After not getting to play for the better part of three years, former Havelock and Tennessee running back Derrell Scott's reemergence in Greenville for ECU is imminent.
The 5-11, 194 pounder has been waiting for quite a while and after watching from the sideline all of last season for the Pirates, Scott is chomping at the bit to show what he can do.
"There is definitely going to be a lot of adrenaline. If you don't have adrenaline for something like this then there is no reason that you should play football," said Scott, "So I'm definitely excited to get out there."
The trust that running backs coach and former ECU wide receiver Jason Nichols is showing in the former Havelock star is something that is of value to Scott and he wants to make the most of the opportunity this season.
"It's definitely special when the coach has trust in you and believes in you and your ability that you can make things happen," Scott said.
Scott says he isn't looking to be anything flashy. He just wants to prove to be a dependable element in the Pirates' offense and ball security will be key for ECU when they take the field on Saturday for the season opener against James Madison.
"I just want to go out and do my job really. Nothing spectacular, I'm not going to do anything special. I'm going to go out there and do what we've been working on in the camp and every day all year," Scott told PirateIllustrated.com.
For Scott, it's been a matter of waiting his turn and now he will find himself in a situation where he can be of value among a solid group of running backs who will share the load.
"It's part of the process. That's something we preach here is just looking at everything day by day and not focusing on tomorrow. We're not worried about Saturday, we're worried about Wednesday and then Thursday and when we get to the game we'll get to the game."
James Madison will be no slouch and for ECU to pull out a win in the home opener will require a clean game on offense, free of major mistakes.
"They won the national championship last year so we've got to really come out there and play well," Scott said, "We can't make mistakes and we've really got to do what we're coached to do."
Kickoff is at 6 o'clock Saturday night when ECU hosts James Madison in game one of the 2017 football campaign. Stay tuned to PirateIllustrated.com for continuing coverage of JMU week and check us out after the game for PI Postgame interviews and much more.