Sometimes seasons change on a hunch.
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz had been trying to find a way to break through on Virginia Tech all afternoon last Saturday. Even a game-tying touchdown wasn't, well, a game-tying touchdown. With the Pirates trailing 14-13 after a TD, Holtz watched the Hokies block the extra point and return it for a defensive 2-pointer.
 | |
|
Skip Holtz was in a mood to celebrate ... (AP) |
"Can we ever get out of this hole?" Holtz asked himself.
Two East Carolina punt returns had produced middling results, so in the fourth quarter special teams coach Vernon Hargreaves suggested a block.
"Against Virginia Tech a year ago we tried to block every one," Holtz said. "We didn't even come close. We couldn't have thrown a rock at them and hit them."
That was last season, a tough 17-7 road loss after which Holtz gathered his players around him and told them where the program was headed.
"Remember," he said, "what this atmosphere is like. Remember what losing on this field feels like. You belong on this field. You lined up and showed you can compete with some of the best teams in the country.
"But we won't earn the respect of these teams unless we beat one of them."
A week later, the Pirates beat North Carolina and embarked on an 8-5 season that ended with a Hawaii Bowl win over Boise State. Saturday's comeback against then-No. 17 Virginia Tech made it back-to-back wins over ranked teams for the first time in Conference USA history.
But that's getting ahead of the story. Holtz and the Pirates have plenty of work to do with No. 8 West Virginia coming to Greenville, N.C.
Hargreaves was around for that on-field Virginia Tech talk. He had been in Holtz's first staff at Connecticut, then left for Miami and won a national championship. In his first season at East Carolina in 2007, he helped coach the nation's No. 1 all-purpose runner, Chris Johnson.
Hargreaves suggestion worked last week. Holtz had been riding receiver T.J. Lee for a couple of penalties. Then the senior burst through and perhaps changed East Carolina's season -- and national perception. His block, scoop and score was the winning play in the 27-22 victory.
The directional school from Greenville now finds itself on the cusp of the big time -- at least for a week. A victory over the Mountaineers could push the Pirates into what is shaping up to be a crowded non-BCS field jockeying for a BCS bowl berth.
Utah (Michigan), Fresno (Rutgers) and East Carolina (Virginia Tech) overcame significant obstacles in Week 1 to stay in the discussion. BYU, the non-BCS favorite, plays at Washington this week.
Since 2004, three teams have broken through to play in BCS bowls: Utah, Boise State and Hawaii. If East Carolina does it, it would easily be the least known. The Pirates also like to think they could be next. The school plays "up" in the non-conference thanks to collaboration between Holtz and AD Terry Holland. The Pirates are 5-7 against BCS conference schools (5-3 against the ACC) since Holtz arrived. That's essentially one-third of Holtz's games coming against BCS conference competition.
Holland got the hype ball rolling by giving Holtz a lengthy extension shortly before this season. Holtz already had rescued the program from the nightmare of the John Thompson era (3-20 in 2003-04). The Pirates won five, seven and eight in Holtz's first three seasons. Last season's total was the most for the program since 2000.
Holtz then built a team that is incredibly balanced this season with 17 seniors, 19 juniors, 18 sophomores and 18 freshmen. One of those juniors, quarterback Rob Kass, was suspended for that 2007 Virginia Tech game. Patrick Pinkney took his first snaps in that game, alternating with Brett Clay. That explains why there were only seven points that day and a potential upset left in Blacksburg.
In the revenge game Saturday in Charlotte, Pinkney, now solidly the starter, missed only four of 23 throws and put up 211 yards.
After the upset, Skip's famous father popped up on the screen. Lou Holtz proclaimed that someday he would be known as Skip's dad, instead of Skip as Lou's son.
"If I tried to fill his shoes, I'd look like Bozo the Clown," Skip said.
Maybe Bozo Jr. Everyone has an opinion about Lou.
The Holtzes, they can talk. In that sense, Skip is like his dad. If Lou wasn't a coach, he could sell you a used car. The public loves it. It happened at Notre Dame, it happened at South Carolina. Now the son is making it happen in Greenville.
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is sold out for what could be the biggest win in school history. All 22,000 season tickets were sold out last year. There's still a lot to overcome for the Pirates. Conference USA is the first hurdle. A division title would be nice. Central Florida and Tulsa remain the powers.
As much hype as there is surrounding the West Virginia game, the Mountaineers hold the psychological advantage. The Pirates were barely competitive in last season's 48-7 loss, surrendering 599 yards. Patrick White hasn't slowed down, coming off a career-high five touchdown passes against Villanova in the opener.
"I don't think we can win this game 7-3," Holtz said dryly.
Maybe on a blocked punt?
Read the rest of Dennis Dodd's national notes on his Dodds and Ends blog.
