EAST CAROLINA PIRATES 2014 SEASON - WEEK 5 VS. HOUSTON - stevecpa5's Dynasty

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EAST CAROLINA PIRATES 2014 SEASON - WEEK 5 VS. HOUSTON

Posted on December 19, 2019 at 09:26 AM.

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WELL, ONCE AGAIN, THE PIRATES HAVE AN UPSIDE DOWN SEASON FOLLOWING EACH WIN WITH A LOSS AND UNABLE TO GET A STREAK GOING.

IT WONT BE AN EASY ROAD TO GET OVER .500 AS THE COUGARS OF HOUSTON ARE COMING TO TOWN, AND THIS TEAM DISMANTLED ECU LAST YEAR.

TEAM NEWS:
NO SUSPENSIONS AGAIN FOR THE 2ND STRAIGHT WEEK, AND IMMANUEL HICKMAN ONLY HAS TWO MORE GAMES TO SERVE ON HIS SUSPENSION, WE EXPECT HIM BACK AFTER THE BYE WEEK!

STEVE FALK IV AND DAMARCUS CANNON HAVE SPENT TIME WITH A TUTOR THIS WEEK CAUSING THEIR AWARENESS TO DROP 7 POINTS EACH.

LAST GAME CHANCE PURVIS SUFFERED A MILD CONCUSSION AND HAS ENTERED CONCUSSION PROTOCOL. LUCKILY FOR THE PIRATES HE HAS BEEN CLEARED TO PLAY BY TEAM PHYSICIANS IN THE GAME THIS WEEK VS. HOUSTON.

ALEX ANGUS WHO SUFFERED FROM A BROKEN THUMB TWO GAMES AGO WILL BE LISTED AS PROBABLE.

RECRUITING NEWS:

HOUSTON GAME VISITS SCHEDULED:
SAM DUNLAP - SCATBACK - 1 STAR
MICHAEL LOTT - T - 2 STAR
CORNELIUS STALLINGS - C - 2 STAR

HOUSTON GAME PLAN:

DANA HOLGORSEN STILL LEADS THE COUGARS AND LAST YEAR HE HAD HIS WAY WITH THE PIRATES AT HOME. WELL THIS YEAR, HE BRINGS HIS AIR RAID OFFENSE ON THE ROAD TO DOWDY FICKLEN STADIUM FOR A PIVOTAL AMERICAN CONFERENCE MATCHUP. THE PIRATES NEED THIS VICTORY TO STAY ALIVE FOR CHANCE AT AN AMERICAN CONFERENCE GAME APPEARANCE.

THERE IS A CHANGE OF GUARD FOR THE COUGARS ON OFFENSE, WITH CLAYTON TUNE TAKING OVER THE REIGNS FOR THE AIR RAID LED BY COACH HOLGORSEN. CLAYTON IS NOT A VERY ACCURATE PASSER AND DOES NOT HAVE MUCH GAME EXPERIENCE SO THE PIRATE PLAN IS TO KEEP HIM UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE AND MAKE HIM THROW INTO TIGHT WINDOWS CONFUSING HIM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. HB KYLE PORTER IS AN IMPACT PLAYER THAT LOOKS TO PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THIS GAME ESPECIALLY SEEING HOW MEMPHIS DESTROYED THE PIRATES ON THE GROUND LAST GAME. THE REAL STAR TO WATCH ON OFFENSE THOUGH IS MARQUEZ STEVENSON WHO DOESNT DO ANYTHING BAD AND WAS A PRESEASON 1ST TEAM ALL AMERICAN.

DEFENSIVELY, THE COUGARS OPERATE A 4-2-5 AND THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF BEASTS AT DE, AS WELL AS AN UP AND COMING SOPHOMORE OLB, EYABI ANOMA. THEY HAVE IMPACT PLAYERS ALL THROUGHOUT THEIR SECONDARY AND THE PIRATES OC IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOME RAZZLE DAZZLE, POSSIBLY A FEW TRICK PLAYS / MISDIRECTION PLAYS TO HAVE SUCCESS AGAINST THIS TOUGH DEFENSE.

GAME VS. HOUSTON

THERE IS NO SWEETER SOUND ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON THEN HEARING PURPLE HAZE PUMP OUT OF THE SPEAKERS AT DOWDY FICKLEN STADIUM WELCOMING THE PIRATES ONTO THE FIELD!

HOLTON AHLERS CAME OFF ONE OF HIS WORST GAMES OF THE YEAR LAST WEEK, AND NEEDED TO PROVE HIMSELF TO HIS TEAM AND THE HOME CROWD. STARTING OFF THE FIRST QUARTER LOOKED PROMISING UNTIL HOLTON THROUGH ANOTHER BAD INT IN HOUSTON TERRITORY. THE DEFENSE HOWEVER STOPPED THE ENSUING DRIVE OF THE COUGARS FORCING A FG ATTEMPT THAT WAS MISSED! TIE BALL GAME AT THE END OF 1, 7-7.

TIME OF POSSESSION WOULD PLAY A HUGE FACTOR IN THIS GAME AS THE PIRATES WERE ABLE TO WEAR DOWN THE COUGARS FINISHING THE GAME GOING 10/14 ON THIRD DOWN TO DOMINATE THIS DEFENSE. HOLTON AFTER THAT 1ST QUARTER PICK PLAYED FLAWLESS FOOTBALL THE REST OF THE GAME EARNING HIM PLAYER OF THE GAME HONORS. BLAKE PROEHL ALSO CAME BACK TO LIFE WITH OVER 100 YARDS RECEIVING AND A TD. TRACE CHRISTIAN WOULD ALSO CONTRIBUTE 120 YARDS ON THE GROUND, BUT WOULD LEAVE THE GAME WITH BACK SPASMS AND IS EXPECTED TO MISS NEXT WEEK'S CONTEST AGAINST THE TAR HEELS IN A BATTLE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

THE DEFENSE SHUT DOWN THE HOUSTON ATTACK AFTER THAT FIRST QUARTER AND LEFT DANA SCRATCHING HIS HEAD ON HOW TO GET THEIR OFFENSE GOING. COACH FALK PREDICTED THAT THE COUGARS WOULD LOOK PAST THIS MATCHUP ONTO CINCINNATI NEXT WEEK, AND HE WAS RIGHT! ECU TOOK DOWN THE COUGARS 34-13 ON THEIR RETURN TRIP TO DOWDY FICKLEN STADIUM AVENGING THEIR LOSS LAST YEAR.

NEXT WEEK WILL BE A HUGE TEST AS THE PIRATES TAKE ON ACC AND IN STATE RIVAL NORTH CAROLINA!