BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The ECU Pirates face an uphill battle this week. Coming off of a heartbreaking loss to UCF, the Pirates will now face a Florida team that is motivated to put on a good performance to give a good first impression for a new coach and staff.
All-time the Pirates are just 6-25 against current members of the SEC and 0-1 against Florida. ECU has lost seven of their last nine games against SEC foes. This season, ECU and Florida have one similar opponent in South Carolina. The Gamecocks came out victorious against both Florida and ECU but the Pirates dynamic duo of quarterback Shane Carden and receiver Justin Hardy shined.
Carden completed 32-of-46 (69.6%) passes for 321 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The two interceptions were tied for a season high. Hardy caught 11 of those 32 completions for 133 yards but was held out of the end zone.
The Pirates passing attack was potent in 2014. ECU had the third best passing attack in the country (367.3 yards per game) and their 47.4 passes per game were second in the country. If Carden is the vehicle for the passing game, Hardy is the motor and the wheels that keep it going.
Hardy’s average of 9.2 receptions per game made him the most targeted receiver in the country and his 110 receptions trailed only Alabama’s Amari Cooper. His nine receptions against Tulane on November 22nd made him the most prolific pass catcher — in terms of total number of receptions — in FBS history. Hardy followed up that performance with 21 catches over the next two games and currently stands at 376 career receptions. His 4,381 yards lead all current active players with the closest player — Florida State’s Rashad Greene — trailing by more than 600 yards.
Carden — a three year starter — has also cemented his name in the record books. Carden is the first ECU player in school history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons and is the first to amass 3,000 passing yards in three seasons.
This season Carden also surpassed David Garrard — probably the most successful quarterback in ECU history prior to Carden — for the school record in total yards, with Carden’s 11,831 besting Garrard’s 10,238.
Carden and Hardy have connected for 27 career touchdowns and, you guessed it, that stat also leads the nation.
The Gators secondary is young but they’re battle tested. The final game of the season could provide their tallest of the year.