East Carolina Pirates 2018 Football Preview

East Carolina Pirates 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: One has to wonder what happened to East Carolina football. When Ruffin McNeil was in charge, the Pirates were, at the very least, competitive every season. Since he was fired under a shroud of God knows what, and replaced by Scottie Montgomery, who is clearly in way over his head, the program has hit rock bottom. Once again, the program is in a position of having to find leaders, and having to find wins under rocks, to get close to even being competitive, as the rest of the AAC (outside of U Conn and Cincy) pulls away.

Breakdown Offense: The offense scored 24.9 points per game. On paper, that may not look bad, but when you consider what may be coming this season, it looks brilliant.

The QB situation went from pretty good in 2016, to serviceable in 2017, to looking like a bottomless pit in 2018. Gardner Minshew left as a grad transfer, first to Alabama, but then to Washington State, and Thomas Sirk, the Duke grad transfer, is gone as well, leaving only Reid Herring as a QB with any experience at all, albeit one pass attempt in 2 games last season. The QB job is wide open, and there will be no real answers until the fall. Consider this area to be extremely concerning.

The Pirate rushing attack was anemic last season. Hussein Howe returns, but led all rushers with just 419 yards and 3 scores last fall. Darius Pinnix is the backup, but rushed for just 219 yards, Devin Anderson, who carried just 29 times, and is listed as the 3rd back heading into the season.

Three of the top four receivers are gone from last season, which will be another major blow to what was already going to be a problem passing attack area. Trevon Brown, who caught 60 passes last fall to lead the team, is back after rolling up 1069 yards and 7 scores, but his supporting cast has moved on. Deonfre Farrier, who caught 24 passes as a sophomore, is the next best option. Tahj Deans caught 16 passes last fall, and seems primed to take on a larger role, as is Mydreon Vines, who caught 2 passes last fall.

When they use a TE, or Y receiver, which is rare, Anthony Watley appears to have the edge to take on that role for 2018.

D'Ante Smith (LT), John Spellacy (C), Garrett McGhin (RG) are the only players currently on the roster that have jobs on the line locked up, leaving openings at LG and RT as we head into fall camp. DqMarcus Shaw and Cortez Herrin could be up for the LG spot, but the RT job is an open door right now.

Breakdown Defense: East Carolina had the worst scoring defense in the nation last season among FBS football schools, allowing 45 points per game. The Pirates allowed 296.2 yards passing per game, while allowing another 245.5 yards per game on the ground. There is no other way to go but up or sideways this fall.

Shaun James looks to kick out to DE from the interior this fall, and will be joined at DE by Kendall Futrell. The two combined for just 3.5 TFLs last season, so the Pirates are pretty much without much of a threat off the edge up front. Chandon Hickerson is the backup at both spots for now, but did nothing last year worth mention.

Jalen Price and Alex Turner are the starters at DT heading into the summer. They provide nothing if not a lack of experience and production, so the Pirates could be extremely vulnerable up the middle as well. Raequan Purvis is the backup inside, and played in 12 games as a freshman, providing just one TFL.

Cannon Gibbs (MIKE) and Aaron Ramseur (WILL) are the returning LBs. Gibbs finished last fall with 50 tackles, while Ramseur finished with 57. The Pirates lose Jordan Williams, who totaled 87 tackles last fall. Sophomore Bruce Bivens provides the only real relief, and finished with 10 tackles last fall.

The Pirates deploy a 4-2-5 set, and the starting jobs in the secondary look locked down for the summer, with few exceptions. Colby Gore played in 10 games as a sophomore last season, finishing with 4 PBUs, and will start at one CB spot. Corey Seargant, who played in 8 games as a sophomore, is the Nickel Back, and he finished with just 2 PBUs. Devon Sutton comes in at SS, and finished 3rd on the team with 68 tackles. Davondre Robinson is the FS, and played in 6 games as a freshman last fall. Keyshawn Canady, who was expected by some to start at CB, is listed at RB for the spring and fall, but will likely stay on the defensive side, unless he can spark the tepid rushing attack, as he did in high school.

Breakdown Special Teams: Jake Verity really struggled as the PK last fall, hitting just 16/25 FG attempts, and will not only be handling that job once again, but will also be handling the P job with the departure of Austin Scott, who averaged 44 yards per punt last season.

Trevon Brown averaged just over 21 yards per return on kicks last fall, and returns, while Colby Gore left the competition in spring ball with the PR job.

Final Analysis: Dare I say that the 2017 season, where the Pirates won just 3 games and were a defensive disaster, could look like a joyride compared to what could be coming this fall? The Pirates have no solid QB to rely on, a completely useless rushing attack, a ton of holes at receiver, and a patchwork offensive line, while the defense, again, the worst scoring defense in college football, also has more questions than answers. Scottie Montgomery was a mistake hire when he was brought on to replace McNeil, and now the real heat is on, as even the fan base that I communicate with seems to really have no faith in him as their leader. I would expect to see Montgomery on the firing line if things get worse, and there is absolutely zero indication that it will not get worse. Get ready for the fall, because it may be a hard one.