Spring Break
A season on the brink
Pirates looking for turnaround win
Kellen Holtzman
Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Sports
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Now that the Pirates' non-conference schedule and all of the distractions that came with it are finally behind them, the team is set to solely focus on its original goals.
This time last season, ECU (3-3, 1-1) was only 1-3 in non-conference play and had the same 1-1 record in C-USA play.
"Right now, really, when you look at it, we're probably one game better than we were a year ago," said ECU coach Skip Holtz, on Monday. "But that wasn't the goal coming in. The goal coming in, as we talked about it, was a conference championship, to compete and see how good we could be out of conference and see if we could improve on our record from a year ago."
The next step to improving from last season will come this weekend when Memphis (3-4, 1-2) visits Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The Tigers have not looked overly impressive this season with their three wins coming against Nicholls State, Arkansas State and UAB. However, their last three losses were by an average of five points, including last weekend's 35-28 defeat to Louisville, a game that Holtz believes Memphis outplayed the Big East opponents.
"Memphis is a heck of a football team," Holtz said. "They are sitting there with a 3-4 record right now. Just like we could sit here and argue that we are a couple plays away from being undefeated, they could argue they are a couple plays away from sitting here as a 6-1 football team."
Limiting a talented Tiger receiving corps will be a tall order for a Pirate secondary that continues to struggle with stopping the long ball. Memphis is averaging 283.4 yards passing per game this season and put up 351 yards on the Cardinals.
Duke Calhoun, only a junior, is already third all-time in receiving yards as a Tiger. Memphis boasts three receivers that are at least 6-foot-4, including Carlos Singleton, who is 6-foot-8. Singleton currently ranks in the top-5 in C-USA in receiving yards.
ECU's tallest cornerback, Dekota Marshall, measures in at 6-foot-1, but his playing status is listed as probable after suffering an injury this past weekend against Virginia. Senior cornerback Jerek Hewett also went down against the Cavaliers and is listed as doubtful.
These injuries will make it even more difficult for remaining Pirate corners like Travis Simmons to stand up to the Tiger wide-outs.
"We know with the height that they have at receiver, we're going to definitely have to be able to jump, play with our hands, and get the ball out as much as we can," said Simmons, a sophomore.
Memphis quarterback Arkelon Hall is making it easier for his towering receivers. The junior ranks fourth in C-USA passing yards and has 10 touchdowns on the season.
For ECU, the quarterback position continues to be an area of concern. Holtz announced on Monday that both Patrick Pinkney and Rob Kass will see action against Memphis.
"Right now it's very difficult to look Rob in the eye, as much as he has played, as much experience he has and the way he has played in his opportunities, and tell him that he doesn't deserve a shot," Holtz said. "I just don't know at this point what the rotation is going to be, but both quarterbacks will definitely play."
Running back is another position that has been highly competitive this season. Last week against the Cavaliers, sophomore Jonathan Williams took most of the carries in his first true outing as the feature back. Williams rushed for 96 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
Brandon Simmons and Norman Whitley combined for just three carries against UVA.
"I'm just coming out here and working hard everyday and trying to gain that level of respect and confidence from my team and the coaches," Williams said of the battle at tailback. "This isn't an individual thing right now. It's a team thing. We're just trying to pick it up right now."
While the Memphis receivers attract most of the attention, the Tigers' impressive ground game gives coach Tommy West a balanced offense.
Memphis is third in C-USA in rushing yards and junior running back Curtis Steele is third in the league in rushing, behind only to Tulane's Andre Anderson and Southern Miss' Damion Fletcher.
Strong safety Alton Starr and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald lead the way for the Tigers on the defensive side of the ball. Starr leads the team with 51 total tackles while McDonald is the team leader with seven sacks for a team that has given up an average of 363 yards of total offense per game.
ECU will continue to attack defenses without the services of receiver Jamar Bryant, who has been suspended for the remainder of the season.
Holtz is expecting fierce competition at receiver as well as the offensive line and secondary this week in practice.
"I certainly don't want to call what we're in a 'slump' because I think we've lost to three pretty good football teams and we've been in the games but just haven't been able to close the door," said Holtz. "I think we've got to find people who are motivated to go out there and play at a high level."
If the Pirates are to rebound and give Holtz his first conference title, this weekend's game against Memphis is likely a must-win.
"We have to [win]," said senior defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell. "It's part of our conference championship mission and that's what we're playing for now."
This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.
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