Band On The Run

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Head coach Scottie Montgomery has provided a consistent and resounding answer the entirety of preseason camp when he's talked about what he wants out of the Pirates' running game this season.

No tackles for loss, keep turnovers at a bare minimum and the oft-mentioned four yards per rush.

A year ago, ECU managed just 3.3 yards per carry.

However, the Pirates found a rhythm in the second half of the season as Hussein Howe and Darius Pinnix got more and more playing time. Both are back in 2018 and expected to lead the way in the rushing attack along with senior Anthony Scott and redshirt freshman Trace Christian.

The coaches are looking for one to step up and be the workhorse, but they also know they'll need contributions from each.

"We're going to sit back as a staff and make a decision as to who we think that guy needs to be starting Sept. 1, and we're going to ride him," running backs coach Jason Nichols said. "But at no point are we not going to use those other guys. We're going to need them all."

Howe, a junior, led the team in rushing last year and had ECU's only 100-yard game with 108 on 14 carries in an overtime loss to Tulane. He finished the season with 419 yards on the ground, averaging 4.4 yards per rush, and also proved to be valuable catching the ball out of the backfield with 30 receptions for 219 yards.

"Not only can Howe catch it, but he runs well, he runs hard and he's pretty tough in protections," Nichols said. "He is a jack of all trades."

Pinnix played in all 12 games as a true rookie a year ago. He is known more as a bruiser, but he did have a season-long run of 57 yards against league champion UCF in Orlando. A receiver in high school, he also had nine catches for 49 yards last season. Nichols said people may not realize that about Pinnix, but he's probably just as good a pass-catcher as Howe.

"I'm confident with my hands and I feel like of all four of us, I have the best hands, but don't tell Hussein that because he really thinks he's the best," Pinnix quipped.

Although he didn't play last year during an unconventional redshirt campaign, Scott does have plenty of experience. He has seen action in 31 games and has 859 yards on the ground for his career. He has averaged 4.7 yards per tote.

In the 2016 opener against Western Carolina, Scott ran for 120 yards and added 90 more receiving.

"Scott has that dynamic, he definitely has that change of gear that we need," Nichols said. "He catches the ball fairly well, but we have to continue to work on his hands a little bit."

Christian was a standout in the Purple-Gold Game during the spring when he ran for 97 yards and all three of the Gold team's touchdowns as it won 21-14. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in high school.

"Trace is just a tough tackle," Nichols said. "He doesn't run like a bruising back, but he's a tough tackle because he's a bigger guy and it's hard for defenders to wrap him up. We have to continue to work on him to get his pad level down so he can become an even tougher tackle for defenders and not give his body up as much."

In the first scrimmage last Saturday, the rushing totals did not approach the four-yards-per-carry average. To protect the quarterbacks, there were no called quarterback runs, so the defense could key more on the backs.

"I'm not worried about it because I know when game time comes, we'll be ready," Howe said. "Our offensive line is doing great this year, and that's a big part of it."

"When you have an offensive line like we do, especially the way (offensive line coach Don Mahoney) has them playing, we'll get those four yards," Pinnix said.

The three players vying for time at quarterback — Reid Herring, Holton Ahlers and Kingsley Ifedi — are all mobile and move well. Pinnix added that he looks forward to having the quarterbacks more involved in the running game once the season gets going because it'll give him a chance to do something he loves.

"It gives me a great opportunity to get a crackback on someone," he said. "I'm looking for someone to take out, looking to make a big block for my quarterback."

Overall, there's an unmistakable positive attitude among the backs.

"Every day, we compete on and off the field," Howe said. "Our bond in that room is like no other. Whoever is in there, I feel like they'll get the job done."

"It starts with everybody being on the same page," Nichols said. "It's the line, it's the backs running the right tracks, and the quarterbacks making the right reads with what we have called. It's going well. We're doing a lot of good things on the practice field."

•The Pirates followed Wednesday's good practice with an even better one on Thursday.

After two consecutive days in full pads, they worked out just a little less than two hours in helmets only at the Cliff Moore Practice Facility.

"This was our best day of practice so far," Montgomery said. "We had a lot of energy, a lot of juice. This is the way we have to practice every single day moving forward."

- Joe Corley

Players Mentioned

Holton Ahlers

Trace Christian

Reid Herring

Hussein Howe

Kingsley Ifedi

Darius Pinnix, Jr.

Anthony Scott

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