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Pirates confident heading into game vs. Hokies in Charlotte
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Published: August 30, 2008
When Coach Skip Holtz took over at East Carolina three seasons ago, he didn't know how the returning players would react to the new regime.
In college football, coaching changes often lead to player transfers and, in some cases, to players giving up the game. Linebacker Quentin Cotton took Holtz's arrival as a challenge.
Cotton starred at Glenn High School and graduated in 2004. Now a senior at ECU, he has matured on and off the field, Holtz said, and today he'll help lead ECU against 17th-ranked Virginia Tech in the season-opener for both teams. Kickoff will be at noon at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
"Once you get past the physical attributes, the toughness he has displayed and just his total commitment to the game, his progress has been incredible," Holtz said of Cotton.
"He takes everything so much more serious, and he has great respect from his teammates and just has those intangibles it takes."
Cotton (6-2, 225) has thrived in the Pirates' attacking defense. He'll be a starter for the third straight season, and he says that things have gone well since Holtz took over.
"With Coach Holtz, he does everything by the book," Cotton said. "We knew things would change, and he just gave everybody a fair opportunity to show what they could do."
Cotton was second on the team last season with 11 tackles for losses and had one interception. He also had a career-high 14 tackles each in games against Virginia Tech and Houston.
Although some might suggest that East Carolina is still under the radar, Cotton doesn't feel that way. He says that with back-to-back bowl appearances, the program has arrived.
"People know who we are and what our track record is," he said.
The Pirates return the core of their defense. That should bode well, especially in Conference USA. But for now, Cotton says, the focus is on Virginia Tech.
"If we come out and play well and win, it's not an upset in my mind," Cotton said. "They are a good football team. We are a good football team, so it's going to be a good game."
Holtz, who earlier this week agreed to a six-year contract extension through 2013, said that a big key to the continued improvement is the group of seniors that stayed on the team and believed in what Holtz and his coaches were doing.
"Sometimes it doesn't work when a new staff comes in and a young man won't take to it really well," Holtz said. "But now you look at somebody like Quinton who will take the time to step up and talk to teammates about when he was younger and missed some classes or tried to take a shortcut. He's sincere in trying to help the younger guys saying, ‘That just doesn't work' and the players listen to that."
The Pirates were 8-5 last season, with three of the losses to Virginia Tech, West Virginia and N.C. State. In last season's meeting, ECU was a 28-point underdog to Tech, but stayed close before losing 17-7.
ECU's running game could be tested today. Chris Johnson, last season's top back, is now with the Tennessee Titans, and Dominique Lindsay, the projected replacement, suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this month. Brandon Simmons is expected to start but has 53 career carries for 116 yards.
Both teams decided on their starting quarterbacks late in preseason camp. Senior Patrick Pinkney will start for ECU, and senior Sean Glennon will start for Virginia Tech, with sophomore Tyrod Taylor taking a redshirt year. Cory Holt, who played at Lexington High, will be Glennon's backup.
Coach Frank Beamer of Tech said that he and has staff thought long and hard about redshirting Taylor, who split time with Glennon last season.
"I think the final thought was this is what's best for Virginia Tech football," Beamer said.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com
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