You could say that last Saturday’s Purple-Gold spring game was a learning experience for the ECU Pirates. But it wasn’t just a learning experience for the players. It was a learning experience for the coaches, fans and even the public.
We all got a chance to see the new-look Pirates on the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium turf in a game-like situation. Now that we’ve seen a little of what they have to offer, is there anything major that we learned from the Purple-Gold game?
Offense
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The obvious caveat to any spring game is this: the nature of the spring game pits a team against itself. Thus, for every positive thing a team does, a negative must also occur.
The Pirates didn’t have to wait long for this to occur last Saturday. On the opening play of the game, quarterback Kurt Benkert found wide receiver Trevon Brown for a 75-yard touchdown pass. Not a bad way for head coach Scottie Montgomery’s tenure to start. At the same time, that’s also not ideal for the Pirate defense.
In any event, the ECU offense looked downright spectacular at times.
Benkert piloted the Purple team, while senior Philip Nelson led the Gold. The Purple ended up edging the Gold 17-13, but both sides showed that they were more than capable of making plays and chewing up yards. Benkert finished 12-25 for 216 yards and a TD and Nelson went 13-24 for 231 yards and a TD. They were helped by receivers Brown, Brandon Bishop, Terrell Green and Davon Grayson, all of whom caught multiple passes.
The run game also impressed, with Anthony Scott and Devin Anderson each displaying their unique skillset. Scott rushed for 47 yards on 10 carries and scored a TD, while Anderson rushed eight times for 46 yards.
Montgomery said he was satisfied with the tempo the offense created, but like any coach, would like to see the mental errors cleaned up. The Pirate offense is relatively young and are still learning, so those mental mistakes are going to come with the territory. However, what can’t be taught and what should be cause for optimism, is the sheer playmaking ability the offense showed it’s capable of.
If the young Pirate offense can put everything together (an admittedly big if), then it’s going to be a handful for opponents.
Defense
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Aside from the opening play, the ECU defense settled down and showed that it also has a great deal of talent to work with.
The confines of a scrimmage don’t necessarily lend itself to a defense going full bore, but the Pirate defense still showed that it is still willing to swarm and attack.
Much of the defensive speculation leading up to last Saturday had to do with the perceived limitation of the secondary. Whatever those limitations may be, they didn’t show on Saturday. Cornerback DeShaun Amos earned Defensive MVP honors, finishing with a tackle for a loss and an interception. Another defensive back, Dadrick Hawkins, led all tacklers with eight. Elsewhere, corner Corey Seargent had three tackles and registered two passes defended.
Given where the secondary was leading into the spring game, you could argue that its performance was the most encouraging of any unit on the field last Saturday. While the secondary was the high water mark for the Pirates, the rest of the defense also performed very well on the day. The front seven did a good job of limiting plays in space and finishing. A bulk of the returning starters from last season appear in this group, which explains why many feel it will be the strong suit of the Pirate defense in the upcoming season.
Linebacker Ray Tillman (six tackles), lineman Demage Bailey (six tackles, TFL), linebacker Dayon Pratt (four tackles, TFL) and linebacker Kiante Anderson (four tackles, TFL) led the way on the stat sheet, but the Pirates also got typically solid all around performances from the likes of Yiannis Bowden (four tackles) and Jordan Williams (two tackles, pass defended).
Conclusion
In looking at the Purple-Gold spring game, there were positives and negatives. The secondary exceeding expectations was a positive, while errors and mental mistakes can still be cleaned up.
Luckily for the Pirates, there’s still plenty of time to do so between now and their season opener on September 3. Undoubtedly, the Pirates will continue to build on what they learned last Saturday.
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