EAST CAROLINA PIRATES - 2014 SEASON - WEEK 3 GAME - @ TULSA - stevecpa5's Blog

stevecpa5's Blog

EAST CAROLINA PIRATES - 2014 SEASON - WEEK 3 GAME - @ TULSA

Posted on December 15, 2019 at 09:51 AM.

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ITS THE BEGINNING OF WEEK 3 AND COMING OFF A TOUGH HOME LOSS VS SMU, THE PIRATES ARE DEALT WITH ANOTHER BLOW, AS WARREN SABA WAS SLEEPING DURING CLASS AND HAS BEEN BENCHED FOR THE UPCOMING GAME @ TULANE.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS NO TIME FOR THE PIRATES TO REST AS THEY HAVE ANOTHER IMPORTANT CONFERENCE GAME.

TULANE GAME PLAN:

WILLIE FRITZ LEADS THE GREEN WAVE IN HIS 5TH YEAR AT THE PROGRAM. TULANE RUNS A SPREAD OPTION OFFENSIVE ATTACK, AND A 4-2-5 DEFENSE. LUCKILY THE PIRATES HAVE SEEN OTHER SIMILAR 4-2-5 DEFENSIVE SCHEMES AND HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS AGAINST THEM.

LED BY SENIOR QB KEON HOWARD, A SERVICEABLE QB, WHO HAS AN AVERAGE ARM AND IS FAIRLY ACCURATE, TULANE IS ALSO GOING TO LOOK TO USE HIS LEGS TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE, ESPECIALLY WITH WARREN SABA UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS GAME. THERE ARE NO GAMEBREAKERS AT THE SKILL POSITIONS, SO THE PIRATES WILL LOOK TO SPY KEON HOWARD FOR MOST OF THE GAME IN ORDER TO NOT ALLOW HIM TO SINGLE HANDEDLY DEFEAT US. THEIR TIGHT END IS PROBABLY THEIR BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER AND HAS GREAT SIZE TO CREATE MATCHUP PROBLEMS. OUR SAFETIES NEED TO PLAY A GREAT GAME TO HELP NEUTRALIZE HIS IMPACT ON THE GAME.

THE TULANE FRONT SEVEN IS STACKED! THEIR DEFENSIVE LINE ALONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WRECK HAVOC ON AN ALREADY DEPLETED OFFENSIVE FRONT OF THE PIRATES. QUICK PASSES WILL BE A MUST AND SCREEN PLAYS TO USE THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF THEIR FRONT TO OUR ADVANTAGE. OUR BEST CHANCE FOR SUCCESS IN THE AIR ATTACK WILL BE THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD WHERE THE WAVE ARE THE WEAKEST.

THIS SHOULD BE A GAME FOR THE AGES!

WEEK 3 @ TULANE:

WELL, THE GAME COULDN'T HAVE STARTED WORSE FOR THE EAST CAROLINA PIRATES STILL REELING FROM THEIR HOME LOSS TO SMU. THREE DRIVES BY THE OFFENSE AND THREE TURNOVERS (1 FUMBLE ON SPECIAL TEAMS). BEFORE WE KNEW IT, WE LOOKED UP TO THE SCOREBOARD AND WERE DOWN 17 POINTS. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR A VALIANT DEFENSIVE EFFORT. IT WOULDN'T STOP THE MINDSET OF THE PIRATES HOWEVER, THE SIGNS OF A WELL COACHED TEAM.

THE PIRATES BEGAN TO LEAN ON THEIR GROUND GAME, AND WOULD FINISH WITH OVER 200 YARDS ON THE GROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE COACH FALK ERA. THE PIRATES WERE ABLE TO CUT THE LEAD TO 7 AT HALFTIME BEHIND A TRACE CHRISTIAN 1 YARD SCORE AND A JAKE VERITY FG ON 4TH AND GOAL AFTER A LAMARR SWAIN INT AT THE END OF THE HALF GOT THEM THE BALL BACK.

IN THE SECOND HALF, THE DEFENSE BEGAN HOLDING TULANE TO A 3 AND OUT AND WOULD TIE THE GAME UP ON THE ENSUING DRIVE. ONCE AGAIN, THE DEFENSE WOULD SHUT DOWN THE WAVE OFFENSE, HOWEVER HOLTON WOULD THROW ANOTHER INT (HIS 4TH OF THE DAY) TO SET UP THE TULANE OFFENSE WITH A SHORT FIELD AND THE GO AHEAD TOUCHDOWN TO MAKE IT 24-17.

JSI HATFIELD HAS BEEN A BIG PLAY GUY EVER SINCE HE STEPPED ON CAMPUS, SINGLEHANDEDLY WINNING THE SENIOR NIGHT GAME LAST YEAR WITH A KICK RETURN TD, AND HE WOULD NOT DISAPPOINT IN THE 4TH QUARTER OF THIS ONE CATCHING A 60 YARD TD PASS FROM HOLTON TO TIE THE GAME AT 24 ALL. THE DEFENSE DID THEIR PART IN STOPPING TULANE AND GETTING HOLTON AND THE PIRATE OFFENSE THE BALL BACK WITH ABOUT 3 MINUTES LEFT TO GO IN THE GAME AND THE BALL AT THE 50. A COUPLE OF SHORT STRIKES HERE AND THERE, BUT THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR ON THE FINAL DRIVE WAS TRACE CHRISTIAN WHO GASHED THE TULANE DEFENSE AND ENDED UP SCORING THE WINNING TD WITH 8 SECONDS LEFT, HIS THIRD OF THE GAME, TO GIVE THE PIRATES THEIR FIRST CONFERENCE WIN OF THE YEAR!