East Carolina Football Spring Practice Update:High School Coaches Clinic going at ECU

Courtesy of Tom McClellan SID East Carolina University……

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Pirates Prep For First Scrimmage At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

EAST CAROLINA SPRING NOTEBOOK NO. 7

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina officially completed preparations for the program’s
first intra-squad scrimmage of the season with a shells-only workout on Hight Field
inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex Friday afternoon.

The session was ECU’s seventh of the spring period and leaves just eight more to go,
including the annual Purple-Gold Spring Game set for April 14.

Unlike the majority of past spring contests, third-year head coach Ruffin McNeill is
planning to keep Saturday’s version short with only 40-to-50 scripted plays to
address situational work. The Pirates will observe a split schedule in the morning,
conducting individual and special teams drills at the practice complex before moving
over to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for a skeleton segment and the scrimmage. On the other
hand, the game will feature a full officiating crew and game-day head-set
communication from the pressbox to field level between McNeill, coordinators Brian
Mitchell (defense) and Lincoln Riley (offense), and other coaches similar to
previous seasons.

“Our continued development with an emphasis on fundamentals and schematic
installation has been our top priority and objective so far this spring,” McNeill
said. “With that said, I feel this particular team has benefitted significantly from
that approach and those elements remain critical to our growth.

“While I’m looking forward to seeing us play in a live competitive environment,
we’re at a stage where fundamental attention on all three sides of the ball and the
continued installation, most notably on our special teams unit, need as many reps as
possible.”

During the Pirates’ 11-on-11 team session Friday, where focus was placed on first
down calls for both the offense and defense, junior Rio Johnson stepped back into
the quarterback rotation and completed 12-of-16 passes for 114 yards and a
touchdown. Sophomore Shane Carden connected on all six of his pass attempts and
recorded the longest toss of the afternoon by finding Derrick Harris with a
23-yarder.

ECU’s defense kept the pressure consistent as freshmen linemen Johnathon White and
Terrell Stanley, along with junior outside linebacker Derrell Johnson and senior
outside linebacker Chris Baker, each recorded stops that resulted in lost yardage.
Johnson also netted the day’s only turnover, recovering a fumble during the early
stages of the action.

After the completion of Saturday’s scrimmage, which is closed to the public, ECU
will take Sunday off before opening its third week of work Monday, April 2.

NOTES: Freshman IR Donte Sumpter (right knee), freshman OLB Montese Overton
(illness) and senior ILB Daniel Drake (illness) will be sidelined for Saturday’s
scrimmage … Sophomore DE Chrishon Rose’s (ankle) status is questionable after
missing the last three workouts … Over 100 coaches representing high school
programs in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia arrived on campus Thursday
night to participate in ECU’s three-day coaching clinic, which feature offensive,
defensive and strength/speed presentations by all members of the Pirate staff,
including Assistant AD for Strength and Conditioning Jeff Connors … In addition to
observing Friday’s practice, the high school coaches will also be in attendance
during Saturday’s contest.

EAST CAROLINA’S 2012 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Next Workout: Saturday, March 31 (10:30-11:30 a.m./practice complex, 11:30-12:45
p.m./Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium)
Remaining Workouts: April 2, April 4, April 6, April 7 (scrimmage), April 9, April
11 and April 14 (Purple-Gold Game, 2:30 p.m.)