The most memorable moment in East Carolina’s 17-9 home victory over Temple on Saturday happened immediately after a trivial 1-yard quarterback keeper in the middle of the second quarter.
As soon as the play ended, East Carolina strong safety David Coleman Jr. was communicating with substituting defenders toward the sideline. Unbeknownst to Coleman, his true freshman season would be over before he could take another snap.
When the play ended, back judge Jonathan Zenquis started running, attempting to
break up a potential confrontation between ECU and Temple players. However, Zenquis slipped on the grass and slid into an unsuspecting Coleman, fracturing his right leg in a bizarre moment.
“Just keeping DC in our thoughts and in our prayers,” Harrell said of the situation in his Monday media availability. “One of those freak accidents I’ve never seen. Obviously, nobody intended for that to happen. We were on the wrong end of it. DC was on the wrong end of it.”
Coleman was assisted off the field by staff, unable to put any weight on his right leg. He will undergo surgery Wednesday, according to Harrell.
“Keeping him tight and helping him through this situation, we talk about adversity all the time,” Harrell said. “We talk about things we can’t control and things we can control and then how we respond to it, and he certainly will respond in the right way. He’s about toughness. He’s about the right stuff. He’s a good kid, and he will bounce back.”
Harrell mentioned several people from the American Conference reached out to him regarding the situation, incuding commissioner Tim Pernetti.
“There’s been a bunch of people reaching out — the head of officials Bryan Platt, Tim Pernetti from the conference office — just with their condolences and to apologize for several things, not just that incident but several things within the game,” Harrell said. “We’re all human. We all make mistakes. I feel bad that he made that mistake, and I feel bad for him in some ways. We’ve all got to learn from it and move on and grow from it from all sides.”
East Carolina improved to 4-4 after the low-scoring triumph over the Owls, but Coleman will remain sidelined with his fracture. The freshman played four games this season — all ECU wins — and produced seven tackles, including one Saturday against Temple.
