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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
  The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guest this week ECU
assistant coach and
recruiting
coordinator Donnie
Kirkpatrick:
Replay
show... |
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Past intersects with present on
pick |
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BIRMINGHAM, AL — East Carolina's
lack of production in the red
zone ultimately led to a 28-20
loss to Florida in the
Birmingham Bowl at historic
Legion Field on Saturday.
The final opportunity for the
Pirates (8-5) came on a drive
that started with 3:28 left in
the game from the ECU 42 with
the Pirates needing a touchdown
and a two-point conversion to
tie the score. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Ruff & players post-game
audio |
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  East
Carolina coach Ruffin
McNeill and seniors
Brandon Williams, Justin
Hardy and Shane Carden
met with the media after
Saturday's game
(recorded by W.A.
Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Bulls pull away from ECU |
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TAMPA, FL — Host South
Florida pulled away late to
defeat East Carolina 58-50
on Saturday night and drop
the Pirates to 0-2 in the
American Athletic
Conference. "They finished
off the game," said Pirates
coach Jeff Lebo. " ... We
didn't make the tough plays
you need to finish the game
...
More... |
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Next: ECU at
Cincinnati | Tue., 7
pm | TV: ESPNU |
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FOOTBALL |
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Late bowl date has pros and
cons |
By the time the East
Carolina football team
charges out of the tunnel
onto historic Legion Field
for its Birmingham Bowl game
against Florida on Saturday,
all but two of the 39 games
on the postseason schedule
will have already been
completed. ...
More from Brett
Friedlander... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Tulane takes AAC opener at
ECU |
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GREENVILLE — Tulane's
Jonathan Stark hit four of
five attempts from beyond
the arc as the Green Wave
took a 67-59 American
Athletic Conference win over
East Carolina at Williams
Arena in Minges Coliseum on
Wednesday afternoon. Stark
scored 22 points and Louis
Dabney added 19 for Tulane
(10-3, 1-0 AAC). ...
More... |
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By
Brian Bailey
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
There will be no storybook ending for these Pirates seniors, again.
After a Central Florida ‘Hail Mary’
ruined Senior Night in December,
East Carolina’s final attempt to give the seniors a victorious sendoff
fell just short in the Birmingham Bowl.
The Pirates had plenty of chances, but problems in the red zone meant a
different and most disappointing ending.
Florida won the game 28-20 with an interim coach and a backup
quarterback that will play for former ECU coach Skip Holtz at Louisiana
Tech next season. The Gators did just enough to secure the bowl win.
Carden was his usual, stand-up self in explaining his last minute pick
that basically ended Saturday’s game. Here’s what East Carolina’s all
time passing leader saw on his final pass as he tried to hook up one
more time with the NCAA’s all time receptions leader, Justin Hardy.
“Florida was blitzing us a lot down there and we were hitting inside
verticals,” said Carden. “Again, they blitzed the corner came off the
outside receiver and I did not have a lot of room to put it on the
outside, and their defensive back made a great play.”
That defensive back was Vernon Hargreaves III, who’s dad was an
assistant under Holtz at East Carolina. Hargreaves got his football
start at Hope Middle School and played a season at South Central High
School.
Carden, Hardy and the seniors leave the program with no conference
titles and one single bowl win, last year’s victory over Ohio in the
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.
That’s one way to look at it. This senior group also led the Pirates to
some of the team’s biggest victories.
Over the last couple of years these seniors have won in Chapel Hill, in
Raleigh and in Blacksburg. They were also part of the 70-point thrashing
of North Carolina early this season at home.
These were huge wins.
These were program changing wins.
“Look at the body of work, not today’s work,” said head coach Ruffin
McNeill after the loss on Saturday. “Look at what these guys have done
their entire career. These guys have done so many positive things for
this university. They left a blueprint and a mold that I will use as
long as East Carolina keeps me. We talk about commitment to the team,
dedication to the team, and focusing on the vision.”
A hurting McNeill still couldn’t be more proud of his group of seniors.
“These guys have done so much for this university that is beyond
measurement,” McNeill continued. “I can speak to that because not only
am I a former student and graduate of the university, but a former
player. Now I have been blessed to become the head coach. I know exactly
where they are going. They are getting ready now to go into life. I hope
that I was able to give them knowledge that will take them further in
their careers.”
Carden and Hardy kept it all in perspective.
“Losing is tough, but I am not going to look back on my career and think
it was a disappointment just because we lost the last game,” said Carden.
“We have done a lot of good things together as a senior group. You know,
it is football. You lose games sometimes. It is just a part of it.”
“You never want to go out losing,” added Hardy. “As a senior and playing
your final collegiate game, you do not want to lose. It is going to take
some time but life goes on.”
What a pleasure it was to watch the likes of Carden and Hardy at East
Carolina. They both were always class acts, through the good times and
the bad times.
I don’t know if either one will make it as stars in the NFL.
I do know they both will be stars in whatever they choose in life.
It’s a disappointing end, but a ride this reporter will never forget.
BB
