A PAIR OF DYNAMIC DUOS

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1 A PAIR OF DYNAMIC DUOS Raleigh News & Observer Edward G. Robinson III December 29, 2010 WASHINGTON Often over Chinese buffet, East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis and wide receiver Dwayne Harris tried to talk about anything but football. Yet they are football players, and the subject flooded even their casual conversations. Endless exchanges about assignments - placement of passes or route running - set the foundation for the most productive quarterback-receiver combination in ECU school history. "Communication is key," said Harris, who with 93 catches set a school season receptions record and became Conference USA's most valuable player. The Pirates are counting on Davis and Harris communicating and connecting today during the Military Bowl against Maryland at RFK Stadium, just as the Terrapins expect quarterback Danny O'Brien to find wideout Torrey Smith. Over the past six games, the Maryland tandem has emerged as one of the most electrifying duos in college football. They torched N.C. State in their season finale for 224 yards and four touchdowns. As the Pirates and Terps meet for the first time, they will draw on the playmaking abilities of these featured offensive weapons. Here's a look at what these duos have accomplished this season and why they've been so effective: Pirates' pride The combination of Davis and Harris forced first-year offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to stretch his imagination this season with the Pirates' spread passing system. "We opened some things up," Riley said. "We did some things we hadn't done before. We found ways to take advantage of their strengths." With three-step drops, Davis has run a quick-strike offense that relies on short and intermediate passes. The Pirates are ranked seventh in the nation in passing yards per game (319.3). Davis, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior transfer, set school season records for attempts (552), completions (358), passing yards (3,699) and touchdown passes (36). It was an extraordinary season for Davis, who after earning the starting job in the fall closed out the regular season as the nation's leading point producer, responsible for an average of 22.7 points per game. He was named Conference USA's newcomer of the year and leads the nation with 29.8 completions per game. "He gets rid of it quickly," N.C. State defensive coordinator Mike Archer said. He's put the football into tight windows, drilling it or lofting it with accuracy. Davis has been most effective on second down, completing 62.9 percent of his passes for 66 first downs and 14 touchdowns.

2 Harris enters today's contest with a catch in 43 consecutive games - a streak that is the second longest among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. "He's a great route runner," Archer said of Harris. "He catches the ball in a crowd, and he's tough." Davis has found the 6-0, 205-pound receiver for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns. Harris became the school's all-time career leader in receptions (260) and yards (2,933). While the only receiver in school history with 2,000 career yards, he could reach another plateau today by becoming the first 3,000-yard receiver. The Pirates have used Harris across the line of scrimmage, from quarterback to running back to receiver. "He's done about everything," Riley said. "He's smart, though, he can handle it." Against North Carolina, Harris threw a touchdown pass. He's also been effective without the ball. "He's a great blocker," N.C. State cornerback Brandon Bishop said. Still, his first job is to catch. Harris pulled in a 76-yard bomb from Davis against Central Florida but is just as comfortable going over the middle for his quarterback. "Even though he gets me killed sometimes," Harris said. "It's cool. I'm willing to take those hits for him.... I want to make him look good, and he wants to make me look good, it's natural feeling." Terps' threat Maryland's O'Brien and Smith combined to set a single-game school record with four touchdown passes against N.C. State in a victory. Over the past four games, the quarterback and receiver have teamed for 28 receptions, 450 yards and five touchdowns. "They're both dynamic," ECU defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell said. "They're both playmakers." O'Brien is only one of five freshmen to start in Maryland school history. He took over as signal-caller against Florida International on Sept. 25 and has excelled. With patience, employing a five-step drop, the 6-3, 215-pound redshirt freshman has completed 179 of 315 attempts for 2,257 yards and 21 touchdowns. He's also scored a touchdown rushing and receiving. He's 6-3 in his nine starts, owning a passing efficiency rating of that is fourth-best in the ACC and fourth-best among all freshmen on FBS teams. Using a combination of a multiple-receiver and a power running system, Maryland has distributed the football to 12 receivers for touchdowns. None of them, though, is as feared as the 6-1, 205-pound Smith. "He's very strong," Archer said. "A lot of receivers aren't physical.... When you try to jam him, he's going to push you. And he's going to get open." The junior receiver has a team-leading 65 receptions for 1,045 yards and 12 TDs. Those 12 touchdowns catches rank first in the ACC and top Maryland's season record list.

