Here’s another heartwarming story from the world of college football. Last week, I posted about a 7 year-old cancer patient who was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run a 69-yard touchdown at the recent Nebraska Cornhuskers spring football game. Well, I hope you have another tissue box handy. As it turns out, another Division I-A college football program has decided to let a young cancer fighter take one to the house. This time, however, this honorable gesture was performed by Pirates of that most esteemed institution of higher learning— East Carolina University.
Last weekend, ECU held their annual Purple & Gold Game at Dowdy Ficklen Stadium on campus. Football-starved Pirate fans usually view the event as nothing more than an excuse to spend a nice spring day eating barbecue, drinking beer, and getting way too excited about an intrasquad scrimmage. But on the final play of the game, things took an emotional turn. Noah Roberts, an 8 year-old battling cancer, trotted out onto the field. Decked out in an ECU football jersey and helmet, Noah lined up in the tailback spot directly behind quarterback Shane Carden. Once the ball was snapped Carden handed it off to Noah, who sprinted 40 yards into the end zone.
Like Nebraska, this is another example of a big-time college football program making a classy move to give a brave kid a really cool experience. And for me, this one means even more because it’s my alma mater. There are many reasons why I am proud to be an alumnus of East Carolina University, and this most recent episode only adds to that long list.
Welcome to the first of an installment I call “This Week in Sports.” Every Wednesday, I’ll point you to some of my favorite sports headlines including the good, the bad, and the ugly. But it won’t just be about scores and statistics. Instead, it will mostly consist of in-depth analysis and human interest stories. If you ever find something that you think might be of interest to me, feel free to contact me.
If you have a pulse, then this story has got to move you. At their recent spring football game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers ran a pretty crazy trick play. Lined up on their own 31 yard-line, the Huskers offense handed the ball to seven-year-old Jack Hoffman who ran it 69 yards for a touchdown. As he crossed the goal line, Jack was met by the entire Nebraska team who hoisted him on their shoulders.
Why is this a story? Jack Hoffman is currently battling inoperable brain cancer. At the request of his parents, Jack has become part of the Nebraska football family. And his touchdown run is just his latest feat in a Huskers uniform. I’m not a Nebraska football fan, and I know very little about the program. But I have tremendous respect for them for making this happen.
For more background on this story, check out ESPN’s piece here.
In other college football news, the Georgia Bulldogs celebrated their recent spring game with the release of their new rap video called ‘Dawg Bite.’ The video prominently features head coach Mark Richt’s son. Other notable cameos include Mark Richt himself and a portly Hank Williams Jr. lookalike.
As far as I’m concerned, producing rap videos for college football teams is not how I would ever choose to spend any of my time. Ever. But I do respect the right of others to engage in such activity, dubious as it may be. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t publicly register my outrage at the University of Georgia Athletics Department for allocating any of their resources to this. I mean, really? In case you’re wondering: yes, my wife is a Georgia alum and a filmmaker, but she was not involved with any stage of production of this video.
Here is one from my alma mater, East Carolina University: ‘My Heart Is Purple & Gold.’ Thankfully, there is no corresponding video, and I hope Pirate fans don’t get any ideas.
Baseball Honors Jackie Robinson and Victims in Boston
This past Monday, Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, an annual celebration to honor Jackie Robinson for being the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Among other tributes, all players wore Robinson’s number 42.
Alongside the tributes for Jackie Robinson, there was also the fresh grief brought on by that afternoon’s bombings at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. The Associated Press did an interesting piece detailing the poignant intersection of Major League Baseball’s celebration of diversity and mourning the tragic events in Boston.
Of particular interest is Ben Revere of the Philadelphia Phillies. Revere made an incredible diving catch against the Cincinnati Reds while wearing a glove that bore the message “Pray for Boston.” Many other players wrote similar messages on gloves, hats, and cleats. But Ben Revere’s outstanding play was a cool moment on an important day for minorities in baseball, in the midst of a great tragedy.
Sometimes everything just comes together in one play.
If you have never been to an East Carolina University football game at Dowdy Ficklen Stadium, you have truly been missing out on one of the most fun, most exciting college football atmospheres in the country—especially the moment when the Pirates take the field before opening kickoff.
Well, if you have never seen it—heck, even if you have seen it—I’ve got something for you to check out. A friend of mine recently sent me a very cool video of the ECU football team’s journey from the locker room, through the tunnel, and onto the field for a recent home game against Marshall. What makes this video so interesting is that it is shot from first-person perspective using a camera mounted on ECU punter Trent Tignor’s helmet.
Check it out:
Pretty cool, huh? If you listen carefully, you can hear “Purple Haze” playing as the Pirates enter the tunnel.
Sure, I will admit that I am biased since I am an East Carolina alum and a rabid fan of Pirate football. But you’ve got to agree that this is fun to watch. For me, it just provides more incentive to try and make the trip down to Greenville for some games next season.
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.
In just a few short weeks, college football season will be upon us. As an East Carolina alum, I am excited about cheering on my beloved Pirates. Check out this video interview from the recent Conference USA Media Day. Head coach Ruffin McNeill and junior linebacker Damon Magazu provide their perspective on this year’s squad and a preview of the season. Watch the video here.
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