Offense Starts Clicking in Thursday's Scrimmage
August 21, 2003 | Football
True freshman running back Robert Tillman carried 18 times for 114 yards and senior wide receiver Terrance Copper had six catches for 106 yards, including receptions of 33 and 27 yards.
First-year head coach John Thompson considered Thursday's scrimmage important from an evaluation standpoint.
"We got a lot accomplished today," he said. "We wanted to put them under the gun and in some pressure situations and the way things worked out, I couldn't be more pleased. We had some guys who really stepped up and did some things. Our offense moved the ball down and both teams did a great job in the two-minute [drill]. Our defense played hard and did some good things, but we have to tackle better. We've accomplished a lot and I think we know where we are right now."
Both of ECU's junior quarterbacks battling for a starting role, Desmond Robinson and Paul Troth, had productive days. Robinson completed 16 of 21 passes for 197 yard and one touchdown while suffering one interception. Troth was 8-of-13 for 103 yards and no turnovers.
"We're going to really look at this scrimmage hard and see what happened. From the sideline, I thought both of them really played well. They did some good things and converted some third downs and protected the football. We'll go back and study it and if [a starter] comes out of that, fine; if not, we'll keep rolling. I have confidence in both these guys. If we name a starter, I still think the other one will play against Cincinnati, also."
Aside from some bobbled snaps and holds, the kicking game also looked effective. Punters Ryan Dougherty and Woody Schmidt both averaged about 41 yards per punt while seeing extensive action. Dougherty also accounted for a touchdown pass when he salvaged a bad placement by rolling out and making a completion to fullback Vonta Leach.
Four kickers saw action with junior Cameron Broadwell appearing to have the edge on the starting job, according to Thompson.
"Cam has really kicked well," he said. "We put him in a situation yesterday where we'd cut practice [short] if he made three in a row, and he made three in a row, so our guys are really excited about him. Cam has really stepped up and is doing a good job."
Defensive highlights of the day included a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown by sophomore cornerback Jared Brogden, a sack and a tackle for loss by senior tackle Damane Duckett, and a fumble forced and recovered by sophomore linebacker Chris Moore.
The Pirates will now turn their attention to their season-opening opponent, defending Conference USA co-champion Cincinnati. ECU will face the Bearcats in Cincinnati on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1, at 12 noon in a game televised by ESPN.
Another two-a-day itinerary awaits the team on Friday.
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Individual Statistics
RUSHING -- Tillman 18-114, Fain 16-61, Hatcher 5-12, Dougherty 2-5, Veal 2-3, Townes 1-3, Troth 7-(-10), Robinson 5-(-13).
PASSING -- Robinson 16-21-1 197, Troth 8-13-0 103, Pinkney 0-1-1 0.
RECEIVING -- Copper 6-106, Rios 4-47, Hatcher 3-27, Bland 2-28, Roach 2-13, Fox 1-24, Wright 1-17, Townes 1-14, Hatcher 1-8, Fain 1-7, Harris 1-7, Leach 1-3, Shankweiler 1-2.
PUNTING -- Schmidt 8-42, Dougherty 7-41.
