3-1 last week with the Best Bet hitting in my pool
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: East Carolina
Courtesy: NC State
Release: 10/18/2007
NC STATE (1-5, 0-3 ACC) at EAST CAROLINA (4-3, 3-1 CUSA)
DATE: Saturday, October 20, 2007
TIME: Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. (EDT) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC (43,000)
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network. Airtime: 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: CSTV
OPPONENT? It?s not how you start that counts the most. Finishing is more important. Rob Kass knows something about that journey.
Arrested for DUI just before the regular season opener at Virginia Tech, the East Carolina quarterback weathered a suspension and then had to earn back the job he won in preseason. Saturday night at the Sun Bowl, Kass was back in the driver?s seat.
Kass not only plunged into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to give the Pirates a wild 45-42 overtime win over Texas-El Paso, but he tied the game at 39-39 on the final play of regulation. His stunning 34-yard touchdown pass to Juwon Crowell capped a five-play, 71-yard drive in the final 34 seconds.
The last-play touchdown strike, which began on a snap with 3 seconds left, answered what appeared to be a game-winning 31-yard touchdown run from Marcus Thomas that put the Miners up 39-32.
The Pirates kept UTEP out of the end zone to start overtime, but the Miners did get Jose Martinez's fifth field goal of the night to take a 42-39 lead before Kass scored the game-winner.
For a while, it looked like ECU?s Dwayne Harris, not Kass, would be the hero.
The Pirates wide receiver nearly broke open the game single-handedly in the third quarter. First, he dashed 57-yards for a touchdown on a reverse, giving East Carolina a 25-22 lead. Then Harris took a handoff on a double reverse and hit a wide open Jamar Bryant for an 80-yard TD pass, to put the Pirates up 32-22 with 7:53 left in the period.
The Miners refused to panic. Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe kept throwing and about seven minutes and two scores later UTEP knotted the contest at 32-32 when Vittatoe lofted a perfect 17 yard pass to Jeff Moturi in the end zone with 14:55 left in the game.
Vittatoe completed 38-of-55 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception while Thomas led the Miners with 103 yards rushing..
UTEP led 19-16 after a first half where its maligned defense held East Carolina to three field goals, but its offense squandered some potential scoring opportunities.
Leading 7-3 on its second possession and driving, Lorne Sam fumbled the ball and ECU?s Van Eskridge returned it 50 yards for a score. East Carolina came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in turnover margin.
Trailing 13-10 the Miners failed to take advantage of Pirates pass coverage bust after a long scramble by Vittatoe. ECU lost track of Sam and Vittatoe found him for an apparent 71-yard touchdown, but the play was called back for holding.
That left UTEP with a third-and-19, and the Pirates weren't flagged after a defensive back appeared to shove Sam to the ground six yards deep in the end zone on the next play.
The Miners outgained the Pirates 589 to 507 yards and controlled the ball almost 12 minutes more than ECU, but lost two fumbles.
Kass was 18-of-32 passing for 219 yards. He was picked off three times while backup quarterback Pat Pinkney?s only pass of the game was also intercepted. Jamar Bryant led ECU with 7catches for 133 yards while Chris Johnson topped the Pirates in rushing with 126 yards.
After a 1-3 start, the Pirates have won three straight games and have scored 30 or more points in each of those victories. ECU is 49th in the nation in scoring offense (29.0 ppg.) and averages 342 total yards a game, including 136 rushing.
The Pirates are especially good on first and third downs. East Carolina has averaged 5.4 yards per first down play this season while converting a solid 40 percent of their third down opportunities. Against UTEP, the Pirates netted an eye-popping 10.3 yards per ?first? snap.
Also important is the fact that ECU has committed only 9 turnovers this season and leads the nation in fewest fumbles lost (1).
The emergence of Kass has obviously made a difference, too, especially during the winning streak.
In their first six games the Pirates featured a two-quarterback look at times, but lately Kass has shown he can handle the job full-time. The 6-4 redshirt sophomore came off the bench to lead ECU to scores on three second-half drives to help the Pirates best Houston 37-35. He earned his first start the next week against UCF and threw for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Chris Johnson (5-11, 195, Sr.), who has great speed, is the featured back, but he can also play wideout. Johnson is the team?s leading rusher with 530 yards and 7 touchdowns as well as the No.2 receiver (20 catches, 4 touchdowns). He?s third in the nation in all-purpose yards (210 ypg.).
Kass? other top targets are Bryant (25 catches, 2 touchdowns), Phillip Henry (17 catches) and tight end Davon Drew (13 catches, 2 touchdowns).
Protecting Kass is an offensive line that is full of first-year starters and converted defensive linemen. The anchor is left guard Matt Butler, a third-year starter who player center last season. An injury to right tackle Josh Coffman (6-7, 300, Sr.), a second-year starter, has caused several players to shift positions.
