Well, it’s about that time again…the most wonderful time of the year. Summer is winding down, and Labor Day is right around the corner. And with it comes the long-awaited return of one of America’s most beloved institutions—college football.

Besides the excitement of watching the nation’s top programs compete week after week, what gets me most excited about college football season is cheering for my favorite team—the Pirates of East Carolina University. ECU is my alma mater, and I cherish my glory days of tailgating, face-painting, and yelling “Arrrgh!” along with fellow die-hards in the student section. As always, I’m approaching this upcoming season with excitement and optimism that my Pirates will do well. But 2012 figures to be a challenging Fall for the Purple and Gold.

As usual, East Carolina faces one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the FBS division. Besides opening the season with FCS powerhouse Appalachian State (5), ECU is also set to face South Carolina (9), North Carolina, and Navy. Still, the Pirates have as good an opportunity as any at contending for the Conference USA title and securing a bowl bid. If they want to do so, however, the Pirates will have a lot to overcome.

Here are some things ECU will need to focus on this season:

OFFENSE

• Run the ball. If the Pirates want to be successful in 2012, they will need to establish a solid, consistent ground game. Unfortunately, it remains questionable whether ECU has the necessary backfield talent to pull this off. Last season, the Pirates averaged a pathetic 109.1 rushing yards per game. Torrence Hunt was ECU’s leading rusher with a mere 489 yards for the entire season. To make matters worse, the offensive line is full of question marks. This year, the Pirates will need a strong effort from the big guys up front. In addition, senior Reggie Bullock cold really help things a lot by stepping up to supplement the rushing attack.

• Seriously—run the football. Enough with the pass-all-the-time gimmick. It’s time to grow up. If the Pirates are going to seriously compete against teams in the SEC and the ACC, 109 rushing yards per game simply won’t get it done.This year, the Pirates could rely heavily on the run game in week 2 against South Carolina whom USA Today ranks 2nd in the country in passing defense. (The Gamecocks rank a measly 45th in rushing defense.) Furthermore, ECU could really capitalize on C-USA opponents who are more acclimated to seeing spread offenses and multi-quarterback systems. If the Pirates can mix things up with a couple traditional running formations, that could go a long way toward matching up well against some tough defenses. And it could also help set up some effective play-action looks.

• Pass effectively. Two days ago, head coach Ruffin McNeill finally named Rio Johnson as the starting quarterback. Now that the infamous four-way quarterback controversy has been settled, ECU can get down to business and focus on establishing an effective passing plan. Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley proved last season that he is capable of drawing up a formidable passing attack. And the Pirates boast a corps of talented receivers like Justin Hardy and Andrew Bodenheimer. Whether Rio Johnson can consistently get the ball to them remains to be seen. The key will be to throw the ball down field. Screen passes will only take this offensive unit so far, especially since they no longer have the breakaway speed of a Chris Johnson.

DEFENSE

• Keep the score low. Okay, this is obvious. The job of any defense is to keep the other team off the scoreboard as much as possible. But this is even more important in a league like Conference USA where spread offenses run rampant and defense is an afterthought. Given the high-scoring tendencies of C-USA, the Pirates will do well to focus on keeping opponents out of the end-zone. Fortunately, the Pirates have shown signs of steady improvement on defense. After surrendering a jaw-dropping 44 points per game in 2010, the Pirates’ defense allowed only 32.3 points per game last season. That’s still not good, but it’s better. And if the Pirates can keep improving defensively, they might be able to steal a couple extra wins in 2012.

• Be aggressive. As ECU looks to improve defensively, aggressive is the operative word. Look for defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell to mix in lots of different blitz packages, especially against some of their more pass-happy C-USA opponents. This should come natural to the Pirates’ talented front seven, led by linebacker Jeremy Grove and defensive end Matt Milner. In the secondary, the Pirates have suffered some key losses. Still, safety Damon Magazu has been impressive, and he should prove to be an effective leader for the Pirates secondary this season. If the Pirates can play aggressively on defense, they should be able to create some turnovers and shift momentum at key moments.

PREDICTION

7-5 Overall (5-3 C-USA). This will likely be another challenging, frustrating season of rebuilding for East Carolina. But I think they have what it takes to make some measured progress and sneak into a bowl game. The first four games will be tough, but should prepare the Pirates to compete well within Conference USA. While the Pirates may upset North Carolina in week four, that home opener against Appalachian State could be a trap game. All things considered, six or seven wins seems about right.

Of course, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the Pirates go undefeated! (I can dream, can’t I?) This will be an interesting and important season for ECU football. If the Pirates miss bowl eligibility this season, head coach Ruffin McNeill might be looking for a new job. But let’s not talk about that right now. Let’s just hoist the colors and cheer for Old E.C.

Here’s to a great season, football fans!

GO PIRATES! ARRRGH!!!