The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

June 27, 2009

Pirates paced by defense

By Dave Morrison

In the pass-happy, point-per minute Conference USA, you better be pretty good to keep pace with an opponent.

Last year, four teams put up 70 or more points in a game.

Only the Big 12 averaged more total offense per game than C-USA and look at the QBs in that conference.

Tulsa averaged a whopping 60.5 points per home game last season.

Pretty impressive stuff.

But Tulsa was also shut down 27-24 in the C-USA championship game.

So the old adage that defense wins championships holds true.

And East Carolina, which travels to Morgantown Sept. 12, has a good enough offense to keep up, led by Patrick Pinkney (2,675 yards, 13 TDs.

Coach Skip Holtz has the horses in his spread offense stable, led by Alex Taylor (TD reception vs. WVU) and Joe Womack, along with returning starters Jamar Bryant (suspended last year) and Dwayne Harris (out with a broken foot).

Kentucky transfer Brandon Jackson is expected to take over at running back.

As good as ECU’s offense was last season, and it was plenty good, the defense was a notch above that.

No need to convince West Virginia of that fact.

The Mountaineers rolled into ECU last year No. 8 in the country, with Pat White firmly entrenched in the talk for the Heisman Trophy.

When ECU’s defense was done, WVU had put up a meager three points and White would end up being an afterthought in the Heisman race. ECU scorched the Mountaineers 24-3 and it was never close, as the Pirates led 17-3 at the half.

That ECU’s defense could hold the Mountaineers to a mere three points was frightening enough for Mountaineer fans. Bad news: A majority of that ECU defense returns, And that includes Van Eskridge, who had 10 of his 97 tackles against WVU. Eskridge is considered one of the hardest hitters in C-USA.

Travis Simmons and Dekota Marshall return at the corners to solidify the defensive backfield.

The linebackers also return a solid corps, led by leading tackler C.J. Wilson (102), with the defensive line anchored by end C.J. Wilson, who had 10.5 sacks last season.

The Pirates have improved a win a year under Holtz, now in his fifth season. That should bode well, after going 9-5 last year and winning the C-USA title. ECU lost to Kentucky 25-19 in the Liberty Bowl.

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