THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100512
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENVILLE, N.C. LENGTH: 104 lines
The rain was falling so hard that East Carolina coach Steve Logan was afraid ``there were going to be a couple of drownings'' on the bottom of the pile.
Footing? Forget about it. The field was a sea of mud.
Yes, conditions were terrible when East Carolina played South Carolina Sept. 21.
Which made conditions ideal for ECU's Scott Harley.
With clumps of grass and mud flying from his cleats, Harley ran for a school-record 291 yards against South Carolina in a 23-7 ECU win. He carried a slick football 41 times and fumbled just once. He recovered it and gained three yards.
``The weather didn't affect me that much,'' Harley said. ``I'm from New Jersey.''
No matter the weather tonight when the Pirates host Southern Mississippi, the forecast calls for plenty of carries for Harley, the latest in a string of workhorse backs for ECU.
``We have to run the ball,'' Logan said. ``If we don't have our 150 yards running the football, it's going to be a long day at the office.''
Harley will exceed that total himself, if he reaches his average. Through four games, the sophomore from Neptune, N.J. is averaging 159.5 yards per game, fifth in the NCAA.
Of course, nearly half his season total came against the Gamecocks, on a night when Harley nearly was the Pirates' offense. Quarterback Marcus Crandell completed just 5 of 20 passes, and other Pirate runners managed just 17 yards on the ground.
``Scott was probably the best type of back to have in that game,'' Logan said. ``If we'd had Jerris McPhail, with his 4.3 speed, he would have been slipping and sliding all over the place.''
McPhail was the Pirates' leading rusher a year ago. He's now with the Miami Dolphins. Prior to McPhail, the team's go-to guy was Junior Smith, East Carolina's all-time leading rusher.
Harley will remind Pirate fans of neither.
``He's a different type of back than we've had here in the last few years,'' Logan said.
Harley doesn't have McPhail's speed or Smith's shake-and-bake elusiveness. He's a north-south runner, compact (5-10, 200 pounds) and durable.
``Scott's a straight-ahead guy,'' Logan said. ``Maybe we should hope it rains every week.''
To hear Harley tell it, it was raw and rainy a lot in Central Jersey. That didn't stop him from running for 4,953 yards and 76 touchdowns in four years at Neptune High.
``In 35 years, he's the best I've ever coached,'' Neptune coach John Amabile said. ``He moved the chains.''
Harley was heavily recruited after his junior year, but Amabile said several schools backed off during his senior year.
``Our own state university, Rutgers, backed off,'' he said.
Word had gotten around that Harley was a step slow, Amabile said. He traced the rumors to one coach in the ACC.
ECU never backed off, however. The kid with the Jersey accent visited barbecue country and loved it.
``I didn't know anything about the school. It just seemed like everybody was sticking together, the coaching staff and the players,'' Harley said. ``I just really wanted a chance to play. Some guys go to big-name schools but don't get on the field.''
Harley had to wait his turn behind McPhail, but made the most of the opportunities he got last season. When McPhail missed the Temple game with an injury, Harley ran for 175 yards on 38 carries.
Now, Harley has sole possession of one of the best jobs in college football: the lone back in ECU's one-back offense.
``Because we're a one-back team, that particular guy is going to touch it at least 26 times a game,'' Logan said. ``If he gets four yards per carry, that's 100 yards.''
Logan has no fears of wearing Harley out.
``He could carry it 40 times. He did carry it 41 times against South Carolina, and he wasn't tired.''
Harley attributes his endurance to ECU's strength-training program. Amabile said he was just as tireless in high school, however.
``He's tremendously focused,'' he said. ``He knows what he wants to try to accomplish.''
Harley won't discuss personal goals. He says he's not doing anything any of the Pirates other backs couldn't do, given the chance.
Harley also says all the right things about the Pirate offensive line. But he puts his money where his mouth is. Last season, he took several of the behemoths out for dinner. He's planning to do the same this season.
``Steak house,'' he said. ``I know, I've got my work cut out for me.''
Southern Mississippi at East Carolina.
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Ficklen Stadium (35,000) in Greenville, N.C.
Records: Southern Miss 4-1, ECU 3-1.
TV: ESPN2.
Radio: WVAB, 1550-AM.
Outlook: This game could determine which team receives a bid to the Liberty Bowl. The Pirates need to run the ball to keep a blitzing Southern Miss defense honest. Southern Miss averages just 269 yards per game, 10th-worst in the NCAA. To shake up the offense, the Golden Eagles will start third-string quarterback Lee Roberts. East Carolina's defense has allowed just 23 points in the last three games. The Pirates have won two straight over Southern Miss, including a 36-34 win last year. ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Scott Harley, fifth in the NCAA with 159.5 runshing yards per game,
got a school-record 291 vs. South Carolina. by CNB