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GAME DAY WEATHER |
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The East Carolina equipment
crew will be challenged to
keep the football Pirates as
warm as possible tonight in
Cincinnati. The temperature
for the 7 p.m. kickoff at
Paul Brown Stadium is
expected to be 29 degrees
with West winds at six miles
per hour. The mercury will
drop to 27 by the end of the
American Athletic Conference
matchup. Humidity is
projected to be 54 percent
at the outset and 66 percent
by the conclusion. Winds are
expected to still be West at
six miles per hour at game's
end. There is a zero percent
change of precipitation,
according to the forecast.
Compared to the Temple game
Nov. 1 in Philadelphia when
chilly, rainy and breezy
conditions helped produce
five lost ECU fumbles, it
will be drier, colder and
not as windy tonight. (Filed by Al
Myatt) |
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American Football
Schedule |
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THURSDAY |
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Cincinnati 54, ECU 46 (ESPN2) |
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FRIDAY |
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UCF
31, Tulsa 7 (ESPN2) |
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SATURDAY |
Penn State 30, Temple 13 (ESPN2)
Memphis 38, Tulane 7 (ESPNU)
USF 14, SMU 13 (CBSSN) |
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FOOTBALL |
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A primetime chance to spring
back |
Some say Thursday night is
the start of the weekend.
Will it be the start of a
new streak for the Pirates?
Jimbo Fisher, owner of
college football’s longest
active winning streak at 24
games, recently sized up the
difficulty of stringing
together victories. ...
More from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Stakes will be high in Cincinnati |
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It’s time for the
East Carolina Pirates to crank it up
again. It’s time for that high
flying offense to take flight. It’s
time for that defense to create
turnovers and give the offense a
short field. It’s time to finish
strong. ...
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 this week was
ECU recruiting
coordinator and
inside receivers
coach Donnie
Kirkpatrick (right):
Replay
show... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: Coach Ruff Weekly
Presser |
 ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the media at his weekly
press conference on Monday
as the Pirates prepare to
hit the road to face
Cincinnati on Thursday
(courtesy of Pirate Radio
1250; file photo):
Select
clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates regroup from Philly
fumbles |
The 24-hour rule that serves
as a buffer between games
expired Sunday after East
Carolina's 20-10 loss at
Temple on Saturday. The span
increased to 48 hours and
then 72 hours before the
Pirates finally got back on
the practice field
Wednesday. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL SPECIAL
FEATURE |
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15 Questions for
Terry Whisnant |
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 Akeem
Richmond may be gone but
Terry Whisnant is set to
continue East Carolina's
outside shooting prowess.
Whisnant transferred from
Florida State after
averaging 2.1 points and 7.7
minutes for a Seminoles team
that won the Atlantic Coast
Conference Tournament his
freshman year. His numbers
at FSU improved to 5.2
points and 17.2 minutes as a
sophomore when he made 35.6
percent of his 3-point
tries. ...
More from W.A.
Myatt... |
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Pictured: ECU junior
Terry Whisnant is
ready for action
after sitting out a
year under NCAA
transfer rules. The
Cherryville native
played his freshman
and sophomore
seasons at Florida
State. His skill at
shooting from long
range is expected to
be a key asset for
the Pirates as they
make their debut in
the American
Athletic Conference.
(ECU Media Relations
photo) |
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Owls become Temple of Doom |
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PHILADELPHIA — The statistics
told a convoluted tale after 60
minutes of college football at
Lincoln Financial Field, home of
the Philadelphia Eagles, on
Saturday. When East Carolina
outgains an opponent 432 to 135
in total yardage, the assumption
would be that the Pirates won
handily. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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View Mobile Alpha version of this page.
By
Kevin Monroe
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
East
Carolina will face off against Cincinnati tonight in Paul Brown Stadium
just off the Ohio River. The last time ECU took the field, it fumbled
its way out of the top 25. It was a cold, windy, rainy day in
Philadelphia. The Pirates never seemed to adjust to the conditions but
Temple had no problem. Today’s forecast won’t include rain, but the wind
and cold will be there and it will be 10 to 15 degrees colder than it
was in Philly. Thanks to UConn’s upset win over Central Florida, the
Pirates still control their own destiny in the American Athletic
Conference.
Cincinnati has a high-powered offense that can score at any time.
Defensively the Bearcats have struggled some, but in conference play
they have stepped up, only giving up 11 points per game in their
last three outings.
If
ECU wants to keep its league aspirations intact, it
will need to follow this script:
PROTECT THE BALL
This
is the third straight week that protecting the football has been in
my keys. Maybe deep down, I knew the Temple game was coming.
Honestly, though, if you turn the ball over five times, it’s a
strong indicator that you will lose the game regardless of the
opponent. Breon Allen had three fumbles against the Owls and had ECU
fans holding their breath every time he carried the ball. It will be
imperative that the Pirates fight through the weather conditions and
take care of the pigskin tonight. Shane Carden mentioned that the
wind affected him some against Temple. It could be a problem
tonight, but the lack of rain could help the passing game find some
success.
FIND
A RHYTHM
ECU
rolled up over 400 yards of offense against the Owls as it usually
does, but the turnovers kept the Pirates from maintaining any type
of rhythm. Big chunks of yards and multiple first downs erased by
untimely fumbles really stunted opportunities for points. If the
Pirates are going to win this game, they will need to keep those
chains moving and get into that offensive tempo that they are known
for. The key to that tempo will be running the football. Being able
to run the ball opens up everything for Lincoln Riley’s offense and
opens the door to success on the final scoreboard. While Breon had a
tough day last time out, Chris Hariston excelled, having the biggest
rushing day of his career.
THIRD DOWN DEFENSE
Getting off the field on third down tonight will be huge. The
Bearcats are converting an impressive 42 percent on third down. They
are also averaging over 300 yards passing and 465 total yards. If
the Pirates don’t get pressure on the quarterbacks or play well in
the back end, they will have a hard time winning. The defensive
backs struggled against Temple and will need to show up tonight in a
big way. The front seven has continued to flourish for this ECU
team, playing tough against the run and controlling the line of
scrimmage.
BOTTOM LINE
Tonight’s game is a key one in the AAC race and the winner will be
in a position to plow ahead toward the conference championship. I
know that seems like a lot of pressure, but there are only four
games remaining. Tonight’s game will start to separate the
contenders from the pretenders.
Send an e-mail message to
Kevin Monroe.
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archives.
