It’s been a lot of fun to watch the East Carolina Pirates this year as they gashed opponent after opponent with their high-powered offense. The unit has the No. 3-ranked passing game (364.6 yards per contest) and No. 14 in scoring (37.8). It’s been a hell of a ride with Shane Carden and Justin Hardy, among others, but that will soon come to an end.
Check out just four of the offensive players who will be sorely missed next season. Replacing them should be fun for coach Ruffin McNeill.
Shane Carden, Quarterback
What is there left to say about Carden? After three years at the helm, the senior owns all the major career school passing records, completing 982-of-1,465 passes for 11,167 yards, 81 touchdowns with 26 interceptions. His passer rating of 145-plus is also a school record, and he holds the records for single-season and single-game passing yards. That’s even more impressive when you consider NFL alumni such as Jeff Blake and David Garrard have graced the campus at Greenville.
That’s just the stats bit. If you wanted to pick nits, you could ask what Carden has won with regard to titles. If your sole marker of an individual’s success in a team game is titles, then you have a point. But Carden has had plenty of individual plaudits outside of sheer numbers. Last season, he won Conference USA Player of the Year, and this year, he’s in the running for a number of national awards, as well some in the American Athletic Conference. Throw in a strong possibility of his drafting in a potentially light year for quarterbacks, and you could be hearing Carden’s name bandied about for some time.
Fun Fact: Carden actually appeared in a game as a wide receiver in 2011.
Breon Allen, Running Back
The former JUCO All-American was little used in 2013, carrying just 62 times for 311 yards and three touchdowns, but he did see increased action over the course of the season, setting him up for 2014. The nature of the offense meant Allen wouldn’t have the carries of some of his peers, but he has been no less valuable.
Forget his off-day against Temple (two fumbles); Allen’s speed and agility make him a threat to score on any given play, and he has been happy to punish any defense who focused a little too much on the passing game. Against North Carolina, Allen gashed his way for 211 yards and two scores on 18 carries, while he gained more than 120 yards against both South Florida and Cincinnati.
He may not be the most valuable player in the East Carolina offense, but it would be a lesser team without him. He has gained 848 yards and eight TDs on 128 carries, and has caught 31 passes for 242 yards and another touchdown.
Fun Fact: While at junior college, Allen was the first Snow running back to lead the NJCAA in rushing (1,632 yards).
Justin Hardy, Wide Receiver
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the NCAA career receptions leader: Justin Hardy. Yes, just last weekend Hardy passed former Oklahoma Sooner Ryan Broyles for the record. Needing just four receptions, the senior left nothing to chance and pulled in nine. Now he’s sitting pretty with 364 receptions and two games left to add to his total.
Hardy was productive from the moment he stepped on the field for the Pirates, catching 64 passes for 658 yards and six touchdowns as freshman. However, but it wasn’t until Carden started throwing him passes that the North Carolina native hit the stratosphere. As a sophomore, Hardy caught 88 passes for 1,105 yards and 11 TDs before breaking the 100-catch mark in 2013, where Hardy opened the season with 16 receptions (against ODU), and went on to finish with 114, gaining 1,284 yards and eight scores.
This season, he currently has 98 receptions for 1,194 yards and eight scores, and has a chance to break his 2013 school records, although he’ll need a strong finish to his season. It must be fun to know that every catch you make breaks/furthers a record.
Fun Fact: Getting a degree in Sports Studies wasn’t enough for Hardy, as he’s currently pursuing a second degree in Industrial Technology.
Cam Worthy, Wide Receiver
Worthy was late to the table, only joining the active roster out of junior college. In his first season, he flashed some ability, catching 19 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was this season that the senior showed his worth. (See what I did there?) Despite missing a couple of games by midseason, Worthy has proven himself to be a viable deep threat, catching 43 passes for 846 yards and a pair of scores. Of those 38 receptions, an impressive 11 were in excess of 25 yards, and 32 of his receptions went for first downs. Worth may only be third in receptions (second in yardage) on the team, but don’t believe for a second he won’t be missed next season.
Fun Fact: Worthy was high school quarterback who didn’t see a lot of FBS interest due to his size and ended up at Catawba. Coming out of junior college, East Carolina liked what it saw and took him in as a preferred walk on. The rest, as they say, is academic.
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