Saturday, November 13, 1999
No option for UC: Stop ECU's QB
Garrard can beat you with run or pass
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
University of Cincinnati coach Rick Minter, who knows something about quarterbacks (having a good one himself in Deontey Kenner), raves about the sophomore the Bearcats face today at No.24 East Carolina.
“David Garrard may be the most talented young quarterback in the conference,” Minter said. “He's a strong-armed, 6-foot-3 and 240-pound guy, a great thrower, but also a good runner.
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UC at EAST CAROLINA
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• Kickoff: 3:30p.m. today at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (47,700), Greenville, N.C.
• Records: UC 3-6 (0-4 in Conference USA) vs. ECU 7-2 (3-2).
• TV: Fox Sports Net
• Radio: WLW-AM (700).
• Series: ECU leads 10-2 (last: 1998, ECU 24-21).
• Line: ECU by 10.
• What to watch: The Bearcats' offense is hampered by not having any game-breaking speed at wide receiver. UC quarterback Deontey Kenner delivers the ball nicely, but can do only so much.
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“You can bring the heat and get all over his back and yet he's strong enough to stand in there and have you on his shoulders and still get the ball down the field. One thing we've got to do is make sure we wrap up the quarterback.”
Miami of Florida found that out the hard way six weeks ago.
ECU rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat the then No.9-ranked Hurricanes 27-23. Twice, ECU had third downs deep in its own territory and Garrard completed first-down passes with two defenders hanging onto him.
It was a huge victory for the Pirates because it catapulted them into the Top 25. More importantly, it lifted the spirits of the townsfolk, many of whose homes had just been ravaged by Hurricane Floyd.
ECU was supposed to host the Miami game at home in Greenville. But with power and water unstable at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the game was moved to Raleigh.
The Pirates practiced all week on the road, too. They had won at South Carolina while the hurricane was whipping through Greenville (the Tar River crested at 31 feet — 13 feet is flood stage) and so the Pirates stayed in Columbia to practice.
Garrard figures to break all the passing records of Marcus Crandell (Canadian Football League), who broke so many of the passing records of Jeff Blake (1988-91).
Garrard does a good job running the Pirates' option attack, but he's even more dangerous when he scrambles out of the pocket.
“He moves to his left to avoid the rush — but he can throw the ball 60 yards across the field,” Minter said. “He's the youngest, brightest star coming along in this league.”
The Bearcats face a tremendous challenge in stopping ECU's option attack, because of its versatility.
“The option is the play that keeps a lot of drives going,” Minter said. “It makes it a one-on-one game. You've got to respect it all — the inside run, the run-action pass, the quarterback who comes out with it, the pitch that extends the field horizontally and then trying to make a tackle in the open space on a good player.”
But it is ECU's defense which is going to give the Bearcats the feeling of deja vu.
“This game is a whole lot like Southern Miss,” Minter said.
UC lost to Southern Miss three weeks ago, 28-20.
“(ECU's) defense, if you allow it to, can cause you tremendous disruption,” Minter said. “We've proven we have to run the football to be a solid offense. And yet, that's what they try to do — deny you the running lanes and make you throw into a great zone coverage concept.”
The Pirates have plenty at stake since they were stunned 36-17 by UAB last week in Birmingham.
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 No option for UC: Stop ECU's QB
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