Replacing Johnson ECU's big task early

It didn't take long for Skip Holtz to pump life back into the East Carolina football program.

Installing an offense of substance and style, the fourth-year Pirates coach has guided ECU to two straight bowl games and also whipped area rivals N.C. State and North Carolina in the rebuilding process.

With 17 position starters and the top punter and place-kicker returning from an 8-5 team, expectations are high again in Greenville. The Pirates are picked to end up second in Conference USA's East division, where they have finished two straight seasons, but their aim is higher.

There is a chance to make waves nationally if they can knock off a few nonconference heavyweights rather than get knocked out. There are some questions, of course, that Holtz will be addressing as preseason practice begins tonight.

WHO WILL REPLACE DEPARTED SPEEDSTER CHRIS JOHNSON?

It likely will take more than one Pirate to fill that void. Nobody runs as fast as Johnson, the 24th overall pick in the NFL draft and last year's Division I all-purpose yardage leader, but there is a stable of talented backs.

Senior Dominique Lindsay, who averaged 3.1 yards on 66 carries last season, is No. 1 on the depth chart ahead of J.R. Rogers, a former junior college All-American. Sophomore Jonathan Williams flashed considerable promise in 2007 en route to C-USA All-Freshman team honors and warrants close watch. Sophomore Norman Whitley, who has undergone two shoulder surgeries, and senior Brandon Simmons also are in the mix.

Williams and versatile Dwayne Harris, a receiver who can play slot back, are able return men.

But it will take a lot of nifty running to amass the yardage compiled by Johnson, who netted 2,960 yards -- 1,423 rushing, 1,009 on kickoff returns and 528 receiving.

CAN THE DEFENSE IMPROVE?

The Pirates gave up 30.4 points per game last season and saw opponents rack up frequent flying mileage with 289 passing yards a game. The Pirates also surrendered 26 touchdowns by air.

There's hope for a brighter day. Nine of the 11 starters are juniors or seniors, and the front seven, led by end Zack Slate (11.5 tackles for loss) and linebacker Quentin Cotton, is billed as one of the league's best. They'll try to hurry and harry quarterbacks and get solid performances from backs Jerek Hewitt, Van Eskridge, Darryl Reynolds and Leon Best.

If the "D" steps up and the offense can keep it up (31.0 points per game last season), the Pirates could wind up making a run at the league title.

HOW WILL THE THE PIRATES TACKLE THEIR NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE?

Nobody can call the Pirates fraidy cats. Their approach for years has been to "play anybody, anywhere, anytime."

What they do against non-league opponents Virginia Tech, West Virginia, N.C. State and Virginia can spell the difference between a good season or an excellent season, provided they take care of business in C-USA. While excited about the big out-of-league opportunities, the Pirates can't take a Saturday off and allow underdog C-USA teams to pop up and bite 'em, as a couple of opponents have done the past two seasons.

Conditioning now is geared toward staying fresh all season.