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GAME DAY WEATHER |
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A South wind at 13 miles per
hour could be a significant
factor as East Carolina
visits Tulsa for an 8:30
p.m. kickoff, Eastern time,
tonight. The temperature
will be a relatively-mild —
compared to recent trips to
Temple and Cincinnati — 54
degrees as the contest gets
under way on ESPNU. There is
a zero percent chance of
precipitation, according to
the forecast. The
temperature will remain in
the lower 50s for the
duration of the American
Athletic Conference matchup.
Humidity will increase from
a projected 62 percent to 74
percent during the game. The
Pirates will be on the East
sideline of Skelly Field.
The breeze will be blowing
from left to right as ECU
faces the synthetic playing
surface at H.A. Chapman
Stadium. (Filed by Al Myatt) |
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American Football
Scoreboard |
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FRIDAY |
UCF at USF, 12 pm
(ESPN2)
Houston at SMU, 12 pm (CBSSN)
ECU at Tulsa, 8:30 pm (ESPNU) |
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SATURDAY |
Cincinnati at Temple, 12
pm (ESPNN)
UConn at Memphis, 4 pm (ESPNN) |
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FOOTBALL |
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Familiar Foes Tangle |
 Familiar
foes clash in the 12th
meeting between Tulsa and
East Carolina. The Pirates
lead the series 6-5-0. East
Carolina has won the last
four meetings, including a
58-24 home victory last
year. ...
More from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Ruffin and stuffin' |
 East
Carolina's football team
observed Thanksgiving on
Wednesday and will fly to
Tulsa today for an American
Athletic Conference game
with the Golden Hurricane at
8:30 p.m. Eastern time on
Friday. The contest may be
seen on ESPNU. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Hawaii edges East Carolina |
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ESTERO, FL — East Carolina
overcame an 11-point second
half deficit to lead Hawaii
with 8:18 left in the
fifth-place game in the Gulf
Coast Showcase on Wednesday
before the Rainbow Warriors
responded with a 14-3 run en
route to a 75-73 win over
the Pirates. ...
More... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Tyson helps ECU hold off
Fresno |
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ESTERO, FL — Freshman guard
B.J. Tyson scored East
Carolina's last eight
points, including all six of
his free throw attempts down
the stretch, as the Pirates
held off Fresno State for a
58-52 win in the Gulf Coast
Showcase on Tuesday
afternoon. ...
More... |
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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 director of high
school relations
Harold Robinson:
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
visit Tulsa for a Friday
night matchup (courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250):
Select
clip... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Green Bay tops ECU |
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ESTERO, FL — Short-handed
East Carolina opened play in
the Gulf Coast Showcase at
high noon on Monday and was
dealt a 66-49 setback by
Green Bay. The Pirates were
without versatile senior
wing man Paris
Roberts-Campbell due to a
knee ailment and post player
Marshall Guilmette because
of a hip flexor injury. ...
More... |
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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 and Tulsa will face off tonight in an American Athletic
Conference contest. ECU enters this game 7-3 against a 2-9 Golden
Hurricane team. The Pirates
got a much needed victory over Tulane
last week at home after losing back to back games
at Temple and
Cincinnati. The ECU
defense held the Green Wave without a touchdown and the offense put 34
points on the board. It was a total team victory.
Tulane isn’t as bad as its record implies. The Hurricane opened the
season with a double-overtime win over Tulane and three weeks later
lost an overtime game to Texas State. Since conference play got
underway in earnest, Tulsa has played just about everyone tough,
leading in the fourth quarter before falling to Temple and losing
only two game by more than 10 points. Last week the Hurricane rolled
for 416 yards in offense against Houston, the league's second best
defensive team, and went into the game's final four minutes tied
before the Cougars responded with a game-clinching drive.
Had
a few plays gone differently during the course of the season, the
Hurricane could have easily been .500 or better.
Playing on the road could make this a tough game for the Pirates,
but they should win if they follow this script:
ESTABLISH THE RUN
ECU’s running game has been very effective this season and it will
need to get cranked up early tonight. The combination of Allen,
Grayson & Scott overwhelmed the Green Wave a week ago and that type
of performance is exactly what the coaches want to see. This offense
thrives when multiple running backs with fresh legs are successful.
Tulsa is giving up 218 yards rushing per game, which ranks among the
worst in the conference and in the country. Running the ball early
and often to keep the chains moving and put points on the board is
exactly what the Pirates need to win this game.
PRESSURE THE QUARTERBACK
The
Golden Hurricane has only one senior starter on the offensive line,
right guard David Walton. Even though Walton is a senior, he has
only 14 starts in his career. The O-lineman with the most experience
is tackle Garrett Stafford with 25 starts under his belt. The Tulsa
offensive line has given up 25 sacks which averages out to more than
2 per game. The Pirates are coming off of their best defensive
performance of the year and they can have another good outing
tonight if they can put the heat on quarterback Dane Evans. Through
11 games, Evans is competing only 56 percent of his passes and has
thrown 16 interceptions.
OWN THE RED ZONE
Too
often this season the Pirates have been great between the 20s and
then the offense shrinks in the red zone. Warren Harvey was 2-2 on
field goal opportunities last week, but he has struggled this
season. ECU needs to put the ball in the end zone when it gets close
and not rely on field goals.
BOTTOM LINE
This
game showcases a bowl-bound team against a down-on-its-luck
opponent. The Pirates are 17-point favorites and should win, but
once the game starts anything can happen. The Golden Hurricane is
gaining 260 yards per game through the air and can put up points. If
ECU runs the football effectively, puts pressure on the quarterback
and converts trips to the red zone into touchdowns, it will win.
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Kevin Monroe.
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