Promising quarterback Kurt Benkert became the first casualty of the new East Carolina football coaching staff earlier this week. Benkert, who learned his trade from the likes of Shane Carden and former offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, was poised to take the keys to the Pirates’ offense last season, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the summer.

Fast-forward to this spring. Months of rehabilitation afforded Benkert the opportunity to again take the field with his teammates. He was ready to start preparing for the upcoming season, but new competition arose in the form of transfer quarterback Philip Nelson.

The duel between the two signal callers unfolded in front of the ECU faithful April 16 at the annual Purple-Gold spring scrimmage. It didn’t disappoint. Benkert connected on 12 of his 25 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also scampered in for another score, too.

Not to be one-upped, Nelson amassed 231 passing yards, completing 13 of his 24 throws. First-year coach Scottie Montgomery was hesitant to say which quarterback stood out to him more, adding that he would have to review the tape from the day.

Benkert is slated to earn his bachelor’s degree in business administration on May 6.

While many fans were excited to see what Carden’s protégé could do leading ECU’s offense, there shouldn’t be much concern about Nelson taking control instead. He matched Benkert tit-for-tat throughout spring workouts and also has two years of starting experience with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Nelson played in 18 games for Minnesota between 2012 and 2013. His numbers weren’t particularly impressive: an even 50-percent completion rate, 2,179 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was running a balanced system that ran the ball as much as it passed it.

More over, Minnesota didn’t have the same talent at receiver that ECU does. The most prolific pass catcher that Nelson linked up with was A.J. Barker, who finished the 2012 season with 577 receiving yards. No Golden Gopher receiver cracked the 500-yard threshold in 2013.

Nelson had all kinds of talent around him during the spring game. Wideouts Trevon Brown and Davon Grayson were already on the radar, but he and Benkert also spent the afternoon targeting newer faces like Brandon Bishop and Terrell Green. All four receivers finished with at least 80 yards.

The aerial offense was on display without ECU’s best receiver on the field. Isaiah Jones, who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, was the lone Pirate to amass 1,000 receiving yards last season. He did so in the less than stellar quarterback carousel that featured Blake Kemp and James Summers.

He got acquainted with many of these targets while sitting out last season in compliance with NCAA transfer regulations. With the new coaching staff comes a new offensive system. If the spring is any indication, Nelson seems to be grasping it fine.

It’s a shame to see Benkert wait patiently for a turn to run the offense that never came. Pirate fans should continue looking forward to next season because the offense is still in good hands.