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Audio: Brian Bailey
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 The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guest this week was
ECU offensive line
coach Brandon Jones
(left):
Replay
show... |
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Work pays off as Pirates party |
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GREENVILLE —
North Carolina's second trick
play for a touchdown, a 29-yard
pass from holder Tommy Hibbard
to a wide open Eric Albright
from field goal formation,
momentarily subdued the
excitement at rowdy
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on
Saturday. The score came with
12:15 left in the first half and
gave the Tar Heels their last
lead at 20-14. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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Pix: Heels can't hang with
Pirates... |
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ECU receiver
Jimmy
Williams is
on the move
during the
Pirates'
70-41 rout
of North
Carolina on
Saturday.
Photo by W.A.
Myatt. ...
W.A.
Myatt's
gallery of game day
images... |
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Audio: Ruff & Players Post-game... |
 ECU coach Ruffin
McNeill spoke with the press
after the Pirates defeated
North Carolina on Saturday
in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
(recorded by W.A. Myatt;
file photo):
Select audio clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
The East
Carolina Pirates return home
to Dowdy-Ficklen today to
face in-state rival UNC-Chapel
Hill. Every time these
programs match up, it is a
big game for both teams.
This year the Tar Heels
opened the season in the top
25. The Pirates are their
first real test after wins
over Liberty and San Diego
State. ECU, as usual, is
fighting for respect.
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More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Your personal guide to split
loyalties |
The term "House Divided" has
been used to describe
members of the same family
that root for different
teams when those teams play
each other. On Saturday,
there will be many families
that have both East Carolina
and North Carolina
connections with an acute
interest in the matchup in
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. ...
More from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Numbers better for Smith and
staff |
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With the big games that
Shane Carden and Cam Worthy
had offensively in a 28-21
win at Virginia Tech on
Saturday, it's easy to lose
sight of the contributions
of the East Carolina defense
in a 2-1 start as the
Pirates get ready to host
North Carolina (2-0) on
Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU).
...
More from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Big win means bigger opportunity |
East Carolina
made it three in a row over
ACC teams on Saturday,
beating Virginia Tech 28-21
in Blacksburg. More
impressive is the fact that
each of the three wins came
on the road. Now the Pirates
can go for four in a row
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More from Brian Bailey... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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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 was ECU RBs
coach & recruiting
coordinator Kirk
Doll:
Replay
show... |
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By
Brian Bailey
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
Shortly after East Carolina's upset win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
two Saturdays ago, someone with the school told me he wished the
football team would "act like they had been there before."
This past Saturday the Pirates did just that.
East Carolina had certainly been down this road before. The Pirates
followed
last year’s 55-31 pasting of North Carolina with
a 70-41 drubbing this time out.
Add in a school record 789 yards of total offense and there is no
mistaking which program is better at this stage of the game.
The Pirates may not be in a so-called Power 5 conference, but they have
back to back wins over teams that are. These were signature wins,
victories over a pair of schools picked to compete for the ACC
championship this season.
I’ve been to plenty of games at Power 5 schools. I’ve been to games in
the SEC, ACC, Pac 12, etc.
I have never seen an atmosphere as electric as what I saw on Saturday at
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
East Carolina’s best shot at the ‘big time’ is East Carolina. The
Pirates have to keep winning. The fans have to keep showing up. It’s a
great recipe.
The American took notice and is glad they did. ECU's success will only
help the AAC in its bid to move amongst the Power 5.
“I’m very excited about the win,” said Pirate coach Ruffin McNeill
afterwards. “I keep talking about our team and our ability to focus.
That was evident again. I keep asking the players to improve in those
two aspects. I thought we did a good job of relying on our team
intangibles and team chemistry.
"When we work as one breath,
one mind, one heartbeat, one spirit and one Pirate, we’ll be okay.”
I didn’t get a chance to go to UNC Coach Larry Fedora’s press conference
afterwards, but I was told by many that it was extremely short.
“We were out-coached and outplayed,” said Fedora. “I take full
responsibility for it.”
It was a purple party in G-Vegas!
Give credit to the ECU student body. They came early and stayed late.
They were loud and proud and were certainly a major part of a larger
team effort. School proud swelled to an all-time high in that fourth
quarter.
I hope you’ve seen some of the pictures of the sky, that somehow stepped
in line with the proceedings, producing a purple and gold haze when the
game was no longer in doubt.
Story continues below the following
picture...
The atmosphere in the stadium and the sky merged on cue during East
Carolina's 70-41 rout of North Carolina on Saturday. (©Bonesville.net.
Photo by W.A. Myatt.)
The Pirates have it rolling folks, and the trick now is to stay focused
and keep on rolling.
It’s a great time for a bye week. Coach Ruff has a 24-hour rule for wins
and losses, but with the free Saturday this week, perhaps he’ll let his
team go into hour 25 or 26!
Needless to say, Southern Methodist is now on the clock. It’s on to the
second season for the Pirates, as ECU makes its debut in the American
Athletic Conference when the Mustangs visit Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on
Saturday, Oct. 4.
If this second season is anything like September, get ready. The Pirates
could be on their way to making this a most special football season.
BB
