Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina

News & Features from ECU, the AAC and Beyond

  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Recruiting
  • Photos
  • Audio
  • Roundup
  • Comments
  • Legacy Archives

• ECU 2023 Football Schedule
• ECU 2022-23 Hoops Schedule
• ECU 2023 Baseball Schedule

— Recruiting Thumbnails —
Football: 2023 • Hoops: 2023-24

Insights from Brett
ECU’s season opener takes on uncommon gravity

August 20, 2018 By Brett Friedlander 2 Comments

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

One of the most hackneyed cliches in all of sports is the coach-speak mantra of “We play ‘em one game at a time.”

In the case of the 2018 East Carolina football team, though, it’s actually a sound approach to take.

Because while the Pirates will face significantly tougher tests and play games that can be construed as much more meaningful as the season plays out, the most important test on the schedule for coach Scottie Montgomery and his team — at least for now — is the first one they’ll face.

Two weeks from now at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium against N.C. A&T.

It’s a game that ECU will almost certainly be favored to win. As it should be.

There are generally two reasons why FBS teams schedule such openers at home against FCS opponents: to help the smaller school make a nice payday and to ensure their own season gets off to a positive start.

It’s a sound scheduling strategy, especially for programs that might need a little extra help in achieving the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility.

Scottie Montgomery heads to the locker room to address his team after a loss to reigning FCS national champion James Madison to open the 2017 season. (Bonesville staff photo)

Unless, of course, it backfires.

The Pirates are only too familiar with that misfortune, having absorbed a 34-14 beating at the hands of James Madison to kick off the 2017 season.

It was little consolation that the Dukes were a talented, veteran team with most of their key players back from an FCS national championship the year before. Or that they would eventually go on to play for the title again four months later.

By losing a game it was “supposed’ to win, ECU suffered more than just one mark on the wrong side of its record. The entire program — players, coaches and fans alike — got knocked back to a point from which it never was able to recover on the way to a second straight 3-9 season.

Which brings us to Sept. 1 and this year’s opener against A&T.

At first glance, there are a lot of similarities between the Aggies and James Madison. They’re coming off an undefeated season that resulted in a national championship, albeit an unofficial one for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And while the Aggies will be breaking in a new head coach in Sam Washington, who was elevated from defensive coordinator after the retirement of former coach Rod Broadway, their roster features a large contingent of returning players.

Their offense, led by a quarterback (Lamar Raynard) that threw for 2,700 yards and won his conference’s Player of the Year award last season, his top receiver (Elijah Bell) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Marquell Cartwright), will be an especially challenging test for an ECU defense playing for the first time under new coordinator David Blackwell.

It also won’t help that A&T will have already played a game by the time it gets to Greenville, having gotten its season underway a week early in the FCS Kickoff against Jacksonville State this Saturday.

Needless to say, it’s a team the Pirates shouldn’t and can’t take for granted. And yet, in spite of all that, it’s a team they should reasonably expect to line up against and beat both physically and on the scoreboard.

Their season and Montgomery’s future depend on it.

There’s a lot of positive energy surrounding ECU’s program right now, thanks to the improvements to the team’s locker room and training facility, the ongoing renovations to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, a revamped coaching staff and significant upgrades in talent and depth thanks to two strong recruiting classes in a row.

By all accounts, the Pirates have had a productive preseason and are poised to take a noticeable step forward toward respectability. Unless, of course, all that momentum comes to a screeching halt right out of the gate once again.

Even though there will still be 11 more opportunities to play ‘em one game at a time after the A&T opener, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which ECU finds enough wins to get to the postseason or save its coach’s job without putting that first one into the win column.

VIEW ECU’S 2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
RECRUITING CLASS OF 2019 THUMBNAILS…
RECRUITING CLASS OF 2018 THUMBNAILS…

Related

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: News & Features

Comments

  1. Mike says

    August 20, 2018 at 8:47 pm

    Come on Brett! Why didn’t you mention A&T has beaten a FBS team in each of the last two seasons?

    Reply
  2. Brett L Friedlander says

    August 26, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    You’re right. I should have. I just didn’t think Charlotte last year wan’t that big an accomplishment. The 49ers were awful.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News & Features

Baseball News
Pirates take opener with Patriots

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Spring reps revealing

Baseball News
Camels top ECU, 2-1

THE SPORTS OBJECTIVE: ABSOLUTE EMPOWERMENT
Jeff Connors with Vonta Leach

ECU Recruiting News
Class of 2024 starts with prized receiver

Baseball News
ECU completes sweep

Baseball News
Pirates take series with walkoff win

Baseball News
Godwin passes Godwin

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates have work to do

Baseball News
Pirates nip Tribe, 6-5

More News & Features

ECU Schedules

  • ECU 2021 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2021 Baseball Schedule

ECU Recruiting

  • Football Recruiting Class of 2021
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2020
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2019
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2018
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2017
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2021-22
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2020-21
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2019-20
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2018-19
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2017-18
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2016-17

Past Football Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2014 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2013 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2012 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2011 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2010 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2009 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2008 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2007 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2006 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2005 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2004 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2003 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2002 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2001 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2000 Football Schedule
  • Historical Schedules

Past Basketball Schedules

  • ECU 2019-20 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2018-19 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2016-17 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2000-2015 Basketball Archives

Past Baseball Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2001-2014 Baseball Archives

Recruiting Class Profiles

ECU Recruiting News
Class of 2024 starts with prized receiver

ECU Recruiting News
Late pitch lures lineman with pedigree

Recruiting Evaluation Part 2: Defense
Report card: Quality talent fills big holes

Recruiting Evaluation Part 1: Offense
Report card: Pirates reload at skill spots

ECU Recruiting News
Towering lineman Neolian still honing skills (updated)

ECU Recruiting News
More help is on the way to ECU secondary

ECU Recruiting News
Portal delivers blue chipper RaRa Dillworth

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review (UPDATED)
Pirates tap transfer portal for more talent

AAC Early Signing Review
New members dive into AAC recruiting wars

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review
First wave of recruits just the beginning

ECU Recruiting News
Brown finds way to ECU through portal

ECU Recruiting News
Transfer safety McDaniel destined for ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates land coveted Spartanburg quarterback

ECU Recruiting News
Swift ECU recruit ‘in a class of his own’

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates win out for Georgia prep linebacker

ECU Recruiting News
Linebacker with pedigree charts path to ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates find a gem in Palmetto State receiver

ECU Recruiting News
Official visit swayed North Mecklenburg star

ECU Recruiting News
Physical Georgia receiver poses tough matchup

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates project lineman Durant as center

ECU Recruiting News
ECU spotted potential in Conley lineman

ECU Recruiting News
ECU lands fleet-footed Georgia defensive back

ECU Recruiting News
‘Football town’ helps draw Short to Pirates

ECU Recruiting News
ECU targets edge rushers

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates aim high for interior line talent

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, March 24, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, March 23, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Writer Archives

  • Bonesville Staff
  • Brian Bailey
  • Sammy Batten
  • Bethany Bradsher
  • Brett Friedlander
  • Al Myatt
  • NFF
  • Greg Vacek
  • Danny Whitford

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, March 24, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, March 23, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, March 20, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Sunday, March 19, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, March 18, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, March 17, 2023

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2023 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy