East Carolina vs. Navy

Saturday, September 2nd, 2006 @ 5:30 p.m.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000), Annapolis, MD

Television – CSTV

Records - First game for both teams

Last Season- ECU (5-6 overall, 4-4 CUSA), Navy (8-4 overall)

All-Time Series Record - First Meeting

Injury/Personnel Report

East Carolina will definitely be missing two defensive starters in the opener and may very well be missing a third after a leg/knee injury to redshirt freshman DE Scotty Robinson during the second preseason scrimmage on August 19th. The early unofficial word on Robinson is that he hyperextended his knee and that he shouldn't be out any longer than two to three weeks in the worst-case scenario.

The two starters who are definitely out for Navy are senior defensive end Shauntae Hunt and senior linebacker Orlando Farrow. Hunt suffered a freak, non-football related knee injury (ACL) during the end of the spring semester. Farrow, a transfer from Lackawanna College, tore his achilles tendon during the Pirates first scrimmage of the fall. He was planting to come out of a backpedal when it popped. This is a crucial loss as Farrow was having a solid fall camp and it appeared that he was well on his way to solidifying a position of concern for ECU.

Navy appears to be entering the contest in good shape. The only personnel Navy will be without are not due to injuries, but rather academic and off the field issues. Slot back Karlos Whittaker, who ran for an academy freshman record six touchdowns in '05, was dismissed from the Naval Academy. Junior cornerback Greg Thrasher, who started ten games last year and was slated to start this fall, will not play this season in order to concentrate on his academics.

ECU/Navy General Overview

If you like offense, this could very well be your kind of football game. East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz has stated this on multiple occasions during the off-season. He feels that the Pirate offense will need to have one of its better days in order for ECU to leave Annapolis with a victory in the opener.

Take a look at Navy's offensive production in the Paul Johnson era and it is easy to see why Holtz feels this way. Johnson's triple-option flexbone attack has given opponents all kinds of trouble in the past three seasons. The Midshipmen led the nation in rushing yardage last season as they amassed nearly 320 yards per game (318.7) while averaging 34.2 points per game, which ranked 15th nationally.

Navy has not only scored a lot of points during the last four years and Paul Johnson's reign in Annapolis, but since a 2-10 record in his first season, the Midshipmen have recorded 26 wins going 8-5 in '03, 10-2 in '04, and 8-4 last season. Each of the last three seasons has ended in a bowl game, including a dominating 51-30 win over Colorado State in the Poinsettia Bowl last December. It truly has been "anchors aweigh" for the Naval Academy during one of Navy's most successful three-year runs in the history of its football program.

At East Carolina, Skip Holtz is trying to execute a similar turnaround. Prior to last season, the Pirates had only won seven games in the last three seasons, including three of their last 25. Holtz and his staff sought to change the attitude and improve the talent base upon their arrival and have been able to do so in their 20 months in Greenville. Now ECU must continue to build upon that solid foundation, as the schedule is tougher this season. That upgraded schedule takes effect right out of the chutes with this match-up against Navy.

East Carolina's offense showed signs of brilliance last season, but was unable to develop enough consistency to really maximize their potential. With what they have at their disposal this year, they should increase their potency.

Let's now take a look at how things breakdown unit by unit as they will match-up on the field.

Navy Offense vs. East Carolina Defense

Advantage: NAVY

Paul Johnson's finely tuned option machine will have a new main cog this year as senior Brian Hampton will be taking over the quarterback duties. This will mark the third consecutive season that Navy will be led by a senior, who is starting under center for the first time. Hampton has shown the potential to execute the offense with the required precision, but must continue to master it and develop his consistency as his starting debut approaches. Johnson has been pleased with Hampton's progress throughout fall practice and stated that he needs to sharpen his decision making skills a bit, but also noted that he felt that would come with the additional experience. Hampton has rushed for 168 yards on 27 carries in two intrasquad scrimmages this fall, while completing 11 of 19 passes for 133 yards and one interception.

The best slot back returning will be junior Reggie Campbell. He ran for 514 yards and seven touchdowns in '05, while averaging an amazing nine yards per carry. The leading returning rusher is junior fullback Adam Ballard who ran for 668 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore.

The Midshipmen don't throw it very often, but when they do, they have proven to be able to do so with great efficiency. They love to lull a team to sleep and suck them up with the option, then throw it over their heads on play-action passes. When they throw it, Hampton's top target will likely be senior Jason Tomlinson. Tomlinson caught 25 balls for 445 yards last season to lead the team. The majority of Navy's passes will be down the field, which results in some large average yards per reception numbers.

Defensively, East Carolina's coordinator Greg Hudson and his assistants know what a chore it can be to stop an option attack such as Navy's; therefore, they visited various high school and college coaches during the off-season to discuss ways to defend it. There was the advantage of having the entire off-season to prepare for this difficult scheme and the Pirates will need every bit of it.

A major key for the Pirates will be to play assignment football and read their keys. If they get caught looking at the football, it will likely be a long day. ECU's inexperienced linebackers and their performance will be crucial. East Carolina was not very good against the run a year ago and their improvement will be gauged in this one. It doesn't bode well that they're going to be missing two or possibly even three starters.

As stated above, a talented Pirates' secondary must remain alert at all times. They must read their keys and not peak in the backfield because if they do they will most likely hear “Anchors Aweigh” playing a few seconds later.