The Pirates need to score a lot because their defense has some issues. Of 119 FBS teams, ECU ranks 100th in scoring defense (34.1 ppg.), 107th in total defense (464 ypg.) and 115th in pass defense (306 ypg.) while allowing 158 yards a game rushing (65th).
However, the great equalizer is ECU?s ability to force turnovers. The Pirates have gained 19 turnovers and are eighth in the nation in turnover margin (+10). ECU has forced at least two turnovers in six of seven games this season and has recorded 9 interceptions.
The Pirates? defense has good speed and a front seven that features some emerging talent. In an interesting turn of events, two veteran defensive linemen, senior Mark Robinson (a third-year starter) and Marcus Hands (a second-year starter) have dropped to third-team on the depth chart. Hands has been battling an injury.
The ends, Zack Slate and C.J. Wilson are both second-year starters and are very active. Slate, a redshirt junior, leads the team in tackles for loss (8) while Wilson is the sack leader (4). UNC-CH transfer Khalif Mitchell (6-6, 307) has added talent and starts at right tackle. Mitchell caused the infamous T.A. McLendon fumble that sealed Carolina?s 2004 victory over NC State in Chapel Hill.
Eskridge, the free safety, leads the Pirates in tackles (59) while the other top hitters are all experienced linebackers. Pierre Bell, Fred Wilson and Quentin Cotton are second-year starters. Bell and Cotton have combined for 100 stops and 3 interceptions.
Except for senior cornerback Travis Williams, a second-year starter with 4.3 speed, there?s a lot of inexperience in the secondary. The other starting cornerback, Travis Simmons, is a true freshman. Eskridge, a converted linebacker, is a first-year starter along with strong safety Leon Best (2 interceptions).
Punter Matt Dodge is 39th in the nation with a 42.6 average, but the Pirates net average of 33 yards indicates some coverage issues. The same could be said of ECU?s kickoff coverage. Its 26.4 average is near the bottom of the NCAA stats.
Johnson is the nation?s 10th best kickoff return man with a 31 yard average, while sophomore Ben Hartman has made 7-of-12 field goal attempts, including a career-long 52-yarder at UTEP.
NOTES: Saturday?s game will be the 25th all-time meeting between the Pack and Pirates and State?s second visit to Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium...ECU has won 6 of the last 9 games in the series... State is last in the nation in turnover margin (-17)...Opponents have scored 79 points off 22 Wolfpack turnovers, accounting for 45 percent of the total points allowed by NC State this season...Darrell Blackman leads the ACC in all-purpose yards, averaging 157.3 a game?that ranks 23rd nationally...ECU did not beat itself with penalties last season, but this year the Pirates are averaging nearly 9 a game for 66 yards....The Pirates have been outscored 51-24 in the first quarter this season, but have outscored opponents 94-51 in the third quarter...Jamelle Eugene rushed for a career-high 101 yards at FSU on 10/6 and will get his second career start against ECU...Tailback Andre Brown became the seventh Wolfpack starter this season to suffer an injury that will cause him to miss a game when he fractured his foot at FSU...Six Wolfpack starters have undergone knee surgery this season...ECU has a three-game home winning streak against ACC teams, dating back to 2005...The Pirates have recorded 56 tackles for lost yardage this season?that ranks 15th nationally...State has attempted more passes (229) than any team in the ACC except Boston College (308) this season...The Pack is 11th in the ACC in rushing (99.0) and last in the league against the run (226.5)...ECU is the only team in the nation NOT to have recorded a fourth down conversion this season...Linebacker Ernest Jones continues to have a solid year. He leads the Pack in tackles, averaging 10.7 stops a game... NC State has scored in 145 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in ACC history...The Wolfpack?s last overtime game was a 27-21 win at home over Wake Forest in 2004...State is 6-4 in overtime games... The Pack has broken up 35 passes this season, but has only two interceptions... State has lost 9 straight ACC games and 12 straight games against FBS (formerly Division 1-A) opponents... The Pack?s last FBS win was October 5, 2006 over Florida State.
INJURIES--NC State: QB Harrison Beck (AC separation)-questionable; TB Andre Brown (fractured foot)-out: LS Corey Tedder (broken hand) ?out for season; RB Toney Baker (knee)--out for season; TE Anthony Hill (knee)-out for season; FB John Kane (concussion)-out for season; TE Rashad Phillips (rehab from auto accident)-out for season. East Carolina: OT Josh Coffman (shoulder)-doubtful; DE Marcus Hands (shoulder)-doubtful; RB Norman Whitley (shoulder)-doubtful; LB Quentin Cotton (shoulder)-questionable; LB Pierre Bell (shoulder)-probable; RB Jonathan Williams (ankle)-probable; DT Khalif Mitchell (ankle)-probable
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: East Carolina
Courtesy: NC State
Release: 10/18/2007
NC STATE (1-5, 0-3 ACC) at EAST CAROLINA (4-3, 3-1 CUSA)
DATE: Saturday, October 20, 2007
TIME: Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. (EDT) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC (43,000)
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network. Airtime: 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: CSTV
OPPONENT? It?s not how you start that counts the most. Finishing is more important. Rob Kass knows something about that journey.
