2011 Virginia Tech Hokies Football: Va. Tech @ East Carolina

The East Carolina Pirates aren’t making life easy for themselves. This weekend, they’ll try to make life miserable for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

East Carolina, having just played a formidable team from the SEC, will now play defending ACC champion Virginia Tech. ECU played neutral-site game in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the South Carolina Gamecocks, who reside in the top 15 of the national polls. The Pirates bolted to a 17-0 lead over South Carolina, capitalizing on the fact that Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier benched his best quarterback, Stephen Garcia, in the first quarter. ECU coaxed two turnovers from South Carolina’s “backup-turned-starter,” a shaky Connor Shaw. Throughout the first half, it appeared quite realistic to think that East Carolina could pull off the major upset and usher in the 2011 college football season with a bang.

In the second half, though, the dream died. Up by a 24-14 margin at the intermission, the Pirates – whose coach, Ruffin McNeill, is a defense-first guy – showed that their Conference USA identity is still very much intact.

That means their defense isn’t.

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ECU allowed 42 points after halftime, as Garcia – who entered in the second quarter – stayed on the field for the third and fourth stanzas, torching the Pirates in the process. The game was still robustly competitive through three quarters, but Cocky pulled away in the fourth for a 56-37 triumph. East Carolina might have lost by a greater margin than it should have, but let it be known that the Pirates still rang up 37 points on what was supposed to be a very formidable South Carolina defense. ECU quarterback Dominique Davis used to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference with Boston College, so he’ll relish the chance to get at another ACC defense this weekend.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is sweating his film study of this week’s opponent. The Hokies’ coaching staff knows that one bad day at the office really could lead to an upset. Vigilance is going to be the buzzword for Virginia Tech as it tries to rein in ECU’s explosive offense.

On the other side of the ball, Logan Thomas will be stepping into a modest but still appreciably bright spotlight in this game. The successor to Tyrod Taylor as the Hokies’ next ballyhooed quarterback will be asked to beat an opponent with more heft and stature than Appalachian State. ECU’s defense has to find a way to rattle Thomas in this road game for the first-year performer. If Thomas doesn’t make poised and thoughtful decisions under fire, ECU could build an early lead, make the Hokies sweat, and force Thomas to leave his comfort zone. An upset is genuinely possible, but Mr. Thomas and the rest of the Virginia Tech offense will have the final say. East Carolina probably won’t get shut down in this game, but the Pirates’ big problem is, as always, their lack of strength on defense, especially in the front seven. If Virginia Tech can play muscular football and run at will between the tackles, East Carolina will have to score touchdowns on all its possessions to have a realistic chance at a victory.

Virginia Tech Hokies vs East Carolina Pirates Preview