Pirates Conclude Preseason Camp With Scrimmage
August 24, 2004 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. ?? Sophomore quarterback James Pinkney completed 18-of-22 passes for a game-high 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns to highlight East Carolina's final full intra-squad scrimmage of preseason camp Tuesday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
"The scrimmage was a faster paced practice than we've had," said head coach John Thompson. "It was crisp. We did have some turnovers, but we created some turnovers. We gave up some big plays, but we made some big plays."
"Overall, I felt like it was a very good day. We got out of camp without any major injuries and now we're going to turn our attention toward West Virginia."
In a game which matched the Pirates' top offensive and defensive squads facing off against respective second units, Pinkney's efforts were aided by a team-best 49 rushing yards from senior tailback Marvin Townes. Senior quarterback Desmond Robinson topped ECU's second team offensively with 99 yards and a score on 9-of-17 passing.
Defensively, East Carolina allowed just 71 ground yards on 42 carries ? an average of just 1.7 yards per carry. In addition, the Pirates forced five interceptions, recovered a pair of fumbles and recorded a safety when junior linebacker Chris Moore dropped tailback Edwin Burke in the end zone during the "first-and-10 from the one" segment of the scrimmage.
Pinkney hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Robert Tillman on a 46-yard scoring strike during the early stages of the action before also connecting with fellow sophomore wide-out Bobby Good on a 24-yard TD toss. Robinson completed his only scoring pass of the full-length portion of the contest to junior wide receiver Bryson Bowling for 21 yards.
After spending his freshman season at running back, Robert Tillman was recently converted to wide receiver and saw his first action at the position this afternoon. Tillman had been nursing a minor injury and just recently returned to the practice field.
"We felt that he could really help this team at wide receiver," stated Thompson. "He's going to be a playmaker for us. We're not surprised that he's a good player, but I'm surprised that he is as good as he is right now. He has caught the ball well and done an excellent job of running his routes."
Sophomore wide receivers Brian Howard and Will Bland topped all pass catchers with 64 and 49 yards on five and four receptions, respectively. Burke added 35 rushing yards on six attempts.
East Carolina also converted four of its opportunities during the scrimmage's separate goal-line phase, using three-yard runs by Townes and Chris Johnson while also getting a pair of three-yard TD receptions from Johnson and Kort Shankweiler.
Senior kicker Cameron Broadwell headed ECU's special teams effort, successfully converting all eight extra-point attempts.
ECU will return to practice on Wednesday afternoon following the first day of classes. All practices are closed to the public for the remainder of the season.
Statistical leaders:
Rushing: Marvin Townes (10-49), Edwin Burke (6-35), Chris Johnson (10-12), Devon Drew (1-6), Jermarcus Veal (2-5). Totals ? 42-71 (1.7 ypr).
Passing: James Pinkney (22-18-2, 206, 2 TD), Desmond Robinson (17-9-2, 99, 1 TD), Patrick Dosh (5-4-0, 29), Partick Pinkney (6-3-0, 17). Totals ? 52-35-5, 357, 3 TD.
Receiving: Brian Howard (5-64), Will Bland (4-49), Robert Tillman (1-46, TD), Shawn Levesque (3-37), Bryson Bowling (4-34, 1 TD), Bobby Good (2-31, TD), Chris Johnson (3-22), Iverick Harris (3-18), Kort Shankweiler (2-17). Totals ? 35-357, 3 TD
Kicking: Cameron Broadwell (8-8 PATs, 47-FGA missed, 31-FGA missed).
