Well that was something, wasn’t it? If you were watching, then you’re probably just as dumbfounded as every reporter in the Paul Brown Stadium press box, myself included. If you weren’t, then shame on you—though I’m sure you’ll be seeing it on ESPN.
Here are some quick observations on East Carolina’s mind-boggling 54-46 loss to Cincinnati on Thursday night.
What the loss means: It ends all hopes for ECU’s shot at an American Athletic Conference championship in its first season as a member. Once the No. 18-ranked team in the country, the Pirates have been slowly regressing, and now have back-to-back November losses. It’s pretty disappointing for a team that was receiving so much buzz after beating two ACC Coastal teams early in the season and looked to be a lock for an Access Bowl.
The biggest positive: If there is one, it’s that the offense recorded 572 yards off 94 plays and was consistently moving the ball on every possession—but that’s not news for a unit that ranked No. 10 in the country in yards per play (6.84) entering the game. It was also nice to watch the resiliency of quarterback Shane Carden and his efforts to answer (almost) every Cincinnati score.
The biggest negative: It was an awful defensive effort. Not only did the Pirates allow the most points (54) and yards (586) than it had in any other game this season—by a large margin—but they had the lead with 57 seconds to go and lost. Missed tackles, blown coverage, and a conservative approach gave Cincinnati far too many big plays, and it allowed Gunner Kiel 15.0 yards per completion.
East Carolina’s best play of the game: Had ECU won, there could have been several plays up for grabs. However, that’s not the case; Justin Hardy’s botched (?) misdirection that went for a touchdown was pretty neat.
Justin Hardy on the crazy reverse play for the TD. #ECUVSCIN https://t.co/AFHAysmh7E
— Tommy (@TommyFromNC) November 14, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
East Carolina’s MVP: Justin freaking Hardy. He’s arguably the most consistent wide receiver in the history of college football, and he put on an amazing display in tonight’s game. With 15 receptions for 181 yards and two total touchdowns, Hardy virtually could not be covered by any Cincinnati defender—and even found the end zone via running game. He accounted for 43.3 percent of Carden’s passing yards (42.9 percent of his total completions) and is four catches away from becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in career receptions. What a stud.
Where we go from here: All East Carolina can do now is suck it up and win the rest of its games. An AAC title is out of the picture, but the focus shifts to overcoming this loss with making sure it doesn’t turn into three in a row at home against Tulane. Fans: You may have heavy hearts tonight, but sleep well knowing you have one of the most exciting teams in the nation.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
