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Regrouping: Depleted ECU scales back practices
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Published: October 13, 2009
GREENVILLE - Coach Skip Holtz of East Carolina can't be blamed for feeling optimistic about the days ahead. After all, things have to get better after a rough week.
Holtz's Pirates have limped into the midway point of the season with injuries, flu bugs and frustrating on-field mistakes -- all of which surfaced during a weekend loss at SMU.
Holtz responded by giving the Pirates extra time off when they returned home to help them heal and regroup for Saturday's home game against winless Rice.
ECU (3-3, 2-1 Conference USA) is coming off a 28-21 loss in a game in which SMU scored touchdowns on a blocked field-goal attempt, an interception return and a 96-yard pass. The Pirates aren't making quite as many game-changing plays, relying instead on a methodical offense that gains just a few yards at a time.
Then there's the Pirates' health.
Holtz said yesterday that he had to leave five players at home with flu-like symptoms -- including starting running back Brandon Jackson. Another four players developed 100-degree temperatures once the team arrived in Texas. That group included sixth-year quarterback Patrick Pinkney, who required bed rest and IV fluids before playing. That added bit of uncertainty forced the coaching staff to spend extra time prepping backup Josh Jordan, a redshirt freshman, before they learned that Pinkney would play.
During the game, backup running back Jon Williams injured his right knee and is out indefinitely. Holtz said that Williams will have an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, suffered when a player rolled into his leg while he was blocking, and that Williams would most likely be out a few weeks.
When the Pirates returned home, Holtz canceled the typical Sunday night workout, then kept things light yesterday to coincide with the school's fall break and to let his players recharge.
"I'm trying to give them as much rest and sleep as they can have so they can get their legs back under them," Holtz said.
The loss capped a tough opening schedule that included an opener with Appalachian State and games at West Virginia and North Carolina. The Pirates will have 10 days off after this weekend's game against the Owls (0-6, 0-2), and this weekend's game will be ECU's last Saturday game until Nov. 21.
East Carolina will travel to Memphis for a Tuesday night game Oct. 27, then will play host to No. 4 Virginia Tech in a nationally televised Thursday night game Nov. 5. Next will be a trip to Tulsa for a Sunday night game Nov. 15.
At least the Pirates will have a bit of extra time off between those games as they try to defend their C-USA championship.
"We really pushed to try to get to 4-2. That's where we wanted to get at the midway point," Holtz said. "Unfortunately we weren't able to do it. We're exactly where we were a year ago at this point. We're 3-3 with one loss in the conference, and we've got to rally things together and pull the team back together."
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