A low-scoring game in Conference USA?! Huh! Who’da thunk it? Unfortunately, the low score wasn’t so much the result of great defensive play as it was poor offensive play. Neither team’s quarterbacks played very well, due in no small part to poor pass protection by both team’s offensive lines. Central Florida had every opportunity to win this game, but wound up handing to East Carolina on a silver platter with turnovers at the end.
Central Florida
78 Patrick Brown OT ’09 6’ 5” 290lbs 5.20 – didn’t stand out as much in this game as he did last week against Tulsa, but he still played pretty well. Pretty mobile. Doesn’t let his man get near the QB. At least walls off in the run game, and against the lesser competition he faces in C-USA, he often does more than just that. Grade – slightly positive.
19 Joe Burnett CB ’09 5’ 10” 183lbs 4.50 – had a quiet game statistically, with only one solo tackle and one assist and four punts returned for forty yards. However, it was obvious that East Carolina was trying to avoid him getting his hands on the ball at all costs. The Pirates hardly ever threw to his side of the field. They kicked away from him on kickoffs. They punted eight times, with Burnett returning the aforementioned four. Two others were touchbacks. I think the effort both East Carolina this week and Tulsa last week put into trying to avoid Burnett speaks volumes about the respect he’s receving. Quite frankly, now that I’ve seen him play three games, I think if he were two inches taller and a tenth or two tenths of a second faster on the stopwatch, we’d be talking about him in the same breath as Malcolm Jenkins and Vontae Davis. Grade – slightly positive
31 Johnell Neal CB ’09 5’ 9.5” 176lbs 4.50 – picked on a lot as ECU tried to avoid Burnett. Held up well, recording six solos, two assists, a pick and a PBU. Not in Burnett’s class, lacking his “electricity” (for lack of a better word), but solid nonetheless. Worth taking a flyer on late on the second day off the draft. His biggest flaw this day was going after the big hit but failing to wrap up. He did it time and again, and it cost him on several plays. Grade - neutral
29 Sha-Reff Rashad S ’09 6’ 0” 197lbs 4.60 – see below
45 Jason Venson S ’09 5’ 10” 208lbs 4.60 – Rashad and Venson are pretty similar players in terms of talent level. Neither is going to remind you of Ronnie Lott, but they won’t remind you of Jimmy Williams, either. Venson is the free safety and Rashad is the strong safety. Venson had the bigger day this time around, recording 7 solos, 1 assist, a sack, a forced fumble, and a TFL, but Rashad added a PBU to go with his 3 solos and 3 assists. If I had to choose between the two, I’d go with Venson first, but keep in mind we’re talking about late second day picks or perhaps even UDFAs, here. Grade - neutral
East Carolina
24 Dominique Lindsay HB ’09 5’ 10” 210lbs 4.60 – as far as I could tell, Lindsay did not play in this game. I am not sure why. He is still listed on the Pirates’ roster on their website, yet I did not hear him mentioned by the games announcers among the injured or suspended players missing this game. Apparently he is simply that far down on the depth chart. Grade – N/A
10 Jamar Bryant WR ’10 6’ 2” 208lbs 4.50 – DNP due to suspension. Grade – N/A
3 Davon Drew TE ’09 6’ 4” 254lbs 4.80 – a former QB who attempted a pass this day, but it wound up incomplete. Looking at the throw, I’d say he’s more than just a little rusty. Caught six balls for 86yds with a long of 27yds. Dropped one ball, but generally displayed good hands. Started off slow, doing most of his damage in the second half. Stayed in a lot to help in pass protection and looked pretty decent there. Also showed well enough run blocking, showing a bit of pop and sustaining his blocks. Definitely not a burner or a threat to stretch the seam, but runs decent routes and knows how to find the soft spots in the zones. Worth a mid-round pick and could become a #2 TE in the NFL. Grade – slightly positive
92 Marcus Hands DE ’09 6’ 5” 281lbs 4.90 – DNP due to injury. Grade – N/A
97 Linval Joseph DT ’11 6’ 6” 312lbs 5.46 – despite his listed dimensions, he doesn’t immediately strike you as the big mama-jama like Terence Cody does. Seems to play quicker than his listed forty time. Saw a lot of double teams, and fought through them fairly well. Tallied a solo, a sack, and a TFL. Doesn’t show great moves or hand use right now, relying pretty much on just his bulk to get by. Could be something eventually, but right now he needs to stay in school. Grade - neutral
50 Quentin Cotton LB ’09 6’ 2” 226lbs 4.76 – DNP due to injury. Grade – N/A
34 Pierre Bell LB ’09 6’ 2” 231lbs 4.70 – the defensive star of the show for the Pirates. Rang up 7 solos, two assists, a sack, a TFL, a PBU, and a QB hurry. Decent in coverage. Leaps well. Good tackling form. Physical. Pretty instinctive. Got busted for a roughing the passer penalty where he either didn’t hear the refs yelling “ball away” or chose to ignore them. Build would suggest the weakside in the pros, probably best suited in a Cover Two. No Aaron Curry, but certainly worth drafting. Grade – positive
Notes – keep an eye on ECU HB Norman Whitley (# 33 2011 5’ 9” 188lbs 4.46). Ran for 135yds and a score on 28 carries. Not even targeted in the passing game and not used in the return game, either. Straight-linish, showing little wiggle and only a limited repertoire of moves. Nonetheless, he’s fast, has a tremendous burst, and runs with power all out of proportion to his size. If he shows he can catch and / or return kicks and / or punts, he’s got a future as a 3rd-down back in the NFL.