ECU knows it needs to swing big plays its way to win at App State

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - ECU and Appalachian State football meet Saturday in what is expected to be a sold out Kidd Brewer Stadium. It’s the first time they have met in Boone since 1979.

The Pirates are 0-2 to start the season. It has been a lack of big plays on offense paired with a few big plays surrendered on defense that has done in the Pirates so far. App State is capable and the Pirates know they need to turn the big plays their way to have success on Saturday.

“You can’t just start going doing your own thing just because they take the lead and the momentum in the fourth quarter,” says ECU head coach Mike Houston, “You still have got to have great gap integrity and you got to play together. When you don’t you give up big plays. We have got to evaluate what we are doing coaching-wise too to make sure we are putting them in the best situations.”

“You got to have short memory especially when you are a defensive back,” says ECU defensive coordinator Blake Harrell, “Move on to the next play because if you don’t it can affect several snaps. So you can’t let one bad snap turn into two bad snaps.”

“Try to not let it take too much air out but that is going to be a natural thing that happens,” says ECU linebacker Jeremy Lewis, “We was ready to go back out there. Offense was ready to take the field. They just gotta make plays and we have to go out and do our job.”

“We haven’t had nearly enough big plays. Last year we were 7th in the country with explosive plays,” says ECU offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick, “I don’t know what we are now but it has got to be close to last.”

It will be interesting to see how the Pirates create some plays this week and how big they can be.

ECU and App State play at 3:30 on Saturday in Boone. The game is being streamed on ESPN+ and we will have highlights and reaction in the late show on Saturday on WITN News.

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