Home > Nathan's Notes > Archives > 2008 > November > 05 > Entry
Marshall midweek
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz seemed to be feeling the rush of a short week after Wednesday night’s practice.
The season’s most critical game comes this Saturday after the Pirates played last Sunday night at UCF. Looming Saturday is Marshall, the Pirates’ 2007 Conference USA nemesis, and Holtz was trying to keep the momentum up in the midweek practice sessions.
“We’ve got an awful lot we’ve got to get done,” Holtz said Wednesday. “We came out here with an awful lot of fire and energy, but we kind of tapered as the day went on, and we didn’t quite finish with the spirit that I’d like.
“These guys are tired a little bit with the short week. As late as they got back (Monday morning after Sunday night’s 13-10 win at UCF), and with all the pressure that’s being put on them right now with academics, I think getting our sleep is going to be important.”
Holtz said one of the stresses as a coach is getting in as early in the morning as the team did Monday and knowing that many of his players were obligated to be in class later that same morning.
“The short work week doesn’t bother me near as much as getting home at five in the morning and then getting the emails that I got about how many players were in class at 9 o’clock,” Holtz said. “I’m really proud of them for the commitment they’re making to getting their degrees, but they’re tired right now.”
Holtz recalled last season’s long journey to El Paso to play UTEP in a Saturday night game and how the long return affected the team’s schedule for the following week, a home loss to N.C. State.
During a traditional game week cycle, Holtz and his staff spend a large portion of Sunday grading the film from Saturday’s game. That’s always followed by a Sunday night practice which Holtz said allows the staff to put to rest the previous game.
Mistakes are accounted for and any team punishments for in-game mistakes are rendered. It’s also the first night of preparation for the following week’s opponent. This week, that wasn’t an option.
“We came in Tuesday, and we’re putting on the UCF film,” Holtz said of the non-traditional week.
Holtz said all of the UCF business was laid to rest by Tuesday, and the Marshall game-planning began then as well.
Suspension update
Junior wide receiver Jamar Bryant, who was suspended for the rest of the season prior to the Virginia game due to a violation of team rules, has been a regular at Pirate practices the last several weeks, but he has been demoted to the scout team.
At the time of Bryant’s suspension, Holtz said it would last for at least the remainder of the season, and that he would reevaluate the receiver’s status with the team during the offseason.
Sophomore running back Jonathan Williams, meanwhile, made an appearance in court Wednesday to address assault charges. Williams, suspended indefinitely from the team following the Memphis game, was also spotted at practice Wednesday night.
Though Williams was not participating in drills or wearing a practice uniform, he walked off the practice field with the team.
Comments