The general consensus appears to be that progress has been made, but not where it should have happened first, on defense.
Much has been made of head coach John Thompson’s credentials as a defensive genius, but for whatever reason that acumen has not been reflected on the field. So far, in two games, Pirate opponents have accumulated over 1205 yards. On Saturday, Wake Forest scorched the Pirate Defense for 584 yards. The result, ECU is currently tied with Toledo as the worst defensive team in Division 1-A.
It has been argued by some that the talent is not there to compete, but I have yet to hear even a suggestion or subtle hint of that being the case from either defensive coordinator Jerry Odom or Thompson. Maybe an open date will serve the ECU coaches and players well in shoring up the defense. We can only hope.