GREENVILLE — East Carolina should be well prepared for its first game of the season as it takes on an Old Dominion team that bears a striking resemblance to the Pirates on both sides of the ball.
Old Dominion, who will make the leap from the FCS to Div. I’s Conference USA next season, will take the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m. attacking behind its own high-powered spread offense.
“There’s not much (of a difference between the offenses),” ECU’s fourth-year coach Ruffin McNeill said. “We both spread the football and have the ability to run it. We both have a mixture of designed running plays for our quarterbacks.
“When you look at it, they both play at a high tempo. That’s why it was good for us to continue to scrimmage.”
Last season Monarchs QB Taylor Heinicke was named the Walter Payton award winner, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman award, after leading the sixth-ranked Monarchs to an 11-2 record by throwing for 5,076 yards and 44 touchdowns.
ECU’s Shane Carden also showed a knack for airing it out as he threw for 3,116 yards and 23 TDs in 11 starts, as the Pirates finished 8-5 and advanced to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
“Both are dual quarterbacks and both lead their team,” McNeill said. “… Taylor is a good quarterback, and I like ours a lot too.”
On the other side of the ball, the Pirates will shift between a 3-4 and a 4-3 front and expect Old Dominion to do the same.
“They will be attacking and they will be multiple,” McNeill said. “They have the ability to play sub packages where they can play five DB and six DB concepts, by watching the film. Everyone does a little something different against us, but (their defense) will be an attacking style with multiple looks.”

And the winners are …
The Pirates had a few hotly contested position battles going on during the fall camp and on Monday ECU released a depth chart with a few surprises. Freshman WR Davon Grayson will get the starting nod at the X position and will be backed up by junior Cam Worthy.
At center, 6-5, 300-pound junior Taylor Hudson held off 6-2, 296-pound sophomore C.J. Struyk.
Senior running back Vintavious Cooper, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season is listed atop the depth chart with an ‘or’ connected to his name and sophomore Cory Hunter right under him.
Defensively, sophomore Joshua Hawkins is slated to start at boundary corner with junior Detric Allen backing him up.
On the defensive line, 6-3, 323-pound freshman Fredrick Presley worked his way to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart at defensive end behind senior starter Lee Pegues.

Injury report
East Carolina will start the season with freshman ILB Drayvon Fairley (knee), freshman DB Terrell Richardson (knee) and junior OL Marquis Wallace (knee) on the sideline as each has been declared “out” for Saturday’s game.
Junior RB Breon Allen (leg) and senior DE Justin Dixon (knee) were both listed as “probable.”