Replacing East Carolina all-time leading passer Shane Carden was never going to be easy, but the challenge has grown exponentially more difficult in the last two weeks.
The man groomed to take the role, sophomore quarterback Kurt Benkert, was lost for the season with a knee injury. Junior former transfer Blake Kemp is set to take the snaps for the Pirates in Saturday’s opener against Towson, but the team’s long-term QB picture still appears to be in the development phase without Benkert.
Right behind Kemp, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound Arizonan who attended Mesa Community College, is long-standing backup and fellow junior Cody Keith, who has been limited drastically by injuries, including a foot ailment from which he is admittedly still recovering.