SMU @ ECU

CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this fall to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA football coverage. Today, our SMU Correspondent, Rick Atkinson, gives you a preview of the SMU Week #8 visit to East Carolina.

Please note: A preview of the SMU @ ECU game also exists on our site as written by our East Carolina Correspondent. This is what separates CUSA-fans.com from the rest. Not only do you get strong coverage of Conference USA sports, but in some cases the fans also get differing viewpoints on the same games!

SMU @ ECU Game Info

Date: Saturday, October 21, 2006 @ 2 p.m. Central time

Location: Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium, Greenville, N.C. (43,000)

No Television

Season Records: SMU (4-3, 2-1 C- USA), ECU (2-4, 1-2 C-USA)

All-Time Series: ECU leads, 1-0, winning in Dallas last year, 24-17.

Injury/Personnel Report

SMU:
RB DeMyron Martin, hamstring; questionable.
DE Cory Muse, knee; out.
DE Justin Rogers, sprained neck; probable.
WR Zack Sledge; suspended.
QB/placeholder Duke Hasson; suspended.

ECU:
WR Bobby Good, broken foot; out.
WR Aundrae Allison, ankle sprain; questionable.
DE Shauntae Hunt, knee; doubtful.
DT Brandon Setzer, knee; questionable.
RB Dominique Lindsay, knee; out.

SMU @ ECU Overview

The winner of this pivotal game will position itself nicely for a stretch run to a divisional title. The 2-1 Mustangs trail 2-0 UTEP and Tulsa in the West - and get Tulsa and 2-1 Houston at home. ECU, with a win, evens its record and is right back in the East race.

“We know what we’ve got to do,” said SMU head coach Phil Bennett Tuesday. “We can’t look ahead. Our focus has to be on one game at a time, plain and simple.”

“I think the next five games are going to tell a lot about us,” he Bennett.

After Saturday’s 31-21 win over Marshall, the Mustangs are on a fine run, having won 7 of their last 10, dating to last season. SMU’s 4-3 record is its best after seven games since going 5-2 in 1986.

ECU has two five-point losses and played well against #4 West Virginia before losing, 27-10. The Pirates topped Virginia, 31-21, before falling to Tulsa last week, 31-10.

The Mustangs lost two more players to suspensions for off-campus altercations: Duke Hasson and Zack Sledge will return next week.

Bennett repeated that to play football for SMU is not a right, but a privilege.

“And they’ve lost the privilege for this week,” he said. “Both of them are good kids. I love ‘em dearly.”

Bennett is 15-38 in his fifth year at SMU.

Skip Holtz, in his second season at ECU, is 7-10, and 41-31 overall.

SMU Offense versus ECU Defense

Advantage: SMU

In August, Bennett said SMU needed to raise its scoring average from 20.8 points per game to around 28-30. They’re on track, coming in at 27.7 just past the halfway point of the season.

“We have some guys right now on offense that have some playmaking ability,” Bennett said.

On that list is redshirt freshman QB Justin Willis.

Willis has the freshman school record for touchdown passes in a season (16), including four last week against Marshall. His efficiency rating of 166.61 leads C-USA and ranks tenth in the nation.

“It’s obvious: Justin does what good quarterbacks do,” Bennett said. “He makes everybody on the team better.”

Another redshirt freshman, WR Emmanuel Sanders, set a school record last week with a touchdown catch in his fifth consecutive game.

But SMU’s passing attack will have to get by a defense that’s No. 2 against the pass in C-USA (164.3 ypg). Bennett said the strength of the Pirates’ D is their aggressive secondary. They also do a good job of disguising the blitz.

“They’re a formation blitz team, so Justin and our quarterbacks are going to have to do a good job of reading the secondary,” he said.

Pierre Bell, Markeith McQueen, Jamar Flournoy and Kasey Ross are all seniors for the Pirates.

“They’re a defense that has played well, said Bennett. “They did … probably as good as anybody against West Virginia this year.

