EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
OGC(original G5 blog content)
This is the third article in a series of stories examining the likely contenders for the G5 representative to the Access Bowl this year. Next school: UCF
This is the third article in a series of stories examining the likely contenders for the G5 representative to the Access Bowl this year. Next school: UCF
OVERVIEW: The Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius writing in his book entitled "Meditations", suggested that if you want to understand someone or something you must first understand and study the nature of that which you seek to understand(got all that). Using Aurelius as a guide, we can safely draw two important conclusions about the Pirate football program. 1. ECU has a fan base that has become one of the gold standards for G5 schools. 2. The Pirates have a proud football tradition that should sustain their program through whatever storms lay ahead in the new landscape of College football .
The Pirate tradition and fan base caught the eye of Mike Aresco who eventually invited East Carolina to join the AAC. Now, after years of competing against schools like Southern Miss , and Marshall , the Pirates will join a league that is a mixture of both former CUSA schools and Big East schools. This move however, is not without risk, as the Pirates will have to show that they can consistently win against some of the better teams in the G5 landscape. ECU alum, and Head Coach Ruffin McNeill, will have to prove that he can beat teams with winning records week in and week out, something that the charismatic and well liked coach has struggled to do since arriving in Greenville in 2010.
COACHING: The Pirates have a long history of selecting good coaches to run their program. So in 2004, when ECU, who in the previous two seasons had procured a forgettable record of 3-18 , decided to fire Head Coach John Thompson, there was both relief and an uneasiness among the Pirate faithful. Newly minted AD Terry Holland, knew that the ECU program was in trouble and fired Thompson after only two years as program head. Holland then hired Skip Holtz, who had been an assistant coach with South Carolina. Holtz came in and immediately went to work turning the program around. 5 yrs later, Skip Holtz departed the Pirate the program with a winning record and leading the Pirates to two Conf USA Championships.
In 2010, AD Terry Holland, hired the former Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator , and ECU alum Ruffin McNeil. McNeill, also became the first African American hired as head coach for ECU. When Holland brought Ruffin McNeill to the program, he believed that he had found both a players coach, and someone who had built a reputation as a motivator of young men. McNeill began his tenure as ECU head coach, however, with a depleted roster both in talent and depth. McNeill, asked the Pirate fan base for patience in the rebuilding process, stating that he would build the program one brick at a time, and not microwave it. Coming off a 10 win season last year, McNeill seems to have the Pirates headed in the right direction.
WHY ECU WILL BE THE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ACCESS BOWL:
ECU is led by Conf USA Most Valuable Player, Shane Carden and 2 time All Conf USA Wr Justin Hardy. Like Rakeem Cato of Marshall, Carden would be a top 5 Heisman Trophy candidate if not for being from a G5 conference. Carden and Hardy, a former walk-on, lead an offense that is potent and stacked at the WR position. Players like freshman stand-out Devon Grayson and sure handed Cam Worthy should make for some very good weapons for OC Lincoln Riley. The Pirates also have some promising rb's in the stable, including Breon Allen, Chris Hairston and Marquez Grayson.
On the defensive side of the ball, 1st yr Def Cord, Rick Smith helped to turn around a unit that had struggled in both run stopping and pass defending the year before. Smith will have some talented big men to work with upfront including NT Terry Williams and NC State transfer Khadree Hooker. Smith will have to replace several Lb's, but is fortunate to have athletic replacement players like the speedy Montesse Overton and Zeke Bigger. The Pirate secondary however, could prove to be problematic as ECU will need to replace the majority of its defensive backfield when the season begin.
ECU's fan base is always a plus for this team, and "Pirate Nation" takes their football as seriously as they do church on Sunday and Eastern North Carolina bbq.
Coach Ruffin McNeill is also an asset for the Pirates, as his family brand of team has attracted many players who love and want to work hard for their head coach.
WHY ECU WILL NOT BE THE REPRESENTATIVE:
The OOC for ECU this year is brutal. With games against a stacked South Carolina team, Va Tech and a revenge seeking UNC , the Pirates will have to play their best football of the McNeil era and have some breaks thrown their way by the college football gods. ECU also starts play for the first time in the AAC. The AAC will represent a step up in conference competition from Conf USA for the Pirates
The Pirates also have big questions marks at Oline this year. The Pirates will need to replace 3 graduating Seniors. ECU does have some talent in reserve, plus two very good Juco Olinemen who should compete for starting positions. Still, all of these questions at Oline, make a run for the ACCESS Bowl all that much harder.
Outside of last seasons victories at UNC and NC State, the Pirates during the McNeill era, have yet to have a signature win for the program. Ruffin McNeil and staff will need to find a way to both out coach and out play South Carolina and Va Tech, before they can be considered a front runner for the ACCESS BOWL.
CONCLUSION: The ECU Pirates have what most G5 schools want, fans that show up in large and enthusiastic numbers to football games. Although ECU attendance numbers suffered some last year, most G5 teams would still give practically anything to have 45,000-50,000 screaming fans show up for home games. The large and loyal fan base however, is no substitute for signature wins and winning consistently against good teams. If the Pirates and Coach Ruffin McNeill want to get to the Access Bowl this year, they will need to have their best season under the McNeil regime.
