TB Marvin Townes

2003 Statistics

Coach: John Thompson
1-11, 1 year
2003 Record: 1-11
at Cincinnati LOST 3-40
WEST VIRGINIA LOST 7-48
at Miami FL LOST 3-38
at Wake Forest LOST 16-34
HOUSTON LOST 13-27
NORTH CAROLINA LOST 17-28
at Army WON 38-32
LOUISVILLE LOST 20-36
at Memphis LOST 24-41
SOUTH FLORIDA LOST 37-38 (2OT)
at Tulane LOST 18-28
SOUTHERN MISS LOST 21-38


2003 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR

2004 Outlook

Since 1997, East Carolina has won seven games or more only twice. John Thompson's first season in Greenville was ECU's worst in 47 years. But JT is a very positive, enthusiastic and upbeat guy who truly believes he will turn this program into not only a mid-major power, but also an eventual national power. He has the perfect formula to do so too- stifling defense and a wide-open passing offense. Only problem is, he has neither yet.

The defense will perform better than people will give them credit for early on. Remember, Thompson has built elite defensive squads with relatively bare cupboards at Arkansas, LSU, Florida, and even C-USA rival schools Memphis and Southern Miss. He has brought in some JUCO help and converted offensive speed over to "his" side of the ball, so they'll be able to hang with most of their opponents. It's the offense that will need some attention.

The Pirates must get back to their QB tradition to get this ship going again. That was the biggest thing Steve Logan took away from this program two years ago. We don't see the same wisdom in Noah Brindise- not yet anyway. While Pinkney has the job now, Patrick Dosh and even incoming freshman Davon Drew will see snaps in 2004. The new offensive line will be given a break with the new system not relying too much on long, sustained blocks up front. Still, the system will take time- we think about eleven games or so.

Don't give up on Thompson just yet. If Brindise is the right fit, this program will quickly be right back on the map, competing with (and knocking off) some of the college football giants. But 2004 is another story, as three wins are all we can realistically anticipate.


Projected 2004 record: 3-8
CB Erode Jean
EAST CAROLINA
*POWER RATINGS
Offense
Defense
QB - 2.5 DL - 1.5
RB - 4 LB - 3.5
WR - 1.5 DB - 3
OL - 1.5 ..
RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: Desmond Robinson, 201-133-11, 1262 yds., 3 TD

Rushing: Marvin Townes, 258 att., 1128 yds., 8 TD

Receiving: Marvin Townes, 23 rec., 176 yds., 2 TD

Scoring: Marvin Townes, 10 TD, 60 pts.

Punting: Ryan Dougherty, 64 punts, 44.5 avg.

Kicking: Cameron Broadwell, 12-18 FG, 23-25 PAT, 59 pts.

Tackles: Chris Moore, 148 tot., 100 solo

Sacks: Ike Emodi, 4 sacks

Interceptions: Erode Jean, 2 for 53 yds.

Kickoff returns: Damarcus Fox, 18 ret., 20.9 avg., 1 TD

Punt returns: none

 

EAST CAROLINA
OFFENSE - 4
----RETURNING STARTERS----
DEFENSE - 7
KEY LOSSES
OFFENSE: Vonta Leach-FB, Terrance Copper-WR, Doug White-C, Brian Fox-OG, Brandon Pope-OT, Corey Schmidt-OT, Brian Rimpf-OT, Richard Hourigan-WR
DEFENSE: Kent Nealy-LB, Travis Heath-ROV, Damane Duckett-DT, Eric Foushee-DT, Richard Moton-FS
2004 OFFENSE

Quarterback
ECU's quarterback play was horrendous in 2003. Three players shared the duties, combining for only six passing TDs against 17 INTs!! Ugh. As a result, John Thompson hired former Florida QB Noah Brindise to coordinate the offense. Brindise, who has been studying under Steve Spurrier for the last seven years, vows to bring a wide-open offense with multiple looks and formations. The guy operating this package will be James Pinkney. Pinkney has good size and improved arm strength from last season. He upseats last year's starter, Desmond Robinson, who's more of a threat with his feet than his arm. Florida transfer Patrick Dosh has definite ability- he's the state of Virginia's all-time leading passer- and, with practice time, will push Pinkney in the fall.

