Pinkney, Allison leave mark on ECU football

Passing combination has helped Pirates turn things around; bowl will be duo's ECU finale

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- East Carolina quarterback James Pinkney and wideout Aundrae Allison have done more than their share to revive the Pirates' football program. If they can help ECU win a bowl game Saturday, their legacy will be complete.

"Those guys have done some positive things for this program and helped us build the last two years. You can't say they've done it alone, but you'd be remiss to say that they haven't been a huge part of the puzzle," ECU coach Skip Holtz said Wednesday.

In the two seasons Pinkney and Allison have played together, the seniors have connected on 142 passes (second all-time at ECU) for 1,708 yards (fourth) and 11 touchdowns. During that span, ECU's record has improved from 2-9 in 2004 (sans Allison) to 5-6 last season to 7-5 and an invitation to this weekend's inaugural Papajohns.com Bowl, ECU's first postseason game since 2001.

Allison, who at one point this season was called the second best senior wideout in the country by NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr., could be ECU's highest pick in the draft since linebacker Robert Jones was selected 24th by the Dallas Cowboys in 1992.

Allison will cap his season with an appearance in the Senior Bowl all-star game on Jan. 27 in Mobile, Ala.

Quiet but brashly confident, Allison said he always knew that he could help turn around ECU's program.

"I did, I really did think I could [help turn the program around]. That's one of the things I talked to the coaches about when they recruited me. I told them I was going to bring a different attitude to the team. I did that," said Allison, who has 59 receptions for 684 yards and two touchdowns this season despite missing two games with a sprained left ankle.

But Allison wouldn't have made this kind of impact without Pinkney. From Jeff Blake to David Garrard, ECU has a history of producing fine quarterbacks -- Pinkney is the latest.

Pinkney, who owns ECU records for completions (679) and 200-yard games (23) and is behind only Garrard in passing yards, said he realizes the effect he and Allison have had on the once-listless program.

When Allison arrived at ECU in January 2005, Pinkney, who had started the year before, wasn't even in school. He had flunked out and was busing tables at a popular Greenville restaurant.

But by that summer, after Allison had wowed coaches and teammates in spring practices, Pinkney was back in school and forming an on-field chemistry with his new target.

With his deceptive speed, great hands and sharp route-running, Pinkney said Allison was like a dream come true.

"Any time he [Allison] has the ball, he can go all the way," said Pinkney, who will play in the All-American Classic College All-Star Game on Jan. 15th in Las Vegas after passing for 8,048 yards and 81 touchdowns in his career.

"Words can't even put into place how much [Allison] has turned the program around," said senior cornerback Kasey Ross. "Not just the whole program, but you see our secondary is getting better. We've got to owe some of that to [Allison]. I feel like we get the best look in practice, so when we get to the game, there's nothing a receiver can do that we haven't seen."

ECU receivers coach Donnie Kirkpatrick agreed.

"I think everybody realized that's what it's supposed to be like," Kirkpatrick said. "You can be a big-time player at East Carolina. You don't have to be at a traditional SEC- or Big Ten-type team."

Holtz has coached at Notre Dame, Florida State and South Carolina and has seen NFL players such as Raghib Ismail, Rick Mirer and Troy Williamson pass through his locker rooms. Holtz said he thinks his duo compares favorably to any player he has had.

And though Allison has a higher profile in NFL circles, Holtz said he thinks Pinkney also has an opportunity to play on Sundays.

"To see the way that he's grown -- it'll be an emotional day for me when we have to say goodbye," Holtz said.

Allison said he's aware of what he and Pinkney have done for ECU's program.

"Sometimes I don't pay attention to how big of an impact I've had on the program, but I can see it by the [No. 2] jerseys in the stands, people knowing who I am and overall winning," Allison said. "Me and James did a good job by connecting, and we helped a lot of the players turn into what they have. It's just been an overall good feeling for us."