...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING
TO 10 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...
* WHAT...Northeast winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt and
rough waters expected.
* WHERE...Pamlico, Pungo, Neuse, and Bay Rivers.
* WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to 10 AM EDT Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
&&
East Carolina freshman Sean Tucker (2) lines up for a tackle attempt on South Florida receiver DeVontres Odom-Dukes on Saturday night in Tampa, Fla.
East Carolina football coach Mike Houston sensed in the hours leading up to Saturday night his team was going to play well at South Florida.
Proof of those thoughts came to fruition quickly in ECU making a field goal on its opening drive, followed by a touchdown on each of its next three possessions for a 24-7 lead in the early minutes of the second quarter. Complementary football helped with the Pirate defense recovering a fumble early in the same quarter and forcing a turnover on downs later in the second on a fourth-and-5 incomplete pass by the Bulls to keep them trailing 24-7.
The Pirates led 17-7 at the end of the first quarter and went up 24-7 on Rahjai Harris’ 42-yard touchdown run as part of his breakout night in a 44-24 victory for ECU’s first win of the season.
“Coming out and doing it is really key, because our preparations have not been bad this year, but we’ve really struggled to show consistency on game day,” said Houston, emphasising the offensive line jelling with a running back group that has seen an emergence from freshmen Harris and Keaton Mitchell. “That success early in the ball game gave a lot of guys, who are very young in their playing career, some confidence. That confidence allowed them to continue to have confidence in their play moving forward in the ball game.
“I do think those first couple of drives and getting scores was important. Getting the fourth-and-2 from the 2 to score (a touchdown pass to Darius Pinnix) on the second drive was important to giving confidence to the players on the field.”
The Pirates (1-2, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) have scored first in all three of their games, including a touchdown drive on the opening possession of the season against UCF on Sept. 26. A fast start undoubtedly would be valuable again this week against always-tricky Navy (2-2, 2-0 AAC), which beat the Pirates 42-10 last year thanks to a 28-3 halftime lead.
“(The offensive line) really cut down on the missed assignments and played much more cohesive together, which resulted in being able to run the football effectively (versus USF), and obviously being productive offensively is going to be an important factor in this week’s game,” Houston said. “We struggled last year up there in Annapolis. Hopefully, we can get off to a much better start and be much more effective this year. They are a team that really comes out and really goes at their opponent.”
ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers was sacked only once, for a loss of 2 yards, against the Bulls. The Pirates’ young and developing offensive line also was instrumental in creating running lanes for Mitchell and Harris, who finished with 115 yards and two touchdowns to vault into the team lead with 158 yards for the season. Mitchell is second with 108.
Tuesday’s updated depth chart listed the same set of O-line starters — center Fernando Frye joined by tackles Nishad Strother (left) and Bailey Malovic and guards Avery Jones (left) and Sean Bailey — who started against USF.
“We were ourselves and we played good,” Ahlers said minutes after defeating struggling South Florida, which totaled 398 yards to ECU’s 432. “I have to give praise to the O-line. They killed it tonight. I kept telling them that if they kept doing what they were doing all game, then there was no way we were going to lose. We have too many good skill players, and they let us show that.”
Strother is a 6-foot-3, 309-pound redshirt freshman who has started all three games. Rookie tight end Shane Calhoun is a starter, and Ahlers’ main backup is freshman Mason Garcia.
On defense, true freshman defensive tackle Elijah Morris is projected to start for the second straight week. Other key rookie defenders include Teylor Jackson (linebacker), Kareem Stinson (end), Xavier McIver (tackle) and Sean Tucker (cornerback) looking to continue improvement as valuable reserves.
In all, ECU’s total of 15 first-time starters is fourth nationally behind Texas State (23), Navy (20) and Arkansas State (18).
Navy’s 21-10 lead late in the first half Saturday played a role in it holding on for a 31-29 victory over Temple.
Contact Ronnie Woodward at rwoodward@reflector.com, 252-329-9592 and follow @RonnieW11 on Twitter.
