Friday, August 03, 2007
Fortunes began shifting from promising to downright good for East Carolina last season when the team marked its return to the college football bowl season and finished on the positive at 7-6.
While last year's team seemed to find a balance between its quickly-developing defense and its seasoned offense, the latter part of that equation is missing this time around. But third-year coach Skip Holtz ? an offense-first guy for much of his coaching tenure ? has really warmed up to the idea that his defense could be the new character of his club.
Really warmed up.
"I want to win 3-0. I want to win one game in my career 3-0," said Holtz at Tuesday's Conference USA Kickoff in New Orleans.
While they haven't quite flirted with realizing that Holtz dream yet, the Pirates drastically trimmed down their opponents' offensive output last season compared with Holtz's first year with the team in 2005.
Most significantly, ECU chopped better than 72 rush yards off its opponents' average from the 2005 season, meaning teams were forced to throw the ball more often into the Pirates' senior-laden secondary.
Mirroring the trend on offense, the Pirate defense lacks veterans at the skill positions in the secondary. That means the front seven is now the driving force, Holtz hopes.
The rise of linebackers Fred Wilson, Pierre Bell and Quentin Cotton helped push the development of the defensive line. Now, experienced linemen like Mark Robinson and Marcus Hands are joined by players like Scotty Robinson, Zach Slate, C.J. Wilson and Khalif Mitchell, giving Holtz and third-year defensive coordinator Greg Hudson ammunition for the coming season.
Holtz hopes that front seven will ease the pressure on the offense when sophomore quarterback Rob Kass takes the reins for the first time.
Suddenly, the onus is on the ECU defense to give its offense a chance to develop and win games.
"I think there is a big difference between asking a quarterback to win a game and trying to make sure he doesn't lose it," said Holtz. "That may sound like a play on words, but that is a huge difference. With our schedule, we can't ask Rob to sit in the pocket and throw it all over the field. We've got to find ways to put the saddle on different aspects of our team."
Holtz said his defensive front seven will be wearing the saddle a lot this year, especially on days when Kass and the offense struggle to find their way together.
Last year, Holtz rode the experience of quarterback James Pinkney and receivers like Aundrae Allison and Bobby Good. On that side of the ball now, Holtz hopes his offensive line will begin to follow the same pattern his defensive front did last season, making the Pirates' running game a focal point again for the first time since he arrived.
"If you're going to win week-in, week-out in a tough league, you can't outscore everybody," Holtz said. "If you try to outscore everybody, you're going to stub your toe eventually unless you've got a defense that can keep you in the game."
Fortunes began shifting from promising to downright good for East Carolina last season when the team marked its return to the college football bowl season and finished on the positive at 7-6.
While last year's team seemed to find a balance between its quickly-developing defense and its seasoned offense, the latter part of that equation is missing this time around. But third-year coach Skip Holtz ? an offense-first guy for much of his coaching tenure ? has really warmed up to the idea that his defense could be the new character of his club.
Really warmed up.
"I want to win 3-0. I want to win one game in my career 3-0," said Holtz at Tuesday's Conference USA Kickoff in New Orleans.
While they haven't quite flirted with realizing that Holtz dream yet, the Pirates drastically trimmed down their opponents' offensive output last season compared with Holtz's first year with the team in 2005.
Most significantly, ECU chopped better than 72 rush yards off its opponents' average from the 2005 season, meaning teams were forced to throw the ball more often into the Pirates' senior-laden secondary.
Mirroring the trend on offense, the Pirate defense lacks veterans at the skill positions in the secondary. That means the front seven is now the driving force, Holtz hopes.
The rise of linebackers Fred Wilson, Pierre Bell and Quentin Cotton helped push the development of the defensive line. Now, experienced linemen like Mark Robinson and Marcus Hands are joined by players like Scotty Robinson, Zach Slate, C.J. Wilson and Khalif Mitchell, giving Holtz and third-year defensive coordinator Greg Hudson ammunition for the coming season.
Holtz hopes that front seven will ease the pressure on the offense when sophomore quarterback Rob Kass takes the reins for the first time.
Suddenly, the onus is on the ECU defense to give its offense a chance to develop and win games.
"I think there is a big difference between asking a quarterback to win a game and trying to make sure he doesn't lose it," said Holtz. "That may sound like a play on words, but that is a huge difference. With our schedule, we can't ask Rob to sit in the pocket and throw it all over the field. We've got to find ways to put the saddle on different aspects of our team."
Holtz said his defensive front seven will be wearing the saddle a lot this year, especially on days when Kass and the offense struggle to find their way together.
Last year, Holtz rode the experience of quarterback James Pinkney and receivers like Aundrae Allison and Bobby Good. On that side of the ball now, Holtz hopes his offensive line will begin to follow the same pattern his defensive front did last season, making the Pirates' running game a focal point again for the first time since he arrived.
"If you're going to win week-in, week-out in a tough league, you can't outscore everybody," Holtz said. "If you try to outscore everybody, you're going to stub your toe eventually unless you've got a defense that can keep you in the game."
