Classic Rewind Preview: ECU, NC State Battle In 24th Annual Peach Bowl ('92)

Depth Chart | Roster | Position Breakdown

GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 12 East Carolina (10-1), the winner of 10-straight games, will square off against in-state rival No. 21 NC State (9-2) on Jan. 1, 1992 in the 24th Annual Peach Bowl at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Scouting ECU's Rushing Offense (by Mike Grizzard, The Daily Reflector)
With East Carolina attacking primarily through the air, the running game in 1991 became more of a side dish to complement quarterback Jeff Blake. But even in a limited capacity, the Pirates got solid production on the ground – thanks to a veteran offensive line led by senior center Keith Arnold and junior left tackle Tom Scott.

Using primarily a one-back set with a number of players rotating according to the situation, the Pirates compiled 1,429 net rushing yards, an average of 129.9 per game. Junior Cedric Van Buren handled the bulk of the work with 90 carries for 351 yards. Senior David Daniels, a punishing runner, had 335 yards on 61 carries.

The speed and elusiveness of senior second-team All-America selection Dion Johns was exploited on reverses and in the option game. Johnson led East Carolina with an average of 6.9 yards per carry. For the season, he had 37 carries for 225 yards and two touchdowns.

Blake is also dangerous on the option and scrambling out of the pocket.

In short-yardage situations, ECU turns to Daniels, senior Michael Rhett or redshirt freshman Damon Wilson. Rhett, the brother of Florida's Errict Rhett, had 116 yards on 29 carries. Wilson had 82 yards on 34 attempts, but leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five. True freshman Junior Smith also made a contribution with 152 yards on 42 carries.

Scouting ECU's Passing Offense (by Mike Grizzard, The Daily Reflector)
East Carolina Head Coach Bill Lewis likes balance in his offense, but he made no mistake he would be catering to the strong right arm of Jeff Blake in 1991. And did the strategy ever pay off.

Blake set 32 school records this season. The Sanford, Fla., native has completed 203 of 368 passes (55.2 percent) for 3,073 yards. He has 28 touchdown passes and has been intercepted just eight times. Early in the season Blake had a string of 158 consecutive passes without an interception. He had five games with more than 300 yards passing and had three games with at least four touchdown passes.

Blake's big season was made possible in part to an excellent corps of receivers that continually came up with clutch catches.

Senior Hunter Gallimore, a former walk-on who had just 17 career receptions coming into the season, had perhaps the most surprising season of all and established single-season school records in receptions (49) and receptions yardage (881). Gallimore had eight TD catches.

Senior tight end Luke Fisher had 48 catches for 686 yards and four touchdowns; senior wide receiver Dion Johnson had 40 receptions for 743 yards and four touchdowns; and junior wide receiver Clayton Driver has 28 catches for 464 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Junior college transfer Ronnie Williams was an added bonus and came up with 17 catches for 167 yards. Cedric Van Buren was the top receiver out of the backfield with 11 receptions for 129 yards, including three for touchdowns.

Scouting ECU's Rushing Defense (by Mike Grizzard, The Daily Reflector)
With a rash of early-season injuries up front, stopping the run was a big concern for East Carolina coming into the 1991 season. But the Pirates have survived with a bend-don't-break style.

A big reason was senior All-America linebacker Robert Jones. A Butkus Award finalist, Jones anchored a defense that surrendered 148.8 rushing yards a game. He recorded double-digit tackles in nine of 11 games en route to 151 stops (104 solo) for the season.

Ken Burnette, small but aggressive, has given ECU strength at the other inside linebacker and was third on the team in tackles with 77. Defensive tackle Greg Gardill, the lone veteran up front, provided leadership and some big plays, including 11 tackles for losses.

Before the season, ECU lost lineman Alex Henderson (suspended), Scott Norman (back injury) and Mike Bystol (left team after recurring hamstring injuries). Junior College transfer Ziam Cunmulaj missed three games with a knee injury, and Derek Taylor sat out five with a broken foot.

Sophomore Dealton Cotton performed well in replacing Cunmaulaj, registering 32 tackles. Sophomore Jeff Cooke, true freshman Tony Howard and senior Tony Wordham rotated at the other tackles. Cunmulaj and Taylor are back in the lineup and are 100 percent. For the season Cunmulaj had 23 tackles, eight of which were for a loss.

Junior strong safety Greg Grandison (100 tackles), defensive end Jerry Dillon (75) and cornerbacks Chris Hall (74) and Greg Floyd (43) also have been busy.

Scouting ECU's Passing Defense (by Mike Grizzard, The Daily Reflector)
The debut was not what head coach Bill Lewis had hoped for his pass defense. But it wasn't something he feared.

Injuries to projected starters Travis Render and Derrick Fields forced Lewis to shuffle players around in the secondary and two rookies found themselves at cornerback. Illinois quarterback Jason Verduzco had a field day and threw for 352 yards in a 38-31 victory.

Cornerback Anthony Freeman joined the injured list after the Illinois game with a broken hand. After his injury, Lewis moved senior Chris Hall, ECU's best cover man, to corner from free safety. Hall had been moved from corner to safety after Render was injured.

Sophomore Greg Floyd retained the starting job at right corner. Junior college transfer Greg Grandison established himself as the starter at strong safety and redshirt freshman Fred Walker stepped in at free safety.

Grandison, a physical player, recovered two fumbles and came up with a team-high four interceptions. He returned one pickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Virginia Tech. Floyd returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown.

East Carolina picked off seven passes in its final two games and had 18 interceptions for the season.

Giving the defensive backs a hand has been an improved pass rush. The Pirates produced 38 sacks for the season. Defensive end Bernard Carter led the team with seven and one-half. Defensive tackle Greg Gardill has six.

Scouting ECU's Special Teams (by Mike Grizzard, The Daily Reflector)
The play of the special teams has always been of special importance for East Carolina Head Coach Bill Lewis and his staff. Practice begins with a concentration on special teams and players are constantly reminded that approximately one of every five plays in a football game comes on special teams.

In 1991, East Carolina excelled.

Senior punter John Jett was among the nation's best with an average of 42.2 yards on 48 punts. The Pirates had a net putting average of 35.4 yards.

Sophomore placekicker Anthony Brenner got off to an excellent start and hit 13 of his first 16 field goal attempts, but he's missed five of his last six. He has hit from 50 and 51 yards this season. Brenner also made 40 of 41 PAT kicks.

East Carolina's biggest weapon on special teams was speedy Dion Johnson, a second-team All-American, who returns punts and kickoffs. Johnson averaged 21.3 yards per kickoff return and 6.2 yards per punt return. He had a 101-yard kickoff return against Syracuse wiped out because of a penalty.

One the other side of the ball, the Pirates came up with three blocked kicks. Jerry Dillon blocked two field goal attempts and Fred Walker swatted away one.

The Pirates excelled on special teams defense as well, giving up an average of just 17.8 yards on kickoff returns and 9.0 yards on punt returns.

Classic Rewind Preview: ECU, NC State Battle In 24th Annual Peach Bowl ('92)

Related News

Related Videos

Footer