HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—Last season, Marshall and East Carolina went into double-overtime in Greenville, NC in a game that featured a combined 124 points. Neither team could stop the opposing offense. That was 2012 and in 2013 Marshall’s defense has vastly improved. The Herd is second in Conference USA in scoring defense, fourth in rushing defense, and third in total defense. So don’t expect East Carolina to throw 65 points on the scoreboard like it did last year, even though, like Marshall’s offense, its main weapons are back and putting up huge numbers.
Junior Quarterback Shane Carden is the heart of the offense. He has directly accounted for 71 percent of the Pirates’ touchdowns since he became the starter. He’s collected seven games of 400+ yards passing and has a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive games. Coach Doc Holliday says Carden makes plays happen.
“Carden gets the ball out of his hands extremely quick. They do a great job with him and he can beat you with his feet if nothing opens up downfield. He can break containment, break out of the pocket and people are missing sacks on him.
“He’s a little bit like Cato. When he gets out on the perimeter his head doesn’t go down, his eyes go up. He makes plays when kids shouldn’t make plays. When plays break down into a scramble situation is when Carden is at his best.”
Carden can make plays with his feet. He’s tied for the team lead with nine rushing touchdowns. Defensive back
“He made a lot of progress since last year. He likes to sit in the pocket and make something happen. We’ve got to contain him because if he gets outside he’s going to make something happen,” knows defensive back Monterius Lovett.
Carden is averaging 365 yards per game has 32 touchdown passes on the season and he doesn’t rack up the big numbers by flinging the ball downfield. East Carolina has just three passes of 50 yards or more. The Pirates will gain yards in chunks as they push the ball down the field. Carden has hit 19 different receivers in 2013. But his favorite has been Justin Hardy.
Hardy is sixth nationally averaging 8.6 receptions per game. He hauled in 10 passes against Tulsa and has caught three balls in each of his 34 starts. Defensive back Darryl Roberts says Hardy is similar to Rakeem Cato’s favorite target.
He’s like Tommy Shuler to his team,” said cornerback Darryl Roberts. “We’ve just got to do a good job of containing him the whole game and limit what he’s been doing to other teams.”
Defensive Coordinator Chuck Heater says Carden will look for Hardy when the pocket starts to break down.
“It’s kind of like Cato and Shuler. He throws the ball before he even comes open,” says defensive coordinator Chuck Heater. “When in a crunch Hardy is a guy he’s going to try to get the ball to.”
East Carolina has not had to rely too much on the running game, but the Pirates are balanced enough to keep defenses honest. The Pirates are 12th in C-USA with 126.5 yards rushing per game. However,
Vintavious Cooper rushed for 148 yards last week against N.C. State and rolled up 186 yards on the ground vs. North Carolina.