In sum, East Carolina must play disciplined defense in order to be successful in stopping this vaunted attack. They are not going to shut Navy down, but must limit big plays. The Pirates must force Navy to earn their points with long drives rather than quick strikes. If they can force more Midshipmen snaps, Navy is more likely to put the ball on the ground a time or two. There will likely be a bend, but don't break philosophy employed. After all, it is ok to allow some yardage if you can keep your opponent off the scoreboard.

East Carolina Offense vs. Navy Defense

Advantage: EAST CAROLINA

The East Carolina offense also possesses multiple weapons and the ability to strike quickly. In this game, ECU's best defense could likely be an offense that builds an early lead and controls the football. Senior signal-caller James Pinkney leads the Pirates. Pinkney is coming off a strong junior season in which he threw for 2,773 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing eight interceptions. “JP”, as he is known by his teammates and throughout the Pirate Nation, has garnered the respect of his team with his ability to ‘take a lickin', but keep on tickin''.

He will have plenty of options to distribute the ball to. His favorite target will likely be senior Aundrae Allison. Allison, who is a Fred Biletnikoff Award candidate for the top receiver in the nation, hauled in 83 receptions for 1,024 yards in his first season donning the purple and gold. Expect him to have a good senior season, but his numbers might not be as gaudy; however, that would be because the Pirate receiving corps is much deeper this season with guys such as Phillip Henry, Bobby Good, Jamar Bryant and Steven Rogers present.

The Pirates are also deep at running back. They not only return '05 starter Chris Johnson, but also his quality back-ups in senior Brandon Fractious and sophomore Dominique Lindsay. Johnson gets plenty of touches in the passing as well. Fractious is a good cutback runner with the speed to take it the distance as shown by him having two 80-yard touchdown runs in a single scrimmage this fall.

The focus point of this offensive unit will be the development of the line, but specifically center and the right side. The left side returns intact with senior Eric Graham at tackle and junior Matt Butler at guard. If this group can play well early on, the East Carolina offense should put plenty of points on the board.

This offensive line will face an undersized Navy defensive front, but one that returns seven seniors which will likely make up the starting defensive line and linebackers units. Senior inside linebacker Rob Caldwell leads the Midshipmen. Caldwell led the unit in tackles in '05 as he totaled 140. Navy runs a 3-4 scheme in which the linemen must keep the offensive linemen off the linebackers and allow them to be free to roam and make plays. This defense is built around smaller, but quick linebackers, who can be run stoppers, but also be effective defenders against the pass. A fourth linebacker can play with his hand down, creating a 4-3 look, or he can play up and confuse the pass coverage for the quarterback. Navy makes up for its lack of size with the unpredictability of this defensive scheme. The Pirates' will have to be wary of the blitzing of senior inside linebacker Tyler Tidwell and senior outside linebacker David Mahoney. The duo combined for 18 sacks and 35 tackles for a loss last season.

The Midshipmen's improvement in the secondary last season allowed them to take these gambles in their blitz packages. All four starters are back this season so Navy will once again have the opportunity to pressure opposing quarterbacks and try to force the issue if they so choose. However, they should be wary of blitzing a veteran quarterback like James Pinkney with such great receivers because anytime you blitz you're exposing yourself for a big play if the offense can recognize it and attack it accordingly.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Advantage: EAST CAROLINA

East Carolina and Navy both possess outstanding placekickers. The Pirates return “The General” Robert Lee, a Lou Groza Award candidate, who made 17 of 19 field goals and was perfect on extra-point attempts as a junior. Lee has tremendous range with a long of 51 last season as well as a 53-yard bomb during the Pirates' second scrimmage this fall.

Navy returns junior Joey Bullen who was excellent in his sophomore season, connecting on 52 of 53 extra-points and 9 of 12 field goal attempts, including a long of 46.

East Carolina also returns a very talented punter and kickoff man in senior Ryan Dougherty. Dougherty averaged 40.8 per punt, which was down from each of his first two seasons, but particularly his freshman season during which he averaged 44.5 yards per boot. He was effective last season though, as he dropped 20 punts inside the 20-yard line. Last season marked the first time he had handled both duties and he gave the Pirates a great weapon as 30 of his 55 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

Navy will be replacing the departed Eric Shuey, and junior Greg Veteto is the odds on favorite to win that position.

The Navy return game should be solid as punts will mostly likely be returned by senior wide receiver Jason Tomlinson, while junior Reggie Campbell will be one of the kickoff return men.

One or two of many candidates, including returnees Chris Johnson, Dominique Lindsay, and Markeith McQueen, could handle East Carolina's return game. Newcomer Norman Whitley could also get in on the action if the Pirates choose not to redshirt the highly touted freshman.

Intangibles

Advantage: EVEN

Anytime you're a football player at one of the academies, you can rest assured that things like dedication, hard work, self-discipline, and commitment to excellence aren't weak points for you.

Navy is a very confident football team and they should be after what they have accomplished under Paul Johnson. They also have the intangible of playing at home.

East Carolina prides itself on outworking its opponents. Skip Holtz, in conjunction with second year strength and conditioning coach Michael Golden, has forged a tremendous work ethic and attitude within the Pirate program. No one, and I mean NO ONE outworks East Carolina from a strength and conditioning standpoint. This mental toughness and confidence will pay huge dividends for ECU.

East Carolina will also benefit from the intangible factor of playing before several thousand members of the Pirate Nation in Annapolis.

ECU/Navy Final Prediction

This will most likely be an offensive-minded football game to the tune of 35-31, 41-34 or a score of that nature. It could easily go either way. Navy won and lost a high-scoring game decided by a field goal at home last season, beating Kent State 34-31 and losing to Stanford in a 41-38 shootout. Expect such a game in this one.