Freeney shines on big stage

Darryl Freeney looked to YouTube for a little extra incentive before last Tuesday's game at Memphis.

The result was five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, a career day for the sophomore East Carolina receiver in a 38-18 win over the Tigers.

The source of his inspiration was fellow pass-catcher Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.

While Freeney knows the pros can do a few things he hasn't figured out yet, he also seems confident enough to glean some new ideas from his football idols and apply them to his own game. At Memphis, Freeney was dominant at times, especially when he reeled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Pinkney to help seal the ECU win.

“I just tried to transform my game from the pros to the college game,” Freeney said of his pre-game session of watching highlight reels online. “You have to know your abilities. Of course, they are professionals and they're going to do some things better than you, but out here in practice you can take some of the things they're doing and work on them every day, day after day, and try to master your craft.”

While he hasn't reached a level of mastery yet, Freeney's explosive outing proved the Pirates have even more depth at receiver than what's been shown so far this season.

Freeney also credited a great game plan and some great coverage reads from offensive coordinator Todd Fitch for his big outing, but regardless, it is Freeney who delivered and who seems to have earned himself a greater role in the ECU pass game.

“I've been trying to prove in practice that I am the player they want me to be,” said Freeney, who last season showed similar flashes of greatness, making 22 catches for 352 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “I can be that player, the one who goes out there and makes plays. I'm just trying to build on it for next week.”

The Memphis game was a learning experience for Freeney from both a positive and a negative standpoint.

After Freeney caught the ball in the end zone, he endured a vicious hit from Memphis defensive back Marcus Ball and still hung onto the ball. But he let his emotions run too high afterward, flipping the ball at Ball, who was prone in the end zone, earning Freeney a 15-yard personal foul and a serious talking-to on the sideline from head coach Skip Holtz.

“I made a boneheaded play at the end, throwing the ball at the defender,” Freeney admitted, saying it won't happen again. “(Holtz) just said to be smart. He pointed out that it did hurt our kickoff team and they did have a great return after that penalty. It not only hurts me, but it hurts a lot of other people.”

Holtz agreed, saying Freeney learned a good deal from his big night in Memphis.

“He made a huge impact, both ways,” Holtz said of Freeney. “He didn't make a small splash, he made big splash with his athleticism and speed. He's really developing as a player.

“These players want to be in a first class program. They want to be treated first class and with that comes some expectations of our behavior and how we're going to act on the field … let's take that energy and celebrate with our teammates instead of trying to degrade a player that we're playing against.”

Contact Nathan Summers at nsummers@reflector.com or (252)329-9595.