In the last game of the regular season, the Pirates committed five turnovers in a 28-21 loss to Southern Miss. The Pirates took a 10-0 lead, but gave up 25 points in the second quarter.
Still, the Pirates got a bid to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. In one of the best games of the bowl season, the Pirates lost to Marshall, 64-61.
For the Pirates, it was a tough end to a season that held so much promise in mid-November. They finished in a tie for second for the third straight year.
"We’re still building and building," coach Steve Logan said. "People have short memories but we just graduated our first class of kids that went through here without ever having experienced a losing season. We’ve gone to three straight bowl games. That’s significant."
Logan, who became the program’s winningest coach in the last game of the 1999 regular season, posted his eighth non-losing season in the last nine years. His program is a model of consistency, despite the absence of a C-USA championship.
This year will be a challenge for Logan and his staff.
Gone are the team’s marquee players, most notably quarterback David Garrard and running back Leonard Henry, two all-conference players. The Pirates also lost two all-conference linebackers, Pernell Griffin and Greg LeFever.
QUARTERBACKS
Garrard, the starter since midway through his freshman year, leaves the biggest void on the team. He and Henry helped give the Pirates one of the nation’s best and most balanced offensive attacks. The Pirates were one of only 11 teams in the nation that averaged more than 200 yards per game in rushing and passing.
Garrard was chosen to the All-C-USA second team. He was fifth in the league in passing yards per game (204.3) and was third on the tam in rushing with 194 net yards. He gained 426 total yards and was second on the team in rushing touchdowns with six.
For the first time since the spring of 1998, Logan has a true battle for the starting job at quarterback, but sophomore Paul Troth (6-4, 217) may have won the job in the spring. Troth was the No. 1 quarterback entering spring and solidified his hold on the job throughout the workouts.
"He had a very good spring," Logan said. "We’re very excited about the possibilities there."
Troth was a backup last season, but played sparingly. He played in three games and completed 1-of-4 passes.
Troth’s backups will be sophomore Desmond Robinson (5-10, 200) and red-shirt freshman Sakeen Wright (6-3, 200). Robinson who has a background of option-oriented offenses, has not seen any game action, even though this will be his third season with the program.
During spring practices, Robinson separated himself from Wright as the team’s No. 2 quarterback. Robinson will play a couple of series in each game as Troth’s backup and will give the Pirates a different look with his quickness and scrambling ability. Troth is more of a drop-back passer.
"[Robinson] is real active, very quick," Logan said. "He can stay alive in the pocket for an extended period of time. I gained a lot of confidence in him [in the spring]."
RUNNING BACKS
Henry, chosen to the All-C-USA first team, was a force last season and will certainly be missed. He led the league in rushing with 1,432 yards and 16 touchdowns and was the team’s third-leading receiver with 26 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
His backups didn’t get a lot of work, but fullbacks Art Brown (5-9, 205) and Marvin Townes (5-11, 195) played enough that they should settle into regular roles this season.
Brown, a junior, was Henry’s backup last season and finished as the team’s second-leading rusher with 313 yards on 55 carries, a 5.7-yard average, and scored one rushing touchdown. He also caught 16 passes, fourth best on the team, for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Towne, also an effective kickoff returner, had 26 carries for 126 yards and scored one touchdown. He averaged 25 yards per kickoff return, which ranked 30th in the nation. He set a single-game school record by averaging 44 yards on returns against Tulane and was on the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Junior Dominique Hatcher (5-11, 199) will probably be the third-string fullback.
WIDE RECEVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The Pirates lost their leading receiver, Derrick Collier, who had 31 catches for 481 yards, but they also return nine lettermen at the receiver positions.
Leading the way will be senior split end Richard Alson (5-11, 210), who caught 31 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns. Alston’s backups will be sophomore Edwin Rios (5-11, 175) and junior Richard Hourigan , who each lettered last season.
Alston was the starting H-back last season, but will move to split end this season to make him the primary target. He’s a converted quarterback and twice last year threw touchdown passes. If necessary, Alston can play quarterback in an emergency situation.
Senior Torey Morris (6-0, 183) should start at flanker and junior Terrance Copper (5-11, 204) at H-back. Morris had 13 catches for 278 yards last season, while Copper had 13 catches for 204 yards.
Sophomore Damarcus Fox (5-9, 170) was slotted as the No. 2 halfback in the spring but sustained a knee injury that required surgery. He could return for the season opener against Duke. Sophomores Garrett Peterkin (6-1, 170) and Wes Herlocker (6-1, 199) will battle for the No. 2 flanker job. Both have lettered.
Junior Marcus White (6-0, 190) endured a number of injuries last season but should be more of a factor this year if he’s healthy. White caught eight passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns last season.
"It’s a good group but we had a lot of injuries there and it kind of continued through the spring," Logan said. "If we can ever get them healthy we’d like to play with Mark White, Richard Alston and Terrance Copper [in the starting lineup]."
