Revenge on their minds

For the second consecutive season, ECU's road to the Conference USA Championship game will have to go through Marshall.

Last season, the Thundering Herd abruptly ended the Pirates' dreams with a dominating 26-7 victory in Huntington, W.Va. ECU was in control of its own destiny before the loss cost the team its first trip to a C-USA title game.

"[Last year] we had an opportunity to go to the conference championship game up in West Virginia and unfortunately we didn't execute," said quarterback Rob Kass. "We really didn't do our job and that's obviously in the back of our minds."

This season, both teams are 3-1 in conference play and tied for first in the East Division. The winner of this year's matchup will take firm control of the division.

The Pirates will be forced to bounce back quickly from Sunday night's thrilling win over UCF, while Marshall has been resting up since its 37-23 win over Houston last Tuesday.

"I think Marshall is a very good football team," said ECU coach Skip Holtz. "They've had a difficult schedule as they have played Wisconsin and West Virginia on the road and Cincinnati at home. You look at their win-loss record and say they've lost some football games, but they've lost to some very talented BCS football teams."

The talented teams Holtz mentioned all won in convincing fashion over the Herd (4-4, 3-1). Marshall lost the games against Wisconsin, West Virginia and Cincinnati by an average of 28 points.

However, the Herd seem to be playing their best football of the year after last week's strong win over Houston, a team that ran ECU (5-3, 3-1) off the field in September.

Once again, the battle at quarterback is the hot topic surrounding the Pirates this week. Both Patrick Pinkney and Kass saw action on Sunday night, but neither gave spectacular performances. Pinkney went six-for-14 for 84 yards off the bench while Kass went seven-for-19 for 65 yards with one interception.

"I can't really say this is definitely what we're going to do this weekend," Holtz said of this week's plan. "Looking back at it right now, there's a possibility they could both play. We're just going to have to see what we're going to do as a game plan and how it fits."

Holtz inserted Pinkney against UCF when the offensive line struggled to contain the Golden Knights' pass rush-and re-inserted Kass when the Pirates aimed to pass the ball downfield.

Kass reiterated that the two competitors are more concerned about wins and losses than which player takes the most snaps.

"Each and every week, Patrick and I are pushing each other to make this team better," Kass said. "It really doesn't matter as long as this team continues to win. That's all that matters to Patrick and I."

Holtz believes improving the passing game is the main concern for his team this week. Pinkney and Kass combined for just 149 passing yards and no touchdowns against UCF.

Pass defense will continue to be a concern for ECU, even though it ranks third in C-USA. The Pirates will be without senior cornerback Jerek Hewett, who is now expected to miss the remainder of the season.

The injury to Hewett has forced players like redshirt freshman cornerback Emanuel Davis to play an even bigger role. Davis rose to the challenge last week, forcing and recovering a fumble in the fourth quarter, as well as snagging the overtime interception that led to a Ben Hartman game-winning field goal.

"With Jerek Hewett being out with the shoulder injury, that forces a lot of guys to step up," said Davis. "I had been getting a little playing time before [the UCF game]. I was trying to get comfortable getting out there and get a feel for the game."

Although some of its most talented players reside in the receiving corps, Marshall still ranks next to last in the league in pass offense.

Wide receiver Darius Passmore leads the Herd with 795 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Junior tight end Cody Slate has led Marshall in receiving the past two seasons and is a two-time All-C-USA selection.

With the both sides struggling through the air, the game could prove to be a grind-it-out affair in the rushing game.

ECU coped with the loss of suspended running back Jonathan Williams better than expected, as Norman Whitley ran for 142 yards and one touchdown against UCF.

This week, however, the Pirates will likely be without offensive tackle Stanley Bryant, who suffered a knee injury against the Golden Knights. Bryant's fellow tackle, D.J. Scott, is listed as questionable with a concussion.

The Herd's fierce linebacker duo of Mario Harvey and Maurice Kitchens will make it even more difficult for ECU as C-USA's top two scoring defenses battle it out.

"When you look at their two linebackers inside, [Harvey and Kitchens], I think they're two of the best linebackers we're going to play," Holtz said. "They're both about 240 pounds and they're fast and extremely physical."

Marshall running back Darius Marshall is putting together a solid season of his own--with nearly 700 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

A win over the Herd will go a long way in remedying last season's heartbreaking loss and putting ECU back in the East Division driver's seat. But the game isn't necessarily make-or-break either. Marshall still has an away game at Rice (6-3, 5-1) and a test against Tulsa (8-1, 5-0) on its schedule.

Becoming bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season is also at stake for the Pirates. But players like Whitley seem to have their priorities in order.

"I've got a team to worry about," said Whitley. "I've got offensive linemen to worry about. I have to do whatever I have to do to get my team ready for Marshall and whoever else we play against. I'm not worried about getting bowl eligible. I'm worried about winning a conference championship."

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