The East Central University football team will open the 2017 season on the road, Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. against Oklahoma Baptist at Crain Stadium at Hurt Complex.

Game Notes I Live Radio I  Live Stats I ESPN3 Streaming Link

So a preview is nothing without reviewing what happened the season before, so let's get the elephant out of the room and say yes the 2016 edition of the ECU football team finished 1-10.  However, what most people don't know is that team was riddled with injuries, especially at the quarterback position, where they were one play away from having to take a player out of a redshirt season.

Yet the year wasn't all bad, as David Moore became the sixth Tiger to be drafted by the National Football League, as he was the eighth pick in the seventh round (226 overall pick) of the 2017 Draft, selected by the Seattle Seahawks.  During his career at ECU, Moore recorded 2,776 receiving yards and 35 TDs, with both marks setting new career records.  He also recorded his first career rushing touchdown in the final game of his career.

The team didn't let the issues from last season effect Spring camp or dwell into this year.  The Tigers are a new and different team in more than just attitude though.  ECU has just 35 returners and 11 returning starters, with over 50 new faces on the roster.

"I've seen great effort this fall from the team," said head coach Tim McCarty.  "I'm seeing good chemistry, effort and hunger on the field so far during practice.  What I have seen has me really anticipating the beginning of the season and I'm very pleased with where we are at now."

And the start of that season will come quickly and with a larger than normal audience, as the Tigers are slated to have their first game of the season at Oklahoma Baptist (Sept. 2) streamed live on ESPN3 as part of an ongoing three-year agreement to highlight Division II athletics events.

"Any time you put your program out there where other people can watch it you want to make sure they look like they know what they are doing," McCarty commented.  "That is what we have been focusing on through camp, telling the players to get ready and make sure we know what we should be doing."

A second game in as many seasons streamed on ESPN3 is cause for excitement for the ECU program, school and Great American Conference and excitement seems to be a running theme for the coaching staff for the 2017 season.

So what are the coaches so excited about, well it all starts with the defense according to McCarty.

"I am really excited to see our defense as a group because there is a lot of speed and athletic ability on the field."

The reason for that excitement is that half of the Tigers returning starters come on the defensive side of the ball, with linebacker Camnik Campbell standing out as the lone returning All-GAC selection from the 2016 season.

Campbell earned All-GAC honorable mention honors after setting the single season tackle record with 125 in his first season at ECU.  The Houston, Texas, native recorded 53 unassisted tackles, 5.5 TFL (13 yards), 0.5 (three yards) sacks and two pass breakups in 11 games.

Joining Campbell as a returning defensive starters are defensive backs Vernon Johnson and Jamil Young, defensive lineman Josh Morgan and defensive end Jernell Sutherland.  Johnson and Young combined for 150 tackles, while Morgan added 63 and Sutherland netted 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

That leaves six starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, including two offensive lineman, two wide receivers and a tight end that converted from the offensive line.

With the departure of Moore, the rest of the wide receivers will get a little more action this season.  In 2016, Dezmon Jackson caught 39 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns, while Tre Harvey added 21 catches for 351 yards and three TDs.

"Our receivers are really fast and we are expecting big plays out of them on a consistent basis," added McCarty.

Running the ball will also be an option for the Tigers, as they return Tre'von Jackson who rushed 81 times for 285 yards and two touchdowns a year ago.

Dilland Gardner was a starter on the offensive line in 2016 and will move his talents to the tight end position for 2017.
"Dilland has done a great job in camp of stepping up and filling his new position," McCarty stated.

The Tigers also return two true offensive lineman in Spencer Damm and Judd Terry.

But one of the most important offensive positions for any team will have a new face this season, as the Tigers will again get a new quarterback.  The 2016 season was not favorable to the spot, as it was the one that saw the most injuries.  However, the ECU coaching staff was able to bring in a couple junior college transfers, had a redshirt freshman and added two true freshman to make the race for the starter better.

"With the competition we had for our starting quarterback spot we made sure we would have a solid player and that would allow them to have a chance to be great," said McCarty.

The battle ended at the end of camp, with junior-college transfer Noah Holle winning to starting role at quarterback.  Holle comes to ECU after two seasons at Santa Barbara City College where he helped the team finish second in the American Pacific League and an appearance in the Beach Bowl in 2016.  He recorded a 57 percent completion rate, 1,000 yards passing and 12 touchdowns.

"With Noah being named our starting quarterback we are excited," McCarty commented.  "Rayjohn Austin Ramsey is our back and we feel really strong about him as well.  But Noah beat him out during camp and that is the direction we are going into for game one."