2-0 East Carolina Readies for First Big Road Test at South Carolina
The Pirates will make the trek to Columbia, South Carolina this week to take on Will Muschamp's South Carolina Gamecocks in a 4 p.m. kickoff this Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium.
ECU(2-0) will be looking to extend their seasonal win streak to three against a physical South Carolina team that stands 1-1 after two early SEC road games to open the season.
The Gamecocks have lost 10 of their last 14 football games dating back to last season.
Pirate head coach Scottie Montgomery recapped last week's game and he was complementary to the East Carolina fan base who he credited with having a lot to do with the 33-30 victory last Saturday over N.C. State.
"I feel very confident saying that Pirate Nation had a lot to do with us winning that football game," Montgomery said, "There were some critical times in the game where as a coach you can feel the effect of the crowd that are for you or against you in how your team communicates and we did a really, really good job from a fan standpoint. Dowdy-Ficklen was perfect this weekend."
"We beat a really good football team in N.C. State. They were physical in their front. Their skill guys were a lot bigger and stronger than we probably imagined they would be. They were well coached. They played through the echo of the whistle. It was a physical battle the entire time and a big time matchup and we are very happy to come out on the victorious side of things."
Montgomery was complmentary of the efforts of the Pirate defense on Saturday and he hopes to continue that trend this week in Columbia.
"Demetri McGill played a really, really good game. We've challenged him from a physical conditioning standpoint in January and I'm happy to say he was able to play 51 snaps at about a 94% effort grade and that is so hard for a defensive lineman to do, so we're very proud of him," Montgomery said.
"Jordan Williams had another great game. He was detailed in his alignment and his assignments. I thought Cam (White) did a good job back there at the linebacker position. Our outside linebackers played their butt off. Dayon Pratt probably had the best practice and the best game we've seen him put together. We thought all week he was locked in. Coach Kenwick Thompson did a great job with him and it gave us a chance to make plays. Our defensive secondary made some critical plays in that game. We tackled at about a rate of 18 of 21. Unfortunately the few that we didn't were big time situations and scores. We're working to fix that. But all and all I thought our defense played a good football team and played really well. We won the situational battle in that game especially when it mattered."
"I think on special teams Davaris Brunson showed a distinguishing characteristic of toughness. That was one of the most critical kickoffs you will see after we get a score like that and to be able to get it tackled inside of the five (yard line) was truly team football. We're proud of Davaris. He's shown up two weeks in a row as a great special teams player."
The play of the East Carolina offensive line was solid last week and will have to play big this week at 1-1 South Carolina.
"Wow, I thought our offensive line showed up big. I was really proud of them. Going into that game, that was probably one of the best defensive lines that we see anywhere in college just with the skill they had at defensive end and the strength and speed they had at defensive tackle. It was really good to see our guys go out and compete at a really high level."
Quarterback Philip Nelson got his bell rung on one play, but he managed to stay in the game and get the job done.
"What can you say about him. When he picked himself off the ground and came out and was telling his teammates 'let's go', I think he took a critical step in leadership."
Another player who came up big was the versatile James Summers who played some at quarterback, running back and did a little of everything for the Pirates.
"James Summers is about as complete a football player as I've ever been around. Period. The position flexibility he gives us we don't take for granted. We know how hard it is to prepare. Just imagine if you had five jobs and you only have the same eight hours to do and get ready for those five jobs. That's what he does on a weekly basis."
ECU began preparation for South Carolina last night with their first practice of the week.
"We had a good practice Sunday night preparing for a big time SEC environment against a big time SEC school with a big time SEC coach and big time SEC talent. We are looking forward to the challenge of going on the road with our guys," said Montgomery, "We've done everything we can to prepare. One of the reasons we went to Charlotte was practicing every detail of getting on and off the bus and the details of practicing and playing, so we'll be prepared by the time game time gets here."
East Carolina is preparing for another knock out drag out battle against South Carolina's defense this Saturday.
"This will be another physical battle. They are extremely talented at the defensive line position. What they have at defensive end is extremely athletic. It's an SEC talented team," Montgomery told PirateIllustrated.com, "Physically on the interior they're good. They're anchored at linebacker. They've got great players. Lammons at corner presents a challenge for us because he truly can cover and he's physical. I've got so much respect for Coach Robinson and Coach Muschamp. They've been doing it together for a long time. Communication won't be a problem with them. They know how to motivate players."
The Pirate defense will also be challenged against a solid SEC offense in the Gamecocks.
"Offensively they're blessed to have... it seems like every other week we're in a position where we have to prepare for two quarterbacks. It presents a challenge. We're very familiar with Brandon McIlwain from Newtown (Pa.). We recruited him and we thought he was a great player," Montgomery said, "Very good with the ball, great with his feet, has great pocket presence, presents challenges out on the perimeter. We've also been able over the last couple of days to watch (Perry) Orth play. They feel a little more comfortable with him throwing the football. All and all it presents a great challenge. They've got a great freshman out at wide receiver (Bryan Edwards). He's a big body like some of the guys we saw last week. It will be a hard tackle. He's pretty good in short spaces, has an extended catch radius so we have our hands full."
Look for Demage Bailey to start at defensive end ahead of Fred Presley. Terrell Richardson could see more play as a backup linebacker behind Pat Green. Bobby Fulp will be available for play after a high hit last week in the first half against State and freshman Hussein Howe could be a factor on kickoff returns as he replaces Trevon Brown who is ineligible for the rest of the season.
Linebackers Joe Allely and Joe Carter are listed as out for this week along with defensive lineman Randall Anderson, offensive lineman Jared Huneycutt and wide receiver Davon Grayson.
PirateIllustrated.com was there to bring you coverage of Scottie Montgomery's Monday press conference for South Carolina Week. Catch it in its entirety in the link below.
