Pirates trying to get back on track

Coming off an open date with more people missing practice than the previous week is not how Skip Holtz wanted to begin his week of preparation for ECU's date with Virginia on Saturday.

A flu bug swept through the ECU football team over the weekend, keeping 11 players out of practice Sunday night and a handful of players still out with nagging injuries.

"I have a couple of concerns on the injury front," said Holtz. "I was hoping with the off date we would have the opportunity to get some people back again. We still have a number of players that are sidelined with injuries. We are not sure if they are questionable, doubtful or day-to-day. We are going to have to see as we go along."

A few starters with nagging problems highlight the injury report. Chris Johnson (turf toe), Aundrae Allison (ankle), Brandon Setzer (knee) and Shauntae Hunt (knee) could all miss Saturday's game with the Cavaliers.

"We're not sure yet," Running Backs Coach Junior Smith said about whether or not Johnson will be able to play Saturday. "He's kind of day-to-day. It's depends on how he does (today)."

Should Johnson, who leads the Pirates with 190 yards rushing and three touchdowns, not be able to go, Holtz said they have a "healthy competition" going at tailback.

"It's unfortunate Chris Johnson hasn't been able to practice during this open date, but Brandon Fractious has done a lot of good work," Holtz said. "With Dominique Lindsay out, a guy like Brandon Simmons may have a chance to play a little bit more of that roll for us. He's a bigger and more physical back. We miss that big, physical back. He's breaking tackles. He's not a guy that anyone really knows right now, but I think due to the injuries to our running backs, this is what we are down to at this point and he will definitely play on Saturday."

Fractious said he's ready to fill the possible void.

"If the opportunity comes, it's time to step up," said Fractious, who is second on the team with 86 yards on the ground.

The Pirates have pulled freshman quarterback Dwayne Harris off the scout team and have been working him in at tailback to see if his athleticism could be useful against an active Virginia defense.

"Dwayne Harris is such a great athlete," Holtz said. "You put him back there and give him the ball, he's gonna end up somewhere with it. We're not sure where right now, but he's gonna make everybody stand up."

Another player in the competition that has impressed Holtz is Simmons.

Running the ball against a stout Cavalier front seven which held Duke to minus one yard rushing in Virginia's 37-0 win in Durham last week will not be easy, especially for an ECU offense that has been inconsistent at running the ball.

The coaches used the off week to see why they have struggled to run the ball. ECU (1-3, 1-1 Conference USA) was held to 41 yards on the ground against fourth-ranked West Virginia. Holtz and offensive coordinator Steve Shankweiler have been reshuffling the offensive line to try to find the best fit.

The coaches have tried reserve center Stephen Heis at tackle, starting center Tom Wingenbach at guard and starting left guard Matt Butler at center. True freshman guard Cory Dowless may see the redshirt come off of him this week, as the 6-5, 313-pounder has taken some snaps with the top unit this week.

"We looked at what we were doing and trying to find the problem, and some of it's the running back and some of it's the offensive line," Holtz said. "Other times it's the defensive personnel that we are playing. It's been a combination of things. We have taken a look to try to find the right chemistry mix. We want to get the right players on the field at the right time and in the right position."

The Cavaliers, (2-3, 1-1 ACC) have allowed just 104 yards on the ground and recorded eight sacks in their win last week at Duke. Redshirt freshman defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald leads the Wahoos in tackles for a loss with seven.

"We have our hands full this week," Holtz said. "Virginia has done a nice job especially as a defensive football team. They are extremely competitive and very strong. The strength of their football team would be up front, on the front four. Virginia has given up about two yards a carry. Defensively, they're extremely feisty up front with their front seven."

While Virginia's defense, which is allowing a meager 12 first downs per game, has Holtz concerned, ECU's defense has caught the attention of Virginia's top man, Al Groh.

The Cavaliers will bring a freshman quarterback to Greenville to face a Pirate defense, which Groh referred to as "ball-hawking." The Pirates lead the nation in takeaways with 14.

"Their secondary is very much a veteran secondary," said Groh. "I think they had five (interceptions) against Memphis State, returned two for touchdowns. It's very attention getting. It's certainly something for us to be very alert to address and as we've been speaking here today, we do have a young quarterback, and (we need to) make sure that he understands that people on the other side want to catch his passes as much as his guys do, and those kind of things usually whet a secondary's appetite and they kind of get the fever, and when they get the fever, they want a few more."

Virginia's win over Duke marked the first time the 2-3 Cavaliers scored more than 13 points. Many of their scoring drives were set up by their defense, as the offense continued to struggle. In the five scoring drives against the Blue Devils, UVa's cumulative yardage was 97, and the longest scoring drive was just 46 yards.

Though Virginia's offense has struggled and the Pirates are a 6.5-point favorite, Holtz said his team is cautiously optimistic.

"This is still a talented and powerful Virginia football team," Holtz said. "We have to remember they are coming out of the ACC and we're in a building and growing progress. We can't go into the game thinking we're very confident."