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2009 East Carolina Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

East Carolina 62509 It was defense that brought the East Carolina Pirates a Conference USA championship last season as they boasted the number one ranked scoring defense in the league. With seven defensive starters returning, are the Pirates the team to beat again? Get my take in this 2009 college football predictions article.

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Offense – If you see head coach Skip Holtz smiling, it’s because the NCAA granted quarterback Patrick Pinkney’s request for a sixth season of eligibility. Pinkney completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,675 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Having his experience and leadership back under center in 2009 gives the Pirates an excellent opportunity to repeat as Conference USA champs. And why wouldn’t Pinkney want to come back for another year when he will have the luxury of standing behind an offensive line which returns all five of its starters (if guard Doug Palmer is allowed to return from disciplinary action). This veteran group features 2nd-team all-league center Sean Allen and ferocious left tackle Terence Campbell, who had 53 pancake blocks in 2008. On top of that, Pinkney has a nice crop of wide receivers to distribute the ball to. Expect him to get the ball in Dwayne Harris’ hands as often as possible. Harris had 58 receptions for 654 yards last season. The coaching staff is also expecting big things from sophomore Darryl Freeney, who tallied a 112 yard performance in the Liberty Bowl.

The running back position is a little hairy right now. Jonathan Williams was suspended indefinitely last season after running into some legal problems and top returning rusher, Norman Whitley, has some unresolved issues of his own and was not with the team during spring practice. If either is back, the running back spot should be just fine. If not, at least a sophomore like Brandon Jackson will have veteran line to run behind.

Defense – While many Conference USA programs are built around the offensive side of the football, East Carolina was able to live up to the old saying that defense wins championships. The Pirates allowed a league-low 21.1 points per game last season (30th nationally). And it all starts up front for ECU with defensive end C.J. Wilson leading the charge. He has gotten the attention of NFL scouts following a 10.5-sack junior campaign. The Pirates also boast a pair of all-conference defensive tackles in Jay Ross and Linval Joseph. You will once again see a fast linebacker unit, led by middle linebacker Nick Johnson. Johnson led the Pirates in stops with 102 in 2008. He will be joined by Jeremy Chambliss and likely Chris Mattocks. The ECU secondary brings some swagger to the table as a confident group. All-conference free safety Van Eskridge leads the unit after finishing third on the team in tackles and tied for tops in picks with four. Emmanuel Davis is a name to watch for at cornerback this season. He had four interceptions as a true freshman and made several Freshman All-America teams for his efforts.

Prediction: 1st Conference USA East – Whatever questions the program had at QB was solved when Pinkney was granted an extra year of eligibility to shore up the offense, and ultimately, I believe a stout defense will bring home another Conference USA title to Greenville, North Carolina in 2009.

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