At tight end, the Pirates must replace departed Corey Floyd and Arnie Powell, who split time last season. Powell was tied for fourth on the team in catches last year with 16, averaging 13.5 yards per catch. He had two touchdown catches. Floyd had two catches for nine yards and one touchdown.
Senior Ben Thomas (6-2, 246) and junior Seth Yates (6-4, 247) will vie for the starting job. Thomas has played mostly special teams and Yates was injured for all but four games last season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
One of the Pirates’ strengths will be the offensive line, as five starters return. Left guard Aaron Walker is the only starter on the line who does not return.
Junior tackle Brian Rimpf (6-5, 301) will be one of the best linemen in the league and was chosen to the All-C-USA first team last season. Rimpf held his own against some of the best defensive linemen in the country last year, including Dwight Freeney of Syracuse and Julius Peppers of North Carolina.
"He’s very talented," Logan said of Rimpf.
Junior Brandon Pople (6-4, 279) will start at the other tackle after starting last season.
Guards will be junior Corey Schmidt (6-4, 281) and junior Brian Fox (6-2, 284). Schmidt started last season while Fox was a backup who lettered. The starting center will be junior Doug White (6-0, 292), also a starter last season.
Sophomore Hagan Mason (6-0, 285) was slotted as the backup center in the spring. Senior Phoenix Evans (6-3, 326), a three-year letterman, was the backup for Rimpf at left guard with red-shirt freshman Trey Magee (6-7, 287) and junior Steven Ayers (6-2, 281) battling for the backup job at right tackle.
KICKERS
Senior place-kicker Kevin Miller (6-0, 214), a two time semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, is back for one more season. He’s one of the best in C-USA. Last season, Miller made 14-of-17 field-goal attempts and made all 13 of his kicks from 41 yards or closer. He ranks third on the C-USA career scoring list.
Two sophomores will vie for the backup job behind Miller. They are Christopher Baglio (6-3, 211) and Cameron Broadwell (6-2, 185). Neither will take Miller’s job this season, barring an injury, but one will likely assume the starting job next season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Perhaps the hardest hit unit for the Pirates was the defensive line where three starters are gone -- tackle Ty Hunt, nose guard Chris Howell and tackle Bernard Williams. Howell was 10th on the team in tackles with 40; Hunt was 12th with 36 tackles and Williams was 16th with 28. Hunt had five tackles for loss and Williams had three.
Despite the losses, Logan is optimistic about the defensive front.
"We did [lose several] but here again we were playing nine defensive linemen in each game," Logan said. "We lost three seniors but we’ve got Ja’Waren Blair , Damane Duckett and Ronald Pou . Those guys played a ton of football and they’re all coming back."
Duckett, Pou and Blar played almost as much as the starters and each improved drastically as the season progressed. Duckett (6-6, 280), a junior, is an imposing figure who had eight tackles for loss last season and three sacks. Blair (6-5, 256) has good speed and agility; he had six tackles for loss and three sacks. Pou (6-1, 270) made a quick adjustment from junior college ball last season and had six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. In the spring, Duckett was the starter at tackle with Pou at nose guard and Blair at the other tackle.
LINEBACKERS
It won’t be easy replacing inside linebackers Pernell Griffin and Greg LeFever, two of the Pirates’ top defenders from last season. Griffin, chosen to the All-C-USA first team, led the team in tackles last season with 153 and had eight tackles for loss, one sack, six pass break-ups and recovered a fumble.
LeFever was second in tackles behind Griffin with 98 tackles and the team-high 15 tackles for loss with four sacks, one interception, five pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.
Red-shirt freshman Chris Moore (6-1, 215) and sophomore Eric Butler (6-3, 215) were slotted as the No. 1 inside linebackers in the spring. Butler was Griffin’s backup last season and played on special teams. Backups this year will be red-shirt freshmen Josh Chilsom (5-10, 215), Richard Koonce (6-2, 219), Jemarcus Veal (6-2, 240), sophomore James Rogerson (6-1, 224) and junior Christian Wasielewski (6-0, 225).
Both starters at outside linebacker return -- senior John Williamson (6-2, 234) and senior Antwane Yelverton (5-11, 202). Williamson was third on the team in tackles with 65 and had 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He also had two pass break-ups and intercepted a pass.
Yelverton was eighth in tackles with 43 and had three tackles for loss with two sacks. Senior Christshawn Gilliam (5-11, 218) has lettered three times and will see plenty of playing time at outside linebacker, along with junior Vonta Leach (5-11, 254) and junior Kent Nealy (5-9, 219).
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Perhaps the group that was scrutinized the most in the spring was the secondary. Why? Because the Pirates dropped from second in the league in pass defense two years ago to 10th last season. They allowed 261 passing yards per game and gave up 20 touchdowns.
"I’m hoping they’re a little improved from last year," Logan said in an understatement.
