ARTICLE OF THE DAY

Weapons of Mass Destruction?
by Josh Spence
10/11/05

With 5 games in the books for Skip Holtz and the Pirates, there is a lot we have learned.  Despite a troublesome year in 2004, the defense for the most part has been a pleasant surprise.  Although he missed spring and most of summer practice, James Pinkney seems to have found his rhythm, throwing for a career best 355 yards against Rice.   Another pleasant surprise has been the emerging stars on offense.  We all knew about Chris Johnson coming into 2005.  Aundrae Allison quickly made a name for himself and is threatening to rewrite the record books for ECU receivers.  However, it is the other emerging weapons on offense that have many Pirate fans very excited about this team’s future.

Names like Robert Tillman, and Bobby Good have become consistent performers for ECU’s offense over the past couple of years.  This year however, several new names have emerged as playmakers.  Guys like Phillip Henry, Jerek Hewitt, and most recently Dominique Lindsay are having their numbers called more frequently, and for good reason.  Since Coach Holtz’s arrival, he has put a lot of emphasis on singling out playmakers and getting them on the field.  Henry, Hewitt and Lindsay all possess tremendous speed, and are showing good field vision as well.  The best part about it is that these guys are all young.  Henry is a sophomore, and Hewitt and Lindsay are both true freshmen. 

We all know about the game changing ability of Travis Williams in the return game, but according to Coach Holtz, he is emerging as a corner as well.  Holtz says that Williams has graded out at 100% for the second consecutive game, sharing time at the cornerback position.  Travis is only a sophomore. 

We really can’t say enough about kicker Robert Lee.  “The General” as he is now known, is still perfect through 5 games, hitting all 8 of his field-goal attempts and all 13 extra points. 

At 2-3 through their first five games, Skip Holtz has a chance to do something as the ECU head coach that John Thomson never did.  Win 3 games in a season.  The Pirate offense is getting better week by week, seemingly adding a new wrinkle every game.  Look for fullback Jermarcus Veal to get more carries, adding another dimension to this already dynamic offense.  Weapons of mass destruction?  Maybe not, but with the young talent on this team they may be before you know it.