Pirates Compete In Full Gear For First Time

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina progressed to another phase of its spring practice schedule with a brisk and determined two-hour workout in full pads at the Cliff Moore Practice Complex on Friday afternoon.

Second-year Pirate head coach Scottie Montgomery guided the Pirates' first full-contact session in seasonable conditions after working in shorts and helmets Monday and Wednesday. The outing was the first of 12 which will be conducted in pads, including a pair of scrimmages and the Purple-Gold Spring Game on April 22.

"There was exceptional energy on both offense and defense today," Montgomery said. "I know I've said this before, but our depth was even more apparent with contact. We're deep on each side of the ball and that's also giving more people an opportunity to compete obviously."

Emphasis on execution remained at the top of Montgomery's objective list, despite the addition of equipment Friday. After completing skill position one-on-ones and seven-on-seven pass skeleton drills, ECU closed the practice with an extended 32-minute team-on-team segment that stressed tempo, blitz pick-up and elements in the running game.

"It was good to see the offense bounce back a little after Wednesday's practice," Montgomery added. "They did a nice job moving the ball during team, but at the same time, I was happy with the way the defense played during our three-yard 'going in' period."

ECU returns to action Monday and will follow with workouts on Wednesday and Friday before conducting its first scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

NOTES:

Senior Devin Carlos, who played in three games as a special teams contributor (two tackles) and as a reserve inside linebacker in 2016 for the Pirates, has been moved to the tight end position ... Carlos joined the ECU program in the fall of 2015 after transferring from St. Augustine's in Raleigh ... Sophomore Hussein Howe and junior Devin Anderson split carries with the No. 1 unit during the team phase and each broke off runs over 20-plus yards ... Anderson was also on the receiving end of a 45-yard reception ... Senior Quay Johnson hauled in a 25-yard slant pass for a TD, while junior Malik Gray caught a 55-yarder for a score from junior Gardner Minshew.

EAST CAROLINA'S 2017 SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Next Workout: Monday, March 27 (4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.)

Remaining Workouts: March 29, March 31, April 1 (scrimmage), April 3, April 5, April 7 (scrimmage), April 10, April 12, April 19, April 21 and April 22 (Purple-Gold Game, 2:00 p.m.)