It wasn’t very shocking to see the ECU Pirates run up the score and defeat North Carolina Central 52-7 in the first week of the season.
Shane Carden was great, Justin Hardy broke records, and the defense pitched a shutout. It was a great team effort overall and a great way to start the season.
“I think everybody thought it was going to be a magical beginning,” head coach Ruffin McNeill said after the game. “Everyone has to remember we want to play our best game in our last game, like last year. I thought our offense did a good job of staying in what (offensive coordinator) Lincoln (Riley) wanted. We made adjustments and stayed steady. What I’m really proud of is the commitment to the team concept.”
It took maybe a little longer than hoped for ECU to get things going with offense; the Pirates were down 7-3 with a little over three minutes left in the opening quarter when they turned to its bag of tricks.
Carden handed off to Breon Allen, who took the ball outside and pitched the ball back to Hardy who was coming back on a reverse. Hardy could have run the ball around the corner to a wide open lane, but instead threw a 41-yard bomb to Isaiah Jones, who walked in for an easy touchdown. ECU took the lead, and never gave it a second thought to give it back.
The offense struck it hot in the second quarter. Allen would score on a five yard scamper, with Carden and Hardy would hook up for two touchdowns to give ECU a 31-7 lead at halftime.
Carden would go onto pass for one more touchdown in the third and finish the game with 283 yards and three touchdowns. Hardy would finish with a pair of touchdowns and would land his name atop of the all-time receptions leaders. Jones would be the big winner in reception yards with 150 yards and the momentum boosting touchdown in the first quarter.
The defense never let up the entire game and played great, only allowing the NCCU offense to earn 174 total yards (104 passing, 70 rushing). The Eagles are particularly explosive on special teams, but only had an average of 18.3 yards on kick returns and 11 yards on punt returns. This was a complete team effort in total domination.
“I’m very proud of our team and how we played together,” McNeill stated. “The only expectations our team is worried about are the ones we have. My expectations were met tonight. By our kids because I know how hard first games are. I was very proud of how they handled it.”
The Pirates will have to keep that intensity and team play up in order to pull away with the upset win against South Carolina this week. Expect Carden to be great and the team to follow his example.
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