Running Back
Brindise's new offense depends a lot on the running game to accentuate the air attack. Seniors Art Brown and Marvin Townes form Conference USA's top one-two punch out of the backfield. While Brown missed last season with a knee injury, Townes stepped in and ran for 1128 yards and eight TDs, earning him second team all-conference honors. Both sat out the spring to recuperate, which allowed Bobby Tillman and Tyrece Hayden the bulk of the carries, giving the Pirates solid depth behind the line.

Receiver
Improved quarterback play will rely a lot on how far the receivers advance from last year. Starters Damarcus Fox and Kevin Roach assembled only ten catches between them, but will see much bigger roles in the new offense. Roach provides a good-sized target (6'4") and Fox has the speed to open up a defense. The Pirates will use about six or seven receivers regularly in order to keep fresh and wear out opposing defenses through the air. Lacking size, this group won't win many physical battles. They'll need sharp, quick passes, to allow them to get in the open and stretch the field.

Tight End and Offensive Line
TE Josh Coffman showed promise in his freshman season, but will have to take a backseat to JUCO transfer Shawn Levesque. Not only athletically gifted, Levesque is a smart kid who can act like a second QB on the field.

The offensive line will be given new life by taking away four starters from a pathetic unit last season. The Pirates endured 32 sacks and many more hurries than their struggling QBs could handle. Pass protection will be priority one. Senior Charlie Dempsey anchors the middle of that line, but success will bank on tackles Eric Graham and James Myrick. They'll need to sew up the outside and keep defenders out of the ears of the QB. If these five guys play well, productive results will follow.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Noah Brindise has his work cut out for him. These players will be seeing their third new offensive system in three years, so getting them to learn and run it efficiently could take some time. "Our offense is very difficult to defend. You will see a lot of different looks offensively with a lot of different formations, getting the ball to a lot of different people in our offense". Those are pretty confident words out of John Thompson's mouth. Any offense is difficult to defend if it is run without error. If the Pirates are to succeed, they'll need to take care of two things- the football, and their quarterback. Failing at even one of those tasks would be handicapping to this unit.

 

QB James Pinkney

 

EAST CAROLINA 2004 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
OFFENSE
QB James Pinkney-So (6-3, 208) Desmond Robinson-Sr (5-10, 207)
Patrick Dosh-So (6-2, 225)
FB Jermarcus Veal-Jr (6-0, 242) Kort Shankweiler-So (6-2, 235)
TB Marvin Townes-Sr (6-0, 194) Art Brown-Sr (5-9, 207)
WR Damarcus Fox-Sr (5-8, 177) Will Bland-So (5-9, 182)
Edwin Rios-Sr (5-8, 169)
WR Kevin Roach-So (6-4, 209) Bobby Good-So (6-1, 171)
Brian Howard-So (6-2, 166)
TE Shawn Levesque-Jr (6-4, 260) Josh Coffman-So (6-4, 238)
OT Eric Graham-So (6-6, 307) Joel Renuad-Jr (6-7, 325)
OG Charlie Dempsey-Sr (6-3, 300) Trey Magee-Jr (6-4, 294)
C Hunter Wood-So (6-3, 275) Hagen Mason-Sr (6-1, 308)
OG Gary Freeman-Jr (6-1, 322) Drew Sutton-So (6-4, 280)
OT James Myrick-Jr (6-4, 271) Thomas Wigenbach-So (6-5, 289)
K Cameron Broadwell-Sr (6-3, 200) Nate Steinbacher-So (5-10, 202)

 

2004 DEFENSE

Defensive Line
DT Guy Whimper, a major in construction management who ironically excels at destroying opposing blockers and ball carriers, returns for his second stint as a starter along the defensive line. He and classmate Richard Koonce will give opposing linemen troubles with their athleticism along the right side of that line. Shauntae Hunt was once heavily recruited by the Pirates and, after a couple of years of struggle, is now ready to prove to fans why he was brought to Greenville. A bit of inexperience in this area, so incoming freshmen and redshirts will get a look in the fall.

