2012-13 Football Previews – (C-USA) – ECU
Ruffin McNeill’s goal was to take Skip Holtz’s success and move it to the next level at East Carolina. In his first two years that hasn’t worked out. The defense has been awful and the offense has been one-dimensional. The Pirates have gone 5-7 in consecutive seasons, and the fan base expects more.
Conference USA 2012-2013 College Football Previews: East Carolina
Head Coach: Ruffin McNeill
2011 Record: 5-7
East Carolina Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
East Carolina Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Conference USA: +900
ECU Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
Dominique Davis is gone, so the team must replace its star quarterback.
The team did go 4-3 in their last 7 in 2011, and there are some reasons to be optimistic.
East Carolina fans weren’t thrilled to be overlooked by the Big East when conference realignment took place. Pirates fans are looking to McNeill to get the football program back on the map this season. It has to start with defensive improvement. McNeill will be on the hot seat if this team misses a bowl game again in 2012.
Team Strengths:
A system like the Air Raid needs them, and East Carolina does indeed have some very talented players at the wide receiver spot. Sophomore Justin Hardy is an amazing slot receiver who hauled in 64 passes in his freshman season. He has help in the form of Danny Webster and Andrew Bodenheimer on the outside.
The defense should take a step up with the talent they have at the linebacker spot. Jeremy Grove made 122 tackles in his freshman season last year. Grove is the perfect inside linebacker who reacts well to plays and has a great motor. Derrell Johnson was moved to outside linebacker last year, and he played very well there. This group has tons of foot speed.
Team Weaknesses:
Who will be under center for East Carolina? Davis was an absolute star at East Carolina the last couple years, and he will be missed in a big way. There are several guys fighting for the starting spot, but no one is separating from the rest of the competition. This could be a major problem for a pass heavy offense.
The secondary took a major hit when it lost three starters from last year’s team. Only free safety Damon Magazu returns, and he’ll be counted on to do a lot this season. The inexperience and lack of depth at this position is likely to be a problem for the Pirates this year.
Can the Pirates finally develop a running game? This offense can’t rely on a quarterback to throw for 400 yards per game this season, so they’ll need the running game to get going. There is still no standout runner here. This unit must improve in the year ahead.
2012-2013 East Carolina Football Prediction: 6-7
East Carolina plays road non-conference games at North Carolina and South Carolina in the month of September. They must also travel to Southern Miss in their Conference USA season opener. Conference USA is wide open this year, but having to play UCF on the road in the middle of the season is a tough break for East Carolina.
The Pirates defense appears to be better than it has been, but the quarterback question mark is a big problem. Even with Davis at quarterback the team lost seven games each of the last two years. It’s hard to imagine this team finishing at better than .500.
2012 ECU Schedule
9/1/12 12:00 PM ET APPST
9/8/12 12:00 PM ET @SOCAR
9/15/12 TBD @SOMIS
9/22/12 TBD @NCAR
9/29/12 TBD UTEP
10/4/12 TBD @CENFL
10/13/12 TBD MEM
10/20/12 TBD @UAB
10/27/12 TBD NAVY
11/3/12 TBD HOU
11/17/12 TBD @TULNE
11/23/12 TBD MARSH
