ECU football looks to better second half
It’s been a bumpy first half of the year for East Carolina but the good news is the toughest portion of its schedule is behind them, while their best football is in front of them.
The Pirates arrive at the midway point in the season with a 3-3 (1-1 AAC) record, and despite the fact that they don’t have a definitive quarterback, came a scoring drive away from pulling off victories against No. 8 Florida and a BYU team that was ranked as high as No. 19 a few weeks ago.
Yes, ECU was once again shell-shocked by Navy, a team that always seems to have its number, but the Pirates did manage to pull themselves out of a 14-0 hole to beat Virginia Tech and overcame a 16-point deficit to down SMU.
It may not always be pretty, but if there is one defining characteristic of this year’s ECU team, it’s heart.
“I think we’ve handled adversity well. I think we’re able to play the next play, the next series, the next half (and) next game. We’ve learned that. We’ve made competitive plays and I think routine plays have improved,” East Carolina sixth-year coach Ruffin McNeill said. “I think when they’ve fallen behind, we’ve found ways to get into the game. … All four sides of the ball are learning to play together. We’ve got to get ready for conference (games).”
Quarterback Blake Kemp, who was thrust into the starting job when Kurt Benkert sustained a season-ending knee injury on the eve of the season opener, has shown that he is capable of winning games.
Despite splitting time with fellow junior James Summers, Kemp ranks 35th in the nation with 246.3 passing yards per game, while his 24.23 completions per contest is the 12th best in the nation.
East Carolina’s ground attack has been resurrected thanks to the slashing and dashing running style of Summers, who with the return of wide receiver Trevon Brown, has injected the offense with a much-needed jolt of energy and excitement.
That unit is expected to get another boost soon as sophomore running back Marquez Grayson could make his return from a foot injury for this Saturday’s homecoming game against Tulsa (3-2, 0-1 AAC).
Summers, who did not arrive on campus until a week before the opener, and Brown, who was suspended for the first three games of the year due to a violation of the student conduct policy, each made their 2015 debut in the fourth game of the year and have had profound impact on the offense. Since the duo laced up their Nikes the Pirates have gone from averaging 24.3 points per game to 40.5.
The biggest issue on offense has been turnovers. The Pirates are making too many of them and not causing enough of them. In six games ECU has given the ball away 12 times (103rd nationally) and has taken it away only seven times (83rd) to rank 104th in the country in turnover margin.
It’s something that both offensive coordinator Dave Nichol and defensive coordinator Rick Smith cited as their most pressing issue going forward.
“We have to limit turnovers. That’s the biggest thing going forward,” Nichol said.
Smith said he felt like the Pirates would be over .500 if his unit was able to get its hands on the ball more.
“The biggest thing I’m disappointed in is that we’re 3-3. We don’t have enough turnovers. We only have three interceptions and four fumbles,” Smith said. “We have got to do better getting turnovers.”
The Pirates will begin the second half of their season Saturday when they host Tulsa at noon. If they can withstand the Hurricane, they will be 2-1 in the conference heading into their Thursday night showdown at home against AAC East Division leaders Temple (5-0, 2-0), where a share of first place will be up for grabs.
This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "ECU football looks to better second half."