GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Aundrae Allison thumbed through the
media guide soon after he arrived at East Carolina and searched for
the receiving records.
What he found hardly impressed the junior college transfer.
"We didn't have too many big-time receivers," he said.
"Everybody either had a lot of receptions, or a lot yards, or a
lot of touchdowns. No receiver had all three. I set that as one of
my goals."
At the time, Allison didn't even know where he fit in with the
Pirates. He transferred in time for spring practice after two years
at Georgia Military Academy, and while he put up impressive numbers
there, they came against junior college competition. Even his new
coaches didn't know quite what to think -- at first.
"Our first thought was we could redshirt him, so he could have
an extra year to learn the offense," wide receivers coach and
recruiting coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said. "But when we saw
him on the practice field, we realized he could help us right
now."
Or as coach Skip Holtz puts it: "He's not hard to evaluate. A
blind man could evaluate Aundrae."
Allison isn't physically imposing at 6-foot and 185 pounds, but
he more than makes up for that with his speed. Kirkpatrick and the
other coaches saw him run from defenders and consistently make
plays, and that led to a quick move to the top of the depth chart.
Now, those goals Allison set don't look so imposing. He has 39
catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns in only five games, with
limited playing time in one because of a sore hamstring. Carried
out to the full 11-game schedule, Allison's stats are eye-popping:
86 catches, 1,261 yards and 11 TDs.
All would be single-season school records. But with games
underway, Allison claims he's not paying attention.
"I don't like getting into the stats and stuff during the
season," he said. "I just want it to be a surprise, when I look
it up at the end of the season."
Others already are taking notice, particularly opponents, who
have started to rotate coverages to his side of the field to create
a double-team. Off the field, Allison has kept a low profile. Few
people appear to have heard of the new receiver at East Carolina,
which had fallen on hard times in recent years, posting only three
victories in the previous two seasons.
"I really don't believe there's a lot of people that have heard
of me," Allison said. "In the past few seasons, we haven't been
doing too well, but I'm pretty confident that as the season goes
on, people will be looking me up."
His journey to East Carolina was a bit circuitous. After
starring at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, Allison didn't
have the academic credentials to qualify for a Division I-A
scholarship. He first journeyed to Coffeyville (Kan.) Community
College but never played, then ended up at Georgia Military
College.
There, he excelled in the solid program run by coach Bert
Williams, totaling 70 catches in two seasons.
"He stuck it out," said Ron Massey, Allison's high school
coach. "A lot of times, a lot kids we send off to JCs or prep
schools, it's a 50-50 chance. If they don't have a strong academic
background, they tend to give up.
"He didn't, and I'm proud of him. Now he's reaping some rewards
from it."
Allison credits his time at the small school in Milledgeville,
Ga., as a big reason he has been so successful with the Pirates.
"It taught me a lot about life," he said. "Once I got a
better understanding of what was going on in the world, I started
being more accountable, being more responsible. I was that way when
I got here."
Allison made quite the first impression when the season started.
In a season-opening victory against Duke, he caught 10 passes for
163 yards, including one that went for a 50-yard touchdown. He has
at least seven receptions in every game, except a loss to Southern
Miss, where he finished with only four after injuring his hamstring
in pregame warmups.
He was back to being almost 100 percent last week, when East
Carolina beat Rice 41-28. Allison's knack for making big plays
continued, too, as he hauled in a 40-yard TD late in the first half
to give the Pirates the lead.
"We went into that game thinking, `We've got to get the ball to
Aundrae," Kirkpatrick said. "A lot of times, he sees so many
double teams, we might look away from him. We made sure this time
we got him the ball."
It figures to be that way down the stretch, as East Carolina
tries to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
"The most important thing is us getting wins," Allison said.
"I'm not going to take a lot of things for granted right now, and
get too cocky or too bigheaded. I think that's part of my
success."