Arrested for DUI just before the regular season opener at Virginia Tech, the East Carolina quarterback weathered a suspension and then had to earn back the job he won in preseason. Saturday night at the Sun Bowl, Kass was back in the driver?s seat.
Kass not only plunged into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to give the Pirates a wild 45-42 overtime win over Texas-El Paso, but he tied the game at 39-39 on the final play of regulation. His stunning 34-yard touchdown pass to Juwon Crowell capped a five-play, 71-yard drive in the final 34 seconds.
The last-play touchdown strike, which began on a snap with 3 seconds left, answered what appeared to be a game-winning 31-yard touchdown run from Marcus Thomas that put the Miners up 39-32.
The Pirates kept UTEP out of the end zone to start overtime, but the Miners did get Jose Martinez's fifth field goal of the night to take a 42-39 lead before Kass scored the game-winner.
For a while, it looked like ECU?s Dwayne Harris, not Kass, would be the hero.
The Pirates wide receiver nearly broke open the game single-handedly in the third quarter. First, he dashed 57-yards for a touchdown on a reverse, giving East Carolina a 25-22 lead. Then Harris took a handoff on a double reverse and hit a wide open Jamar Bryant for an 80-yard TD pass, to put the Pirates up 32-22 with 7:53 left in the period.
The Miners refused to panic. Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe kept throwing and about seven minutes and two scores later UTEP knotted the contest at 32-32 when Vittatoe lofted a perfect 17 yard pass to Jeff Moturi in the end zone with 14:55 left in the game.
Vittatoe completed 38-of-55 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception while Thomas led the Miners with 103 yards rushing..
UTEP led 19-16 after a first half where its maligned defense held East Carolina to three field goals, but its offense squandered some potential scoring opportunities.
Leading 7-3 on its second possession and driving, Lorne Sam fumbled the ball and ECU?s Van Eskridge returned it 50 yards for a score. East Carolina came into the game ranked fifth in the nation in turnover margin.
Trailing 13-10 the Miners failed to take advantage of Pirates pass coverage bust after a long scramble by Vittatoe. ECU lost track of Sam and Vittatoe found him for an apparent 71-yard touchdown, but the play was called back for holding.
That left UTEP with a third-and-19, and the Pirates weren't flagged after a defensive back appeared to shove Sam to the ground six yards deep in the end zone on the next play.
The Miners outgained the Pirates 589 to 507 yards and controlled the ball almost 12 minutes more than ECU, but lost two fumbles.
Kass was 18-of-32 passing for 219 yards. He was picked off three times while backup quarterback Pat Pinkney?s only pass of the game was also intercepted. Jamar Bryant led ECU with 7catches for 133 yards while Chris Johnson topped the Pirates in rushing with 126 yards.
After a 1-3 start, the Pirates have won three straight games and have scored 30 or more points in each of those victories. ECU is 49th in the nation in scoring offense (29.0 ppg.) and averages 342 total yards a game, including 136 rushing.
The Pirates are especially good on first and third downs. East Carolina has averaged 5.4 yards per first down play this season while converting a solid 40 percent of their third down opportunities. Against UTEP, the Pirates netted an eye-popping 10.3 yards per ?first? snap.
Also important is the fact that ECU has committed only 9 turnovers this season and leads the nation in fewest fumbles lost (1).
The emergence of Kass has obviously made a difference, too, especially during the winning streak.
In their first six games the Pirates featured a two-quarterback look at times, but lately Kass has shown he can handle the job full-time. The 6-4 redshirt sophomore came off the bench to lead ECU to scores on three second-half drives to help the Pirates best Houston 37-35. He earned his first start the next week against UCF and threw for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Chris Johnson (5-11, 195, Sr.), who has great speed, is the featured back, but he can also play wideout. Johnson is the team?s leading rusher with 530 yards and 7 touchdowns as well as the No.2 receiver (20 catches, 4 touchdowns). He?s third in the nation in all-purpose yards (210 ypg.).
Kass? other top targets are Bryant (25 catches, 2 touchdowns), Phillip Henry (17 catches) and tight end Davon Drew (13 catches, 2 touchdowns).
Protecting Kass is an offensive line that is full of first-year starters and converted defensive linemen. The anchor is left guard Matt Butler, a third-year starter who player center last season. An injury to right tackle Josh Coffman (6-7, 300, Sr.), a second-year starter, has caused several players to shift positions.
