ECU preparing for scrimage

Published in Sports on March 22, 2007 2:44 PM

• Print
• Email

GREENVILLE -- After a shaking off some rust Monday following a 10-day layoff, East Carolina conducted another two-hour workout on Hight Field inside the Cliff Moore Practice Complex Wednesday afternoon and completed preparations for its first official intra-squad scrimmage Friday.

The session was the Pirates' seventh practice of the spring period and leaves just eight more workouts to go, including two scrimmages and the annual Purple-Gold spring game set for April 14.

"Right now, it's hard to see the big picture," ECU Head Coach Skip Holtz said. "We haven't been real sharp or crisp since getting back from the break. There's certainly a lot of talent and speed out there but we're not a very good team. It's been difficult to put it together because of our inexperience.

"There has been a lot of individual work done and now we're starting to put the team aspect together, which sometimes is a slow process. The key will be for us to make that transition from start to finish."

East Carolina continued to try and sharpen its team preparation for Friday's contest, working on various sets and schemes with different roster matchup designations.

For the second straight practice, the Pirates carried out many 11-on-11 drills which featured different variables in ECU's rushing and passing attack before ending the session with first-down-and-10 situations and field goal work.

Holtz indicated the scrimmage, scripted for over 100 snaps, would consist of a series of 10-play possessions for each unit and conclude with a set of goal line drills.

All levels of the Pirates' current personnel chart is expected to experience action for evaluation and game tape purposes.

"The (upcoming) scrimmages are important, especially for the younger guys," Holtz added.

"It's test day in the fact that we'll see how far we are mentally and fundamentally with coaches on the sideline. We need to make the pieces first before we can put the puzzle together."

After the completion of Friday's scrimmage, which is closed to the public, East Carolina will take the weekend off before opening its fourth week of work Monday, March 26.

-- ECU sports information