four seniors on their offensive line, which is the third most experienced line in the nation.

Smith has been sacked just three times this season, which has allowed the senior from Owasso, Okla., to complete 66 percent of his passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns to only three interceptions.

"I think lack of sacks from an offensive standpoint are indicative of what you're doing offensively with running the ball," said Kragthorpe at his weekly press conference. "Staying out of long down and distance situations, first down production, quarterback getting the ball out of his hands, running backs protecting well, wide receivers getting open and obviously the offensive line protecting. I think it's a function of everybody, not just the offensive line."

The Pirates (2-3, 1-1 C-USA) aren't a sack-happy defense, but are getting better. ECU got to Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell three times and has recorded at least one sack in its last three games.

"East Carolina I think is a front that can rush the passer," Kragthorpe said. "They're not a big pressure team as far as bringing six or seven guys. They are more of a four man rush, pop a backer here or there, but they've shown the ability to pressure the passer against a team like Virginia who again I think is pretty good without having to do that."

Protecting James Pinkney is something the reshuffled ECU offensive line must do against a senior-laden Tulsa defense that is ranked 25th nationally. The Golden Hurricane (4-1, 1-0 C-USA) lead C-USA in total defense and pass defense, allowing a meager 268 total yards and 115 through the air.

The Pirates moved left guard Matt Butler inside to center and started true freshman Cory Dowless at left guard against a Cavalier defense that was ranked 20th in the country. The Pirates ran roughshod through the UVa front for 208 rushing yards and 432 yards of total offense.

"We got guys at new positions, guys that never played, and we figure that once we get used to different things, we can really get it rolling," said redshirt freshman right tackle Terence Campbell. "I don't think nobody can really stop us once we get that running game going."

Junior Chris Johnson did not play against Virginia due to a turf toe injury, paving the way for senior Brandon Fractious to run for 102 yards, but is expected to play against Tulsa. Johnson, Fractious and sophomore Brandon Simmons are all expected to see significant playing time, with Holtz yet to decide on a starter.

Establishing the run like they did against Virginia should free up some passing lanes for Pinkney, who could be without top wideout Aundrae Allison for a second straight week.

Stepping up against the Cavs for ECU was senior Bobby Good. Good caught five balls for 102 yards, including a 44-yarder to set up a Pinkney touchdown run.

"I couldn't be more pleased with the way Bobby Good has been playing," Holtz said. "He's really elevated his game from a year ago when he was constantly hampered with that hamstring injury."

Holtz said Good petitioned the coach to let him do more things for the team, so Holtz put him on special teams to return punts against Virginia. His return yardage was nearly non-existent, but Holtz said the fact that he caught the ball instead of letting it roll, which the Pirates had been doing, has been invaluable.

"He did really well," Holtz said. "That was a big difference in the game was the way he caught punts from a field position standpoint."

Pinkney has seen his numbers and his completion percentage decline over the last few weeks, but "managed the game well" against Virginia as the Pirates did not commit any turnovers for the first time this season.

"James Pinkney played exceptionally well," Holtz said of his senior quarterback, who has completed passes to 14 different receivers this year. "It was probably a breath of fresh air for James to be able to take a little bit of pressure of the quarterback position and let him just manage the game. I thought he played very well in those circumstances of just managing the game, running the ball, and using the play action pass."

Tulsa's strength is its secondary. TU boasts two defensive backs, seniors Bobby Blackshire and Nick Graham, on the Thorpe Award watch list. The Golden Hurricane have picked off five passes while allowing a 49-percent completion rate.

The heart of the Tulsa defense is linebacker Nick Bunting. The 6-1, 230-pound senior is ninth in school history with 285 tackles and leads the team this year in sacks and tackles for a loss. He is a top candidate for the Butkus Award, Bronco Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award. While the Tulsa defense is very good, so is its offense. TU is averaging 28 points per game and has turned the ball over just five times. Like ECU, Tulsa has an experienced senior quarterback and a talented trio of running backs, led by Oklahoma transfer Courtney Tennial.

The 5-foot-9, 214-pound Tennial is averaging six yards per carry with senior Brandon Diles carrying the ball at a five-yard-per-carry clip. Senior Tarrion Adams has missed Tulsa's last two games - both wins over Navy and Southern Miss - but could play against the Pirates.