Offense Bounces Back In Second Scrimmage

August 19, 2017 | Football

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – Quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Thomas Sirk each led a balanced ECU offense on scoring drives Saturday morning during a contained scrimmage on Bagwell Field inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that also marked the end of the Pirates' preseason camp.

Defensively, cornerback Chris Love tallied a team-high seven tackles and inside linebacker Jordan Williams added six stops.

"We played a much cleaner scrimmage today, which you expect as camp goes along," second-year head coach Scottie Montgomery said. "Offensively we responded in a major way running the ball. I liked what I saw from Tyshon (Dye), Derrell (Scott) and Hussein (Howe) coming out of the backfield. I thought our quarterbacks did a good job of taking care of the football for the most part.

"Defensively, we did make some plays and had a pair of takeaways, including an interception on third down. The guys up front were aggressive, running to the ball and playing until the whistle. We had a bunch of special teams emphasis today, and it was good to see our starters out there for a lot of special teams work. All in all, it was a good day and a much cleaner scrimmage."

Minshew (11-of-16, 156 yards) and Sirk (10-of-16, 93 yards, one interception) took turns running the Pirates' offense, completing a combined 21-of-32 passes for 249 yards. After the defense held the offensive group scoreless during the first-and-10 period, Sirk scampered in from eight yards out in the redzone phase for the first score of the day. Minshew led ECU on its second and final scoring drive during the full series session, crossing the goal line on a one-yard run. Dye had a 44-yard jaunt down to the 34 before Minshew connected on a 16-yard pass to Mydreon Vines. Scott got the offense to the one on a six-yarder before Minshew's scoring plunge.

The Pirates, who averaged 5.5 yards per rush, got a game-high 60 yards from Dye on six carries, while Scott added 38 yards on six rushes. Dye also caught one pass out of the backfield for seven yards to finish the day with 67 total yards.

Jimmy Williams, who sat out last week's contest for precautionary reasons, caught four passes for 88 yards - including a 55-yarder from Minshew on the second snap of the first-and-10 phase. Vines hauled down seven balls for 63 yards, while Tahj Deans (three catches) and Malik Gray (two) each had 30 yards receiving.

Gaelin Elmore, Bobby Fulp, Cannon Gibbs, Raequan Purvis, Devon Sutton and Ray Tillman each registered four tackles on the day, while Demage Bailey (-3 yards) and Gibbs (-3 yards) added stops for lost yardage. The defense also forced two turnovers, one coming on a Dedrick Hawkins interception and the other on Shaun James' fumble recovery.

Saturday's practice, the 15th and final of camp, consisted of a 10-minute flex period, individual group drills, special teams work and 45 minutes (61 plays) of scrimmage time.

Single-game, three-game mini packs and season tickets for all ECU homes games are still available to Pirate Nation and can be purchased by calling the ECU Athletic Ticket Office at 252-737-4500, through the Online Ticket Center (http://bit.ly/1Qad0dc), or by visiting the ECU Athletics Ticket Office. For all the latest ticket information, follow the ECU Ticket Office on Twitter (@ecuathletictix).

FALL No. 2 SCRIMMAGE STATISTICS

RUSHING: Tyshon Dye (6-60), Derrell Scott (6-38), Thomas Sirk (5-18, 1 TD), Hussein Howe (2-16), Darius Pinnix (5-13), Quay Johnson (1-11), Gardner Minshew (4-4, 1 TD). Totals –– 29-160, 2 TD (5.5 ypr).

PASSING: Gardner Minshew (16-11-0, 156 yards), Thomas Sirk (16-10-1, 93 yards). Totals –– 32-21-1, 249 yards (65.6%).

RECEIVING: Mydreon Vines (7-63), Jimmy Williams (4-88), Tahj Deans (3-30), Malik Gray (2-30), Quay Johnson (1-15), Jayden Borders (1-8), Tyshon Dye (1-7), Stephen Baggett (1-7), Derrell Scott (1-1). Totals –– 21-249.

TACKLES: Chris Love 7 (PBU), Jordan Williams 6, Gaelin Elmore 4, Bobby Fulp 4, Cannon Gibbs 4 (TFL/-3 yards), Raequan Purvis 4 (QBH), Devon Sutton 4, Ray Tillman 4, Demage Bailey 3 (TFL/-3 yards), Tim Irvin 3, Da'Andre Beverly 2, Dedrick Hawkins 2 (INT/0 yards), Tyree Owens 2, Travis Phillips 2, Aaron Ramseur 2, Austin Teague 2, Brandon Henderson 1, Shaun James 1 (FR/0 yards), Davondre Robinson 1.

TOTAL OFFENSE/TOTAL DEFENSE: 61-409 (6.7 ypp)

FUMBLES/LOST: 3/1

INTERCEPTIONS: 1 (Dedrick Hawkins)

PENALTIES: 5 (2/OFFENSE – 2 false start; 3/DEFENSE – 3 offside)

SCORING:
Thomas Sirk 8-yard run (redzone phase)
Gardner Minshew 1-yard run (full series phase)

SPECIAL TEAMS (FGAs):
Jake Verity (2-of-4) – 32 made, 44 made, 33 miss, 52 miss
Caleb Pratt (2-of-3) – 32 made, 52 made, 44 miss