3 This season Maryland has produced 76 plays of 20 yards or longer - and scored 18 times on those plays. Smith, while also known for his explosiveness as a return specialist, has contributed to those spirit-breaking plays, hauling in touchdown receptions of 60, 68, 71 and 80 yards this season. He's averaging 16.1 yards per catch. One more touchdown reception today would move him into fifth place all-time on the ACC season list. In his six wins as a starter this season, O'Brien has yet to throw an interception. He's found his man, often times it's Smith, open downfield.

4 PIRATES, TERRAPINS FACE OFF TODAY The Daily Reflector By Nathan Summers December 29, 2010 Ruffin McNeill made sure the customary bowl game for the East Carolina football team didn't go missing this season. Today in Washington, D.C., the first-year ECU coach can start a new custom of winning those bowl games. The 6-6 Pirates have a chance to reverse a two-year postseason slide when they play Maryland at 2:30 p.m. in the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium. We're going to Washington, D.C., for one thing, and that's to win the football game, McNeill said in the buildup to today's game. We'll enjoy the required bowl festivities and events, but we are preparing, and the whole thought process is to win the football game. McNeill is the first-ever ECU head coach to take the Pirates on a bowl trip in his first season. He'd like to take it one more step by beating the 8-4 Terrapins, who will be playing for 10th-year head coach Ralph Friedgen, the ACC Coach of the Year who was fired by the school last week but will man the sideline for the Terps one last time today. This season, Friedgen guided his team to one of the biggest turnarounds in college football, winning eight games after going 2-10 last season. A critical loss at Central Florida on Oct. 30 put the Pirates behind in their quest for a third straight Conference USA title, and they ended the regular season by taking a shelling at Rice and then enduring a home overtime loss to SMU to even their record at 6-6. Knowing they weren't guaranteed to be one of the 70 teams in the bowl postseason, and that today's game gives ECU a shot at its fifth consecutive winning campaign, has been an inspiration for the Pirates. To be chosen to play in any bowl game is an honor, McNeill said. When you notice it is when you're not chosen for one, and I've been in that situation. While he knows what it's like to miss out, it's been a while since he's had that feeling. Dating back to the beginning of his decade-long tenure at Texas Tech until now, McNeill is set to be a part of his 12th straight bowl today. That includes a memorable moment for McNeill last year, when he took over for fired Red Raiders coach Mike Leach and guided TTU to a win over Michigan State at the Alamo Bowl in his first-ever game as a head coach. Ironically, it was Leach who was the lead candidate to replace Friedgen at Maryland early last week. There are 35 bowls, there are only 70 teams playing in bowl games and we're one of them, and I feel very proud about that fact, said McNeill, who prefers the bowl system to the idea of a playoff in college football. To be chosen to play a bowl game and be one of only 70 teams practicing at this time, it's an honor for us. For 18 Pirate seniors, it's their fourth bowl game, and it's the fifth straight for ECU. But the Pirates haven't won a bowl game since shocking Boise State at the 2007 Hawaii Bowl. The following season, the C-USA champion Pirates were sluggish in the second half at the Liberty Bowl, and Kentucky rallied to win the game. Last season, senior ECU kicker Ben Hartman had a bad end to his stellar career, missing two potential

