Pirates Eye Scrimmage With Light Workout
August 17, 2007 | Football
Aug. 17, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina Head Coach Skip Holtz put the finishing touches on his team's final preparation effort for Saturday's scrimmage with a light practice session in shorts and helmets Friday night on Hight Field inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex.
All levels of the Pirates' current personnel list are expected to be utilized during the contest at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, which is open for all ECU fans and the public to attend at no charge and precedes the 13th Annual Meet The Pirates Night. Holtz also indicated that the scrimmage is tentatively scripted for a minimum of 70 to 75 plays.
"This one will be the real deal in full game conditions, ones-on-ones, twos-on-twos and threes-on-threes with the balls and chains out," Holtz explained. "We need to put our entire offense and defense together, continue to stress the importance of third down and work on our physical and mental development in a game mode. There's no doubt it's a big test and a pivotal step in developing our depth chart heading into the Virginia Tech game."
Unlike Wednesday and Thursday's sessions that saw the Pirates total over 150 plays during extended team-on-team work, East Carolina spent the majority of Friday's practice conducting mostly individual polish drills and some special teams reps. Holtz also hoped the light workout would serve as a rejuvenating tool to recharge batteries prior to the scrimmage.
"There's still a lot of competition out there," Holtz said. "We've got people fighting for starting jobs, backup jobs and even special teams positions. I look forward to seeing how they respond to both the challenges and opportunities that will be waiting for them Saturday."
NOTES: Gate 7 will open for the 13th Annual Meet The Pirates Night at 5:00 p.m. with dinner to follow at 5:30 p.m. under the north stands ... Following dinner, a photo and autograph session with ECU coaches and players will take place on Bagwell Field starting at approximately 6:30 p.m. ... 2007 posters and schedule cards will be given away while media guides and officially-licensed ECU souvenirs will be available at special promotional pricing ... Fans can attend the photo and autograph session at no charge but must also enter the stadium through Gate 7 beginning at 6:30 p.m. ... The Pirates will take just their second day off Sunday before conducting its final two-a-day schedule Monday morning and evening, and breaking camp after Tuesday's practice ... Saturday's Scrimmage Time: 2:30 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.; Season Opener: Sept. 1 at Virginia Tech (12 noon).
