ECU Prepares For First Scrimmage
March 30, 2005 | Football
Spring Notebook No. 8
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- After a sluggish performance a day earlier, East Carolina bounced back with a sharp two-hour workout at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Wednesday and finished preparations for its first official intra-squad scrimmage Friday afternoon.
The session was the Pirates' eight practice of the spring period and leaves just seven more workouts to go, including two scrimmages and the annual Purple-Gold Spring Game set for April 16.
"I thought today's practice was a crisp one and the kids were sharp mentally," Holtz said. "I believe we've come a long way in the last eight practices. There has been a lot of individual work done and now we're starting to put the team aspect together."
East Carolina continued to fine-tune its team preparation for Friday's contest, working on various sets and schemes with primarily its top three units of the depth chart. For the second straight day, the Pirates carried out many 11-on-11 drills which featured different twists in ECU's rushing and passing attack.
"We (coaching staff) want to see the units click a little more," Holtz added. "Yet, I'm pleased with the way the offensive line has been gelling and looking despite some of the depth problems we've had there."
Holtz indicated the scrimmage would consist of a series of 10-play possessions for each unit, regardless of the result of the drive, and that all levels of the Pirates' current depth chart would experience action for evaluation (game tape) purposes.
After the completion of Friday's scrimmage, which is closed to the public, ECU will begin work on down and distance drills as well as its red zone execution.