5 game-winning field goal tries late in the fourth quarter and another in overtime in an eventual heartbreaking loss to Arkansas at the Liberty Bowl. The Pirates' bowl run began with a loss to South Florida at the 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., making ECU 1-3 in that span. It's a blessing to be in any bowl, so we didn't care which bowl or who we played, said senior linebacker Dustin Lineback, the Pirates' leader in tackles with 111. We're just happy to have another game. The only focus is to win this one game. In order to win it, Lineback and the Pirate defense, ranked 120th nationally in total defense with an average of yards yielded per game, will need a total team effort. The Terps' offense is funneled through freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien from Kernersville, who took over the starting job for the last nine games of the season and has 21 touchdown passes and 2,257 yards with just six interceptions. Like the Pirates, Maryland is talented on the other end of the pass game too, as junior receiver Torrey Smith has 65 receptions for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns. Senior Adrian Cannon has added 36 catches for 324 yards and a TD. Junior Davin Meggett (658 yards, four TDs) and senior Da'Rel Scott (529 yards, three TDs) lead the Terrapin rush attack. They'll present a spread offense to us, but they also have the capability of going big with two tight ends and pounding the rock at you a little bit, McNeill said of the Maryland offense. Joining Lineback in the effort to stop Terps will be senior linebacker Melvin Patterson (87 tackles), junior strong safety Bradley Jacobs (76 tackles, three interceptions, six pass breakups) and senior defensive tackle Josh Smith (62 tackles, 10 TFL, two sacks). The story of the season for ECU was its dazzling offense, which under the guidance of 27-year-old coordinator Lincoln Riley and junior passer Dominique Davis rewrote the program's single-season record book. The Pirates ended the regular season with the seventh-best pass offense in the nation (319.3 yards/game) and the 22nd-best total offense (445.5 yards/game). Davis will be adding today to the best single season in Pirate quarterback history with 3,699 yards and 36 TDs. He couldn't have done it without senior mainstay Dwayne Harris and junior newcomer Lance Lewis catching the ball in virtually every situation. Harris, the Pirates' all-time leading receiver, will end his decorated career by adding to his 93 receptions for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Lewis set an ECU single-season record with his 13 TDs to go along with 78 catches for 979 yards. Senior back Jon Williams has been rock solid, playing all 12 games, rushing for 846 yards and also finishing third on the team with 48 receptions for 439 yards. In all, he has 11 touchdowns entering his final game. The Maryland defense is led by senior linebacker Alex Wujciak (112 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups), junior defensive back Kenny Tate (94 tackles, eight TFL, three interceptions, 3.5 sacks) and sophomore defensive tackle Joe Vellano (42 tackles, 10.5 TFL, five sacks). As a unit, the Terp defense has amassed 74 tackles for loss, 27 sacks and has blocked six kicks this season. We know we're facing a team that on all three sides of the ball is very solid, McNeill said. They had one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation behind Miami of Ohio. They had a plus-six turnaround in wins going from two last year to eight.

6 PIRATES FAIL TO ANSWER THE BELL Bonesville.net By Brian Bailey December 29, 2011 WASHINGTON, DC East Carolina and Maryland didn't hook up during Military Bowl week until the official luncheon the day before the game. According to several players, the two teams almost came to blows just after that luncheon. That emotion spilled into game day, where the teams had to be separated during pregame warm-ups. One ECU coach told me the Terrapin players didn't respect the Pirates at all. That same coach was hoping that the Pirates would earn that respect in the Military Bowl. Unfortunately, all of that emotion was lost in a sea of penalties and turnovers. East Carolina finally got the offense cranked up in the second half, but then it was too late. This is a powerful Pirate offense if it doesn't get penalized. It is not an offense designed to pick up first downs when it takes 15 and 20 yards to move the chains. Fifteen penalties and four turnovers made it impossible to win this game. "We talked about execution," said ECU coach Ruffin McNeill after the loss to the Terrapins. "I thought we would be much better, especially on offense." The Pirates finish at 6-7 in Ruffin McNeill's first year. That's the danger that accompanies a 6-6 record going into a bowl game. It's really hard to believe the football season is over. The work for next year begins next week. Dominique Davis looks forward to his senior season. "We will have to build on this loss," he said. "It starts with winter conditioning and I know this team will work hard." I'm sure it was a long bus ride home on Wednesday night.

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