Empire call upon newcomer Andrew Pierce to boost offense in conference title game

Andrew Pierce hasn’t suited up for a game since facing Nebraska on June 26, 2015, in the Intense Conference championship game.

More than a year later, Pierce will make his debut in a Spokane Empire uniform Sunday against Nebraska in the Intense Conference title game at the Arena. He has been added to the roster to revitalize the Empire’s running game, which has slipped from 87.6 yards per game with Trevor Kennedy to 52.3 since Kennedy’s season-ending injury.

Pierce was one of coach Adam Shackleford’s primary weapons last season in Tri-Cities when the 5-foot-9, 210-pounder led the IFL with 21 rushing touchdowns and 164 points, and earned second-team All-IFL honors.

“I want to help coach and the team get a championship ring,” said Pierce, whose 2015 season ended with an 86-43 loss to the Danger.

Pierce signed with Spokane in November but didn’t join the team because he was hoping to play in Major League Football, an outdoor league that failed to launch in the spring. Meanwhile, Kennedy put up record-setting numbers before suffering a broken leg in the 13th regular-season game, prompting Pierce to be activated after sitting out three weeks under IFL rules.

Pierce’s arrival allows Josh Ferguson to return to the defensive secondary.

“He’s got fresh legs,” quarterback Charles Dowdell said of Pierce. “He’s been training most of the year and he hasn’t been beat up like most of us all season.”

“You have to run the football in the red zone and we’ve struggled with that,” Shackleford said. “No. 1, he’s very familiar and we’re happy to have him. No. 2, we get Josh back on defense, which is the hidden gem in all of this. You look at when we were winning football games and how many big plays Josh made on defense and we’ve missed that.”

Pierce was a quality runner (141 carries, 438 yards), receiver (40 catches, 406 yards) and kick returner (38-661) in 13 games with Tri-Cities. He went the entire season without a fumble. The University of Delaware product didn’t fumble in his senior season and estimated he had just “four or five” in his collegiate career.

“I take pride in that,” said Pierce, who walked on at Delaware and left as one of the best backs in program history. “Coach Shack kept reminding me of that at the end of the season. He’d say, ‘You know you didn’t fumble once.’ ”

Since coming to Spokane on July 5, Pierce keeps getting reminded of Delaware’s 20-19 loss to Eastern Washington in the 2010 FCS national championship.

“In every interview I’ve done,” smiled Pierce, who ran for 142 yards in the title game, capping his freshman season with 1,655 rushing yards.

Pierce said Shackleford’s offense is “about the same” as their time in Tri-Cities, which has made for a swift transition.

“My rust level wasn’t too bad, I’ve been able to get it back really quick,” he said. “I’ll be pumped up Sunday. I’ve seen the uniforms and they’re very nice, they tell me the arena is loud. It’ll definitely get the juices flowing.”

Camping with Lynch

Ferguson took advantage of Spokane’s bye week to help coach at former Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch’s 10th annual football camp. Ferguson worked the early years of the camp, held at Lynch’s alma mater, Oakland Tech High, but has been busy with his own football in recent seasons.

“We had close to 1,000 kids out, 30 coaches,” said Ferguson, a Bay Area native. “It was great for the kids, great for the community.”

A video surfaced online of Lynch in Beast Mode flattening a sizable young camper in a blocking drill.

“He’s 100 percent him all the time,” Ferguson said. “That’s while we love him.”