MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Bill Stewart anticipates another strong showing from East Carolina’s quarterback Patrick Pinkney when the Mountaineers host the Pirates today.
Last year Pinkney finished 22 of 28 for 236 yards with a touchdown and East Carolina held West Virginia without a touchdown for the first time in seven seasons in a 24-3 win that propelled the Pirates into the Top 25.
“I really respect Patrick Pinkney,” Stewart said. “He is tough to get out of rhythm and the game plan goes through him.”
Pinkney was a big reason East Carolina knocked off ranked opponents Virginia Tech and West Virginia last year, completing a combined 41-of-51 passes. He ended the year on a high note, too, throwing for a season-high 296 yards in a Liberty Bowl win over Kentucky.
Then came last week’s head scratcher against Football Bowl Subdivision Appalachian State in which the senior completed just 12-of-27 passes for 131 yards with two interceptions. East Carolina was limited to two points after halftime in the 29-24 win.
Coach Skip Holtz didn’t appear to be overly cautious, other than to say he’s looking for overall improvement from his players.
“At the same time, I really like the attitude and where this team is right now,” he said. “I really feel good about where the players are. They were a little bit down after the game. They realize there are a lot of things we can do better and improve on. That’s where you want your football team to be.”
East Carolina would be in a unique position if it beats West Virginia (1-0). The Pirates have never won in Morgantown and have never beaten the Mountaineers two straight times. West Virginia leads the series 17-3.
There was a time when East Carolina was an annual afterthought to West Virginia’s preparations for Big East play.
Over a three-year stretch earlier this decade, the Mountaineers averaged 458 yards on the ground against East Carolina — Kay-Jay Harris had 337 yards alone to set a Big East rushing record in 2002.
Two years ago Pinkney was benched midway through a 48-7 loss at WVU. The Pirates managed just 29 yards of first-half offense and its longest gain all day was a 15-yard facemask penalty.
Then came last year’s 24-3 shocker, which knocked the Mountaineers out of the Top 10 and propelled East Carolina into the Top 25.
Cornerback Brandon Hogan wants to be part of West Virginia’s solution to Pinkney this time. It was the converted wide receiver’s lapse in judgment that resulted in a 35-yard pass play during an East Carolina touchdown drive.
“I’ve got to get back at them,” Hogan said. “They got a couple plays on me last year. It made me a better player all around because I wanted to show the coaches that I can make plays and that I wasn’t going to let stupid stuff happen to me like that again.”
Quarterback Jarrett Brown will be pressed to come up with the points that star predecessor Pat White couldn’t find against the Pirates last year, when West Virginia was held without a touchdown for the first time in seven seasons.
Brown said West Virginia went through “growing pains” last year under first-year offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen.
“Coach Mullen has a feel for what he wants out of us and I have a feel for what he wants,” Brown said. “They outtoughed us last year. Coach Mullen is going to call a different game; we know what we need to get done this time.
Like East Carolina, West Virginia is coming off an unimpressive win in its season opener. The Mountaineers scored on seven of nine possessions but four of those were field goals in a 33-20 win over FCS member Liberty.
“We did not play as smart as I would like for us to have played,” Stewart said. “We did not play dumb football. We just had a few communication breakdowns, and we need to play smarter.”
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