The good news for the Pirates however, is that unlike some in the G5 who will need to go undefeated in order to make the Access game, ECU can still lose one and get the invite. Ruffin McNeil however, will need to motivate and prepare his team for a brutal OOC. Don't discount the Pirates just yet as they have a history of taking down some of the biggest players in the world of College Football. With a good collection of talented players and with a qb like Shane Carden, ECU could easily becoming the feel good story line of the G5 this season.
COACHING: The Pirates have a long history of selecting good coaches to run their program. So in 2004, when ECU, who in the previous two seasons had procured a forgettable record of 3-18 , decided to fire Head Coach John Thompson, there was both relief and an uneasiness among the Pirate faithful. Newly minted AD Terry Holland, knew that the ECU program was in trouble and fired Thompson after only two years as program head. Holland then hired Skip Holtz, who had been an assistant coach with South Carolina. Holtz came in and immediately went to work turning the program around. 5 yrs later, Skip Holtz departed the Pirate the program with a winning record and leading the Pirates to two Conf USA Championships.
In 2010, AD Terry Holland, hired the former Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator , and ECU alum Ruffin McNeil. McNeill, also became the first African American hired as head coach for ECU. When Holland brought Ruffin McNeill to the program, he believed that he had found both a players coach, and someone who had built a reputation as a motivator of young men. McNeill began his tenure as ECU head coach, however, with a depleted roster both in talent and depth. McNeill, asked the Pirate fan base for patience in the rebuilding process, stating that he would build the program one brick at a time, and not microwave it. Coming off a 10 win season last year, McNeill seems to have the Pirates headed in the right direction.
WHY ECU WILL BE THE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ACCESS BOWL:
ECU is led by Conf USA Most Valuable Player, Shane Carden and 2 time All Conf USA Wr Justin Hardy. Like Rakeem Cato of Marshall, Carden would be a top 5 Heisman Trophy candidate if not for being from a G5 conference. Carden and Hardy, a former walk-on, lead an offense that is potent and stacked at the WR position. Players like freshman stand-out Devon Grayson and sure handed Cam Worthy should make for some very good weapons for OC Lincoln Riley. The Pirates also have some promising rb's in the stable, including Breon Allen, Chris Hairston and Marquez Grayson.
On the defensive side of the ball, 1st yr Def Cord, Rick Smith helped to turn around a unit that had struggled in both run stopping and pass defending the year before. Smith will have some talented big men to work with upfront including NT Terry Williams and NC State transfer Khadree Hooker. Smith will have to replace several Lb's, but is fortunate to have athletic replacement players like the speedy Montesse Overton and Zeke Bigger. The Pirate secondary however, could prove to be problematic as ECU will need to replace the majority of its defensive backfield when the season begin.
ECU's fan base is always a plus for this team, and "Pirate Nation" takes their football as seriously as they do church on Sunday and Eastern North Carolina bbq.
Coach Ruffin McNeill is also an asset for the Pirates, as his family brand of team has attracted many players who love and want to work hard for their head coach.
WHY ECU WILL NOT BE THE REPRESENTATIVE:
The OOC for ECU this year is brutal. With games against a stacked South Carolina team, Va Tech and a revenge seeking UNC , the Pirates will have to play their best football of the McNeil era and have some breaks thrown their way by the college football gods. ECU also starts play for the first time in the AAC. The AAC will represent a step up in conference competition from Conf USA for the Pirates
The Pirates also have big questions marks at Oline this year. The Pirates will need to replace 3 graduating Seniors. ECU does have some talent in reserve, plus two very good Juco Olinemen who should compete for starting positions. Still, all of these questions at Oline, make a run for the ACCESS Bowl all that much harder.
Outside of last seasons victories at UNC and NC State, the Pirates during the McNeill era, have yet to have a signature win for the program. Ruffin McNeil and staff will need to find a way to both out coach and out play South Carolina and Va Tech, before they can be considered a front runner for the ACCESS BOWL.
CONCLUSION: The ECU Pirates have what most G5 schools want, fans that show up in large and enthusiastic numbers to football games. Although ECU attendance numbers suffered some last year, most G5 teams would still give practically anything to have 45,000-50,000 screaming fans show up for home games. The large and loyal fan base however, is no substitute for signature wins and winning consistently against good teams. If the Pirates and Coach Ruffin McNeill want to get to the Access Bowl this year, they will need to have their best season under the McNeil regime.
The good news for the Pirates however, is that unlike some in the G5 who will need to go undefeated in order to make the Access game, ECU can still lose one and get the invite. Ruffin McNeil however, will need to motivate and prepare his team for a brutal OOC. Don't discount the Pirates just yet as they have a history of taking down some of the biggest players in the world of College Football. With a good collection of talented players and with a qb like Shane Carden, ECU could easily becoming the feel good story line of the G5 this season.
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