Four starters return, but they’re certainly not going to be given the jobs in the preseason.
Senior Jerome Steward (5-8, 182) was slotted as the starter at left cornerback at the start of the spring with senior Kelly Hardy (5-11, 197) as the starter on the right side. Hardy, a two-year starter, missed time because of injury. Steward led the secondary in tackles with 63 and pass break-ups with seven and was chosen as the defensive MVP in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
Junior Brandon Rainer (5-10, 172) was Steward’s backup and sophomore Donald Whitehead (5-9, 170) served as Hardy’s backup.
Senior identical twins Anthony Adams (5-11, 188) and Antwan Adams (5-11, 176) are three-year lettermen and two-year starters at free safety and strong safety, respectively. Junior Travis Heath (6-2, 186) was slotted as the starter at strong safety, however, in the spring, with junior Kevin Jackson (5-11, 183) as the No. 3 strong safety. Anthony Adams should start again this season at free safety and will be backed up by red-shirt freshmen Antonie Nealy (6-2, 185) and Sam Pittman (6-1, 175) and junior Delton Russell (6-0, 192).
PUNTERS
Senior Jarad Preston (5-11, 194) took over as the starting punter last season, giving Miller a break from the double-duty he had two seasons ago.
It was a very good year for Preston, who ranked second in C-USA with a 44.1-yard average on 45 punts. His average ranked 12th nationally, and Preston had 12 punts for 50 or more yards.
Senior Lee Hunt (5-11, 243) is Preston’s backup. The Pirates will be grooming freshman signee Ryan Dougherty (5-11, 185) to take over the punting duties. Dougherty, who played at William A. Boone High School in Orlando, Fla., averaged 41.1 yards per punt and earned all-state honors in Class 6A. He doubles as a place-kicker.
SPECIAL TEAMS
With the return of Miller and Preston, the Pirates are in good shape as far as their kickers are concerned.
Red-shirt freshman Philippe Brady (5-8, 171) takes over as the holder. Brandon Howard (6-1, 250) earned the job as snapper last season as a red-shirt freshman and will likely be the long and short snapper this year.
Townes was one of the most dangerous return men in the conference last season, ranking third in kickoff returns with a 25-yard average. He had one return for touchdown. Townes also returned punts, averaging 7.1 yards on 14 returns, but Alston will likely take some of the punt returns.
RECRUITING CLASS
Logan’s class of 2002 consists of 22 players, which includes 13 offensive players, eight defensive players and one special teams player.
"While I’m always hesitant to single anyone out in particular, I’d just say that I’m more than excited and more than happy with the young men that we signed," Logan said. "Our coaches did a great job and we found some young men that have a lot of talent and that we wanted to be at East Carolina."
The class consists of six offensive linemen, four wide receivers, four defensive backs, three quarterbacks, three defensive linemen, one linebacker and one kicker/punter.
Five of the signees were selected among the best prospects in his respective state by SuperPrep magazine, while five others received all-region honors at his position by Prep Star magazine.
Logan plans to red-shirt every signee except the lone junior college recruit, defensive back Richard Moton of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College.
The three quarterbacks signed were William Bland of Havelock, N.C., James Pinkney of Delray Beach, Fla., and Kort Shankweiler of Greenville, N.C. Shankweiler, son of offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler, threw for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
Bland threw for 1,077 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and ran for 775 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Pinkney led Palm Beach County in passing yardage with 1,807 yards and threw for 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
After a down year for the defense in 2001, the Pirates have some room for improvement. Unfortunately, they lost several key players -- including the three starters from the defensive front and the top two linebackers, Griffin and LeFever.
The Pirates’ vulnerability to the pass certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Logan, and he spent more than the usual amount of time during spring practice tweaking the secondary. Two seasons ago, the Pirates ranked 41st in the nation in total defense, and they dropped to 82nd last season, giving up 409 yards and 27 points per game.
Count on Logan and his staff to keep working on the defense before the preseason starts and during the fall workouts.
"The model is going to change a good bit," Logan said. "We’re going to take on some different characteristics and change the ways we were doing some things. There will be some schematic changes."
There will be offensive changes as well, due in large part to new personnel. Garrard, the starting quarterback since his freshman year, has departed, along with Conference USA’s leading rusher Henry.
Troth, a drop-back passer, takes over the offense, but the Pirates can also show a different look with sophomore Robinson, a scrambler who can create problems with his speed.
The offensive line is solid, led by tackle Rimpf, chosen to the 2002 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch list.
East Carolina has been a contender for the conference title for the last couple of years, but has three straight second-place finishes. After losing five offensive starters and five defensive starters, the Pirates have some holes to fill.
"I just want to remain consistent and continue to challenge for the championship, which we’ve done routinely but we haven’t pulled it off yet," Logan said.
This probably won’t be the Pirates’ year to win the league, but don’t look for them to fall too far.