The Pirates need to score a lot because their defense has some issues. Of 119 FBS teams, ECU ranks 100th in scoring defense (34.1 ppg.), 107th in total defense (464 ypg.) and 115th in pass defense (306 ypg.) while allowing 158 yards a game rushing (65th).
However, the great equalizer is ECU?s ability to force turnovers. The Pirates have gained 19 turnovers and are eighth in the nation in turnover margin (+10). ECU has forced at least two turnovers in six of seven games this season and has recorded 9 interceptions.
The Pirates? defense has good speed and a front seven that features some emerging talent. In an interesting turn of events, two veteran defensive linemen, senior Mark Robinson (a third-year starter) and Marcus Hands (a second-year starter) have dropped to third-team on the depth chart. Hands has been battling an injury.
The ends, Zack Slate and C.J. Wilson are both second-year starters and are very active. Slate, a redshirt junior, leads the team in tackles for loss (8) while Wilson is the sack leader (4). UNC-CH transfer Khalif Mitchell (6-6, 307) has added talent and starts at right tackle. Mitchell caused the infamous T.A. McLendon fumble that sealed Carolina?s 2004 victory over NC State in Chapel Hill.
Eskridge, the free safety, leads the Pirates in tackles (59) while the other top hitters are all experienced linebackers. Pierre Bell, Fred Wilson and Quentin Cotton are second-year starters. Bell and Cotton have combined for 100 stops and 3 interceptions.
Except for senior cornerback Travis Williams, a second-year starter with 4.3 speed, there?s a lot of inexperience in the secondary. The other starting cornerback, Travis Simmons, is a true freshman. Eskridge, a converted linebacker, is a first-year starter along with strong safety Leon Best (2 interceptions).
Punter Matt Dodge is 39th in the nation with a 42.6 average, but the Pirates net average of 33 yards indicates some coverage issues. The same could be said of ECU?s kickoff coverage. Its 26.4 average is near the bottom of the NCAA stats.
Johnson is the nation?s 10th best kickoff return man with a 31 yard average, while sophomore Ben Hartman has made 7-of-12 field goal attempts, including a career-long 52-yarder at UTEP.
NOTES: Saturday?s game will be the 25th all-time meeting between the Pack and Pirates and State?s second visit to Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium...ECU has won 6 of the last 9 games in the series... State is last in the nation in turnover margin (-17)...Opponents have scored 79 points off 22 Wolfpack turnovers, accounting for 45 percent of the total points allowed by NC State this season...Darrell Blackman leads the ACC in all-purpose yards, averaging 157.3 a game?that ranks 23rd nationally...ECU did not beat itself with penalties last season, but this year the Pirates are averaging nearly 9 a game for 66 yards....The Pirates have been outscored 51-24 in the first quarter this season, but have outscored opponents 94-51 in the third quarter...Jamelle Eugene rushed for a career-high 101 yards at FSU on 10/6 and will get his second career start against ECU...Tailback Andre Brown became the seventh Wolfpack starter this season to suffer an injury that will cause him to miss a game when he fractured his foot at FSU...Six Wolfpack starters have undergone knee surgery this season...ECU has a three-game home winning streak against ACC teams, dating back to 2005...The Pirates have recorded 56 tackles for lost yardage this season?that ranks 15th nationally...State has attempted more passes (229) than any team in the ACC except Boston College (308) this season...The Pack is 11th in the ACC in rushing (99.0) and last in the league against the run (226.5)...ECU is the only team in the nation NOT to have recorded a fourth down conversion this season...Linebacker Ernest Jones continues to have a solid year. He leads the Pack in tackles, averaging 10.7 stops a game... NC State has scored in 145 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in ACC history...The Wolfpack?s last overtime game was a 27-21 win at home over Wake Forest in 2004...State is 6-4 in overtime games... The Pack has broken up 35 passes this season, but has only two interceptions... State has lost 9 straight ACC games and 12 straight games against FBS (formerly Division 1-A) opponents... The Pack?s last FBS win was October 5, 2006 over Florida State.
INJURIES--NC State: QB Harrison Beck (AC separation)-questionable; TB Andre Brown (fractured foot)-out: LS Corey Tedder (broken hand) ?out for season; RB Toney Baker (knee)--out for season; TE Anthony Hill (knee)-out for season; FB John Kane (concussion)-out for season; TE Rashad Phillips (rehab from auto accident)-out for season. East Carolina: OT Josh Coffman (shoulder)-doubtful; DE Marcus Hands (shoulder)-doubtful; RB Norman Whitley (shoulder)-doubtful; LB Quentin Cotton (shoulder)-questionable; LB Pierre Bell (shoulder)-probable; RB Jonathan Williams (ankle)-probable; DT Khalif Mitchell (ankle)-probable