Sophomore LB Quentin Cotton leads ECU in tackles, (45).

ECU Offense versus SMU Defense

Advantage: SMU

SMU lead C-USA in sacks (18), tackles for loss (50) and rushing defense (86.3 ypg).

“Do I think we’re a dominating defense? No,” said Bennett. “But I think we’re getting better.”

CB Devin Lowery had three interceptions against Marshall, earning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week. Safety Joe Sturdivant leads the team in tackles with 65.

C-USA leading sacker DE Justin Rogers should be back from injury, but DE Cory Muse is still out. Bennett was pleased by the play of Troy Therien, Patrick Handy and Kyle Griffin, filling in last week.

A problem area: SMU is allowing third down conversions nearly 50% of the time. Bennett said one reason has been predictability.

“Everybody expects you to blitz on third and long,” he said. “And we’ve sort of tended to do that. We’ve got to be a little less predictable on what we’re doing on third and … middle to long.”

The Mustangs are also vulnerable to the pass, giving up 261.9 yards per game.

ECU is led by senior QB James Pinkney (6-3, 220). He hurt SMU last year with a career-high three rushing touchdowns, all from 1-yard out. Pinkney also tallied 15-22 passing for 225 yards in that game.

Last week, Tulsa ended ECU’s streak of 16 games with over 200 yards passing. Pinkney was held to 92 yards on 13 completions. It was his lowest production in two years, but he has a history of bouncing back big.

Pinkney’s efficiency rating is 119.85. He has started 31 straight games for ECU.

The receiving corps is depleted by injury, but senior Aundrae Allison (6-1, 202) may play. Last season, Allison became ECU’s first 1000-yard receiver in school history. He collected 7 seven catches for 78 yards against SMU last year.

Special Teams

Advantage: SMU

Special teams play has been a deciding factor in SMU’s last three games, with the Mustangs delivering the winning blow twice: a kickoff return for a touchdown at Tulane and a forced fumble on a kickoff return against Marshall.

A 63-yard punt return for a touchdown proved to be the difference in UTEP’s win over the Ponies.

Expect more one-play wonders at ECU.

For the Mustangs, kick return specialist Jessie Henderson averages 36.9 yards per kickoff return, best in the conference and second in the nation. If he’s not able to go, speedy Blake Warren fills in.

Warren averages 8 yards per punt return with a long of 54 against Texas Tech.

Punter Thomas Morstead leads C-USA and ranks 11 th nationally with a 44.1-yard average. Morstead is also 7-10 in field goals with a long of 50. He narrowly missed from 44 yards last week and was good from 34. Backup QB Corey Slater will hold in suspended Hasson’s absence.

For ECU, punter Ryan Dougherty averages 44.3 yards with a long of 72. He trails Morstead statistically due to fewer attempts.

Field goal kicker Robert Lee is 6-11 with a long of 48. Last week against Tulsa, he hit from 31.

Allison, if he plays, handles punt return chores with a 4-yard average.

Chris Johnson averages 21 yards per kickoff return with a long of 40.

Intangibles

Advantage: ECU

The Pirates will be plenty comfortable. It’s their fifth home game in a row and SMU’s one and only game on grass this season. It’s also ECU’s homecoming.

The Mustangs, however, after a difficult two weeks of injuries and suspensions, missed being 3-0 in conference play by just 4 points. And they came from behind for two wins during that stretch. Their confidence and maturity are surely rising.

This intangible could flip to SMU with a turnover.

Final Prediction

Look for another multiple touchdown passing day for Willis, with Sanders a frequent target. SMU’s D will control the run and pressure Pinkney into a mistake or two.

If Allison plays, he and Pinkney will get their yards and cause SMU headaches.

But, Bennett seems to know what it will take to win the rest of the way.

“We need to be a team that plays with great passion,” he said. “And I expect us to do it.”

So do I. SMU 29 ECU 17.