GREENVILLE — It was Senior Day for a freshman head football coach at East Carolina on Friday and although the Pirates came out on the short end, 45-38, against Southern Methodist in overtime, that didn't alter the way Ruffin McNeill feels about his first graduating class.

"It was a tough game for our seniors," he said. "We wanted a victory for our seniors. I thought we had a great week of practice but mistakes happen."

After hitting Lance Lewis for a 7-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 38, ECU's Dominique Davis was picked off by Richard Crawford to end the game. SMU had the ball first in overtime and went ahead on a 1-yard scoring run by Zach Line.

McNeill had a message for his team that didn't relate to the scoreboard.

"I love those guys and that's unconditional," he said. "It's not based on wins and losses."

The Pirates have had an equal number of each, six wins and six losses, in McNeill's first season as a head coach after decades as an assistant and coordinator. The seniors have an overtime win over N.C. State in their scrapbook and they were in contention for a third straight Conference USA championship until the last play of the game with the Mustangs.

McNeill told his guys to keep their heads up when faced with a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter against SMU.

"We fought back but the ball didn't bounce our way in overtime," he said.

The seniors didn't win their last game on the turf of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium but in the bigger picture they were essential in following McNeill's blueprint for the program.

"They bought in," said McNeill, a hard-hitting defensive back for the Pirates in his younger days.

The seniors grasped the pillars of the program as conceived by McNeill, which are trust, commitment and caring.

"I've heard coaches say that they don't care what players think of them as long as they do what they are told," McNeill said. "I don't believe that. If that player knows you care about him, he'll hunt for you."

As inconsistent as it may seem in a game defined by winning the physical battle in the trenches, McNeill's foundation doesn't begin with the finer elements of the three-point stance. It starts with hugs, smiles and pats on the back.

SMU coach June Jones seemed a little surprised when he offered to shake hands with McNeill before the game and was wrapped up in a good-natured bear hug instead.

McNeill said if he's learned anything in his first year as a head coach it's that his principles of trust, commitment and caring have been reaffirmed. He's taught his players to surround themselves with great people as McNeill sought to do in assembling his coaching staff. He talked about being able to look oneself in the mirror and know that you've done your best.

McNeill loves his players and the feeling is mutual.

"He's been a great influence on me," said Jonathan Williams, a regular inhabitant of the dog house of former coach Skip Holtz. "His friendship has been a great influence on me. He's taught me a lot that I'm going to be able to use on down the road. He's given me certain tools that have made me a better man and I appreciate everything he's done."

Williams ran 14 times for 89 yards with two touchdowns on Friday. He had a fumble that the Mustangs returned for a touchdown but he was man enough to show up for the postgame interviews and recount the play for the media.

Walk-on linebacker Dustin Lineback had a team-high 14 tackles in his last game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

"It's a blessing to play for Coach Ruff," Lineback said. "People like him are hard to find. Every time you go talk to him, he's always positive. He's always telling you to keep your head up even when times are down. Being able to play for someone like that is a true blessing for myself, my family and these guys."

Corner Emanuel Davis went through a transition after playing for Holtz.

"He came in here and said he wanted to treat this program not like a CEO but like a father and keep it like a family," Davis said. "I can say it's the tightest team that I've been a part of. He's really made a big impact on the guys that have played for him. We're lucky to have a guy like that, a guy who actually cares about his players."

Dwayne Harris had 202 all-purpose yards in his final game at "the Fick."

"I wish I could be like Pat Pinkney and have another year," Harris said. " ... I was just trying to take it all in as I was walking off the field."

McNeill said he's had a special relationship with Harris. They occasionally sit down with bottled water and just talk.

"I appreciate him not just as a player but as a person," said the Pirates coach.

McNeill will send his staff recruiting next week.

"We want to get to where we reload, not rebuild," he said. "We're not going to microwave it. We're not going to quick fix it. We'll do it the right way with the right type character athletes. Our coaches love to recruit. That's what we do. They're bulldogs. They'll get after it."

McNeill has made preliminary plans through spring practice and he hopes that will include a bowl trip. He points out that ECU's fan support and exciting offense should be favorable factors to the bowl selection powers.

The ECU football fact book states that McNeill's family includes two daughters. He has countless sons, 18 of which were honored at Senior Day.

Maybe the bowl bid will be forthcoming that will allow McNeill's Pirate football family to close the 2010 season with a victory.