ECU's Kass Makes the Most of Second Chance

WRALSportsFan

ECU's Kass Makes the Most of Second Chance

By Bethany Bradsher

Oct 17, 2007

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At the conclusion of East Carolina’s football practice Tuesday, Pirate quarterback Rob Kass collapsed during a media interview. Dehydrated and exhausted, Kass didn’t have enough to eat or drink before an intense practice, and it caught up with him.

But within minutes, Kass was up walking on his own, talking about the reasons for his brief swoon. The whole episode stands as a symbol for Kass’s resilience through a tumultuous period of his life.

“It’s been a tough, emotional past six months,” Kass said. “But I feel like I’ve grown as a person, grown as a player and become a better man from all of it.”

The sophomore from Longwood, Fla., entered the preseason at the top of the depth chart, as the signal caller expected to bring back national recognition for the program. But before he could even play a series, Kass made a choice that could have ended his collegiate career before it started.

On Aug. 28, Kass was stopped and charged with a DWI. His blood alcohol level that night registered .19, more than twice the legal limit. His court date was set for Nov. 13.

Holtz and athletics director Terry Holland decided to suspend him for one game, the season opener at Virginia Tech, and put him third on the depth chart behind Patrick Pinkney and Brett Clay.

“I think the world of Rob Kass,” Holtz said. “And probably the easiest thing to do, when somebody makes a mistake, is just to throw him out of the program. I think the hard thing to do is to teach him a lesson and watch him grow and watch him build. I told him, ‘You made a mistake. Let’s learn from it and let’s move forward. And he’s done exactly that.”

“Unfortunately I let my team down at the beginning of the season,” Kass said. “But I’ve become a better leader by that. Things in life, when you get down you can either stay down or you can fight and stand back up.”

Meanwhile, Pinkney was taking advantage of his own opportunity and sending fan hopes in a new direction. He threw for 115 yards in ECU’s 17-7 loss to Virginia Tech and then played the game of his life in a 34-31 win over North Carolina, scoring three touchdowns and completing 31-of-41 passes for 406 yards.

Three-year starter James Pinkney had vacated the job when he graduated in the spring, and in mid-September it seemed that a second Pinkney was poised to take the helm. And as Kass watched the team jump into the fray without him, he made the most of his second chance, Holtz said.

“I think it speaks volumes about his character and the way he’s handled this adversity, from his apology to the team about how he let everybody down and the example he’s set with his actions since then," Holtz said. "He’s been a cheerleader, he’s been supportive, he’s been here the entire time. And he was probably Patrick Pinkney’s biggest fan.”

But just when he was starting to look like a poster child for the lifelong consequences of one bad decision, Kass started moving the offense more. And as he completed passes and led in the huddle, the coaches put him in for more downs. Going into the Central Florida game, he was still sharing the starting job with Pinkney, but it turned into Kass’s night to make a statement.

In the Pirates’ 52-38 win, he completed 12-of-23 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, marking the first multi-touchdown game of his college career. He finally found his confidence behind center and gave ECU fans a bright flash of the future.

It was an encouraging performance, but Kass hadn’t stepped off his personal roller coaster yet. Just after the UCF game he received word that his beloved grandmother, who had been fighting cancer for years, had died in New York. She passed away just before the game, but Kass’s parents opted to wait and break the news afterward.

“I was extremely close to my grandmother,” he said. “She was always there for me, even when I was young.”

Kass made travel plans to go north for the funeral, and the resulting week saw him fly to New York on a Tuesday, back to Greenville on a Thursday night and west to El Paso with the team the next morning. He also missed a portion of the week’s practice sessions, including the day when the team focused on the passing game.

So in some ways, it was no surprise to Pirate insiders when Kass seemed lackluster during the early part of ECU’s game against UTEP. The stunning part of that game had little to do with his statistics and everything to do with his dogged determination to find a pathway for his team’s victory against all odds. If the UCF game was a showcase for his talent, UTEP highlighted Kass’s heart.

He threw three interceptions and made other obvious errors, but when UTEP led 39-32 with 33 seconds left he ran an efficient last-ditch series that ended in a 34-yard touchdown pass to Juwon Crowell as time expired. In overtime, with the Miners leading by a field goal, he connected with Davon Drew near the end zone and ran the ball in himself from the 1-yard line to defeat UTEP and stay at the top of the Conference USA Eastern Division standings.

“He handled the adversity on the field the same way he has off the field,” Holtz said. “He believes in himself. He throws three interceptions, and he comes back out there and says, ‘Hey, there’s 29 seconds, we can get this done.”

“We felt confident that if there were any seconds left on the clock we’d be OK,” Kass said.

This week, facing a rivalry matchup with N.C. State in Greenville on Saturday, Kass is just looking forward to some normalcy – and the chance to help his team keep winning without any more dramatic developments.

“We’ve got to forget about last week and regroup, and prepare to win a state championship against N.C. State,” Kass said. “This is a game for bragging rights, for state recruiting and for respect.”

ECU offensive coordinator Todd Fitch has been impressed by the Kass’s buoyancy through the recent peaks and valleys, and he has consistently believed that Kass has the intelligence, arm strength and work ethic to make his mark on ECU. Fitch believes that Kass will continue to make steady progress, but he’s been around long enough to know that he’ll hit a few more bumps along the way.

“It takes about a year to play this game comfortably all the time,” Fitch said. “There will be some weeks he looks like a million bucks and there will be some weeks that you’ll say, ‘Hmmm.’ We’re going to have some growing pains, but the off the field distractions will calm down so that he can handle the highs and lows of the game a little bit easier.”

Most Recent Comments

"findthefacts.... Koren was suspended for a full year."

And how many occurrences did it take until it finally required a full year suspension?

good for this young man! best of luck in your collegiate career!

Don't Be Hating.. Kass is the man.. Go Pirates!! ARRRRGHH!! We don't like mutly dogs on our ship, Walk the plank!!

BLANK, ON THAT SIDE OF THE FENCE YES YOU WOULD BE CORRECT. LETS SAY COUNT HIS LUCK STARS AND THE MAN ABOVE AND HOPE FOR ALL OUR SAKES HOPE HE AND OTHERS LEARNED THE LESSON........GO PIRATES ARRRRRRRRRRRRR....

Well maybe if you lost a loved one to a drunk driver all you would feel differently. That is normally what is takes.... everyone cries second chances until they personally get affected. As long as he learned his lesson then great but he still should not be made out like a hero.

findthefacts.... Koren was suspended for a full year. That is appropriate.

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