Linebacker
It seems the only thing Chris Moore can't tackle is the national budget. In two years as ECU's middle linebacker, Moore has tallied 220 takedowns, 23 of which were for loss, while roaming the field. We expect yet another stellar year in the middle. Ike Emodi and former RB, Dashaun Stephens team to take the outside. Josh Chilsom started on the outside at times last year, but was not listed atop the depth chart after spring workouts. The Pirates are switching to a more base 4-3 defense, so some responsibility will be taken off the LBs in terms of creating a pass rush, but these guys will need to pick up the slack and take advantage of the holes created from double-teaming Moore.

Defensive Back
The secondary took its lumps at times last year, but overall they performed reasonably well against the pass. Three starters return, headed by sophomore Erode Jean. As a true freshman, Jean came up with 50 tackles, while successfully defending nine passes and picking off two. He's a track star in pads, with great leaping ability and as a former receiver, he has a good sense for what his counterparts like to do. JUCO transfer Zach Baker is a solid addition to an already sound unit. The Pirates were 31st nationally in pass defense, allowing just 199 yards through the air. We expect similar (if not better) numbers this season with the help of a deeper group, especially at safety.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Switching from a 3-3 defense to a 4-3, theoretically helps make this a stronger unit against the run, where the Pirates flat-out stunk last season (105th nationally). Through the spring, this change has brought some profit. The defense has done a good job of keeping everything in front of them, preventing the big play, and making tackles early. Working against their new offense in practice will continue to sharpen their secondary skills, while developing a better pass rush to compliment. Conference USA is slowly becoming a clone of the WAC, where defending the pass is the key to winning ballgames. In that sense, ECU will hold their own.

 

LB Chris Moore

 

EAST CAROLINA 2004 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
DEFENSE
DE Shauntae Hunt-Jr (6-5, 266) Craig Harper-Fr (6-3, 246)
NG Dontre Brown-So (6-1, 285) Lance Neisz-So (6-3, 275)
DT Guy Whimper-So (6-5, 271) Mike Horner-Fr (6-3, 270)
BAN Richard Koonce-Jr (6-0, 214) Michael MacDonagh-So (6-3, 240)
SLB Ike Emodi-Sr (6-4, 231) Josh Chilsom-Jr (5-10, 220)
MLB Chris Moore-Jr (6-1, 220) Eric Butler-Sr (6-1, 235)
WLB Dashaun Stephens-Jr (5-11, 232) Pierre Parker-Fr (6-2, 200)
CB Donald Whitehead-Sr (5-10, 177) Bernard Sintim-So (5-8, 169)
CB Erode Jean-So (5-9, 177) Markeith McQueen-Jr (5-9, 174)
ROV Kyle Chase-So (5-9, 200) Mickey McCoy-So (6-0, 185)
FS Zach Baker-Jr (6-1, 207) Kasey Ross-So (5-11, 160)
P Ryan Dougherty-So (6-1, 211) Woody Schmidt-Jr (6-3, 185)

 

 

2004 SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
Cameron Broadwell enters his senior season as an outside contender for the Lou Groza award. That might surprise some, but he's added a bit of distance to an already accurate leg. Everyone talks about a dark horse candidate for the Heisman- he's our Groza dark horse.

Punter
When Steve Logan recruited Ryan Dougherty, he claimed he had the strongest leg he had ever seen. Dougherty's numbers last year did nothing to disprove that declaration, averaging 44 yards a punt. He also gives the Bucs a great kick-off specialist and a deep field goal artist.

Return Game
Damarcus Fox didn't have eye-popping numbers returning kicks last year, but he did take one 94 yards to the house. He'll team with either Bobby Tillman or Marvin Townes for said honors this fall. Fox will also see time catching punts, unless Edwin Rios surpasses him like coaches hope he will.