Passing highlights ECU spring football game
Pirates air it out as they look toward the future under new head coach Skip Holtz
By JAYMES POWELL JR, News & Observer staff writer
GREENVILLE -- On an absolutely meaningless yet important afternoon, East Carolina's football program looked toward the future Saturday while trying to escape its hideous recent past. The players also threw in a little impromptu gymnastics just for show.
With a handful of spectacular big plays and a few players trying to become spectacular new starters, East Carolina wrapped up its spring practice with a less-than-spectacular intrasquad spring game. The Pirates put new schemes shaped by their new coaching regime on public display for the first time while trying to sweep away the despair of the past two seasons.
Spread out and wide open on offense and more aggressive on defense, the Pirates showed a vastly different look than last year's woeful 2-9 season.
In new head coach Skip Holtz's first spring game in Greenville, ECU's players competed against each other in a game that featured first team against first team. Broken down into an East Carolina squad (the starting offense and reserve defense) and Pirates squad (the starting defense and reserve offense), the starting offense's unit won 28-10 while showing off Holtz's pass-heavy schemes.
Watching the game from behind the end zone, ECU athletics director Terry Holland said the spring game was a significant moment in the program's history.
"Really, this gets us from under the pressure of that 3-20 record," Holland said, referring to ECU's record under former head coach John Thompson, whom the athletics director fired at the end of the 2004 season. "This is a very important day for our team and our fans."
While Holland spoke of leaving the past behind, Holtz talked about the future.
The head coach said he wanted to use spring practice and the spring football game to identify starters for next season.
Holtz likely found some on Saturday.
While not consistent, redshirt freshman quarterback Davon Drew directed the first-team offense, completing 14 of 30 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.
With last year's starter James Pinkney not enrolled in school this semester, the Pirates are in need of a replacement.
Drew had looked like the man to take over the role this spring until he was hampered by tendinitis in his right (throwing) shoulder.
The pain in Drew's shoulder was obvious on Saturday, Holtz said, as the quarterback underthrew several receivers, missed others and tried to force passes especially late in the game. But Drew's first-half performance, which included several pinpoint strikes, was encouraging.
"I thought he played very well early," Holtz said. "He was playing within the system. He was making good reads and controlling the ball. [But] he threw a deep ball on the third series and started hanging his arm a little bit. But he fought through it and kept playing. ... I thought he played well early but kind of regressed as he want along, but a lot of that was probably the pain in his arm."
Perhaps the most impressive performer was transfer Aundrae Allison, a junior wideout who caught a screen from Drew in the first quarter and dipped and dodged 30 yards to the goal line before somersaulting into the end zone.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Allison, who had five catches for 94 yards. "Me coming out of [junior college], I just wanted to do a little something different for my first touchdown on the Division I level. I just wanted to please the crowd. The crowd wanted to see a little showboating."
Holtz praised his new receiver, but said the showboating is over.
"He's a great young man, but he just did it," said Holtz, who added that players winning starting jobs in the spring would likely be starters when the season starts. "I like that he was out here having fun, but we won't see that in the fall. Either that or you won't see him."
Also impressive during the intrasquad game was cornerback Travis Williams (second team), who scooped up a fumble in the fourth quarter and raced 93 yards for a touchdown.
Williams, a rising sophomore who played offense and defense last season, said the new staff's schemes are a welcome change.
Offensively, the Pirates usually went with three or four wide receivers and used screen passes and short tosses over the middle in a type of ball-control passing game.
Holtz's offense is a departure from the one run by departed offensive coordinator Noah Brindise last year when the Pirates typically lined up in an "I" formation and threw the ball down the field vertically.
On defense, the Pirates mixed in man coverage and some alternating zones. Last season the Pirates were primarily a two-deep zone team that often had its defensive linemen standing up on passing downs.
Besides the X's and O's, Williams said Holtz and staff are well on the way to exorcising the Pirates' past demons.
"Coach said we're going to do everything the right way," Williams said. "Towing the line. No mistakes. Football is more of a mental than physical practice. We just stay in meetings. We're just training our minds. It's changed. We have more brotherhood now. Everybody just wants to win."
Staff writer Jaymes Powell Jr. can be reached at 829-4556 or jaymesp@newsobserver.com
