This is a week during which East Carolina coaches can count on emotions taking care of themselves. With in-state rival North Carolina coming into Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday night, the Pirate players and fan base will be pumped up.

The danger for the players is being so driven by adrenalin that they don't perform at their best.

"It's been that way for awhile here," said Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill of the magnitude of the occasion. "I know it was that way when I was a player here."

McNeill lined up against the Tar Heels as an ECU defensive back when the series was played strictly in Chapel Hill in the late 1970s. The Pirates were 0-2-1 in that span.

Former ECU coach Pat Dye was critical of former UNC-Chapel Hill coach Dick Crum for playing for a tie in 1979, Ruff's senior year.

North Carolina leads the series 10-2-1. The games in Greenville are 1-1, the Heels prevailing 28-17 in 2003 in a matchup of previously-winless teams and the Pirates taking a 34-31 triumph in 2007 on Ben Hartman's game-ending field goal.

"In this profession now as a coach, it's the same," McNeill said. "The thing as a coach now is you don't want to overload the guys too much. They'll have enough going on themselves. The biggest thing is just staying with the things you've been talking to them about and having them focused on themselves.

"The emotion of the game and the fans and that sort of thing will take care of itself."

The Connors factor

North Carolina has beaten ECU the last two seasons in Chapel Hill by outplaying the Pirates in the second half. The Heels won 31-17 in 2009 and 42-17 last season, pulling away from a 17-14 deficit in the third quarter with an emphasis on the running game.

North Carolina became physically dominant as the game progressed in 2010. Jeff Connors was directing the Heels' strength and conditioning last season. Now, he's back at ECU.

"Last year, they did wear us down," McNeill said. "What's different is this year we have Jeff Connors and that's helped in all three games. We've been in great condition each game. Our kids are stronger now. We've had to develop depth. Last year, our depth was very thin. We're not there yet but we're getting guys that we can rotate defensively up front. We hope to get Kyle Tudor back at linebacker to help the rotation there.

"In the secondary, we've already had a rotation there with Leonard Paulk, Emanuel (Davis), Derek Blacknall and Jacobi Jenkins. On the offense, the receivers are rotating each series. I think everybody sees that. We rotate running backs a little bit there, too.

"That all helps but I think one of the keys here this week is we have Coach Connors here. Our conditioning and strength has really improved."

Time factor

Saturday's 8 o'clock kickoff is the latest of the season so far for ECU. McNeill has adjusted to a variety of starting times in his coaching career.

"I've had a chance to play games from 10 o'clock in the morning out there on the west coast," he said. "Eleven or 12 o'clock starts, of course. We played Texas A&M and Nebraska at nine o'clock at night. That's really late."

The Pirates follow a similar pregame schedule, regardless of kickoff time.

"We've developed a routine, beginning Friday at 2 o'clock," said the ECU coach. "That's me meeting with the team, chapel, special teams meeting and walk-throughs defensively and offensively. We eat meals together, movies, and meetings again."

The players will get to sleep a little later Saturday at their hotel.

"On Saturday morning, we start with the wake-up, then we have breakfast, special teams meeting, offense and defense meetings and walk-throughs," McNeill said. "This week we'll have a little time off where they can go back to their rooms because the game is later. They'll be there for a couple of hours and they can relax. We come back for pregame (meal). We'll walk through and meet again, mainly a walk-through. Then we come to the stadium. Our routine varies as far as when you start and stop but as far as what we do each game day and pregame day, it won't change much.

"Last week, we played at 3:30 (p.m.), so wake-up was at 8 (a.m.). With this game at 8 (p.m.), we can probably wake them up about 9:30 or 10 (a.m.). ... Pregame meal will be four hours before kickoff. We can let them sleep in a little bit this week because it is an 8 o'clock start."

Defensive improvement

ECU has looked significantly improved from 2010 when opponents averaged 44.0 points per game.

The defense stood up well in a 17-10 loss to Virginia Tech and made a late-game stand last week to preserve a 28-23 Conference USA victory over Alabama-Birmingham.

"They've really played well," McNeill said. "They've really done a good job of doing their job. We could have tackled better in last week's game. I think the week off may have hurt that as far as timing but we had a really good practice on Tuesday. I like the way they're playing together. I like the way they're taking pride in doing their job. It sounds simple but they've had a high percentage of plays of everyone doing their job at the same time.

"I call it 11-man football. They've done it a high percentage of the game.

"With the run game that UNC has, we have to have great, great, great gap integrity up front, do a good job of filling our gaps with the front seven and then when the safeties are involved or the corners are involved in run support, doing a great job there. With their receivers, and especially with Dwight Jones, and, of course, with Erik Highsmith, if he's healthy. We have to make sure we're sound on the pass and our progression back there. I'm proud of those guys and we need to keep improving and have a big game this Saturday versus UNC."

Remember the Alamo

McNeill served one game as Texas Tech's head coach in the Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State after Mike Leach was deposed as the Red Raiders' head honcho at the close of the 2009 season. McNeill said the situation that interim North Carolina coach Everett Withers is in is similar.

"They lost one coach and it's been Butch (Davis), but the whole staff is intact," McNeill said. "It reminds me of when we took over at the Alamo Bowl. ... We lost coach Leach but we had the staff intact. Everett has added his own touch, I'm sure, to the system, but John (Shoop) is doing a good job with the offense. He's always been able to run the football with that style that he got from being in the NFL. ... They're still able to get you in empty (backfield) sets sometimes and spread you.

"Defensively, Everett has always been on the defensive side of the football. ... They're still doing a lot of similar things on that side. The biggest thing that has changed is management with Everett and he's done a great job taking over under some extreme circumstances."

Ruff's keys

McNeill addressed the factors that will be important if ECU is to be successful on Saturday night.

"Execution on all three sides of the ball," he said. "But at the same time, have a little bit of relax in you because it's going to be an intense, emotional game and that will take care of itself. Execution, I think, will be key.

"The team that can stay focused on themselves, which I'm hoping is East Carolina. I'm praying and preaching it's East Carolina � stay focused on themselves and worry about what they do (will be key). Drown out the noise. I know they've got a lot of things on campus � lot of people calling, and families and all that stuff. Drown out that noise and just focus on what we're telling 'em.

"Then the same things � making sure we play hard, play smart, take care of the ball, take it away, compete and let our condition take over in the fourth quarter."

State Line Power Rankings�

1. Clemson ... Death Valley has been just that for Auburn and Florida State.

2. South Carolina ... The Marcus Lattimore for Heisman campaign has run strong in the primaries.

3. North Carolina ... Georgia Tech's high-powered offense just a little too much for Tar Heels to handle.

4. East Carolina ... Defense to the rescue as offense gets generous with UAB.

5. Wake Forest ... Deacons need to be on at Boston College after off week.

6. Duke ... Blue Devils bolted out of the SLPR cellar last week by dominating Tulane.

7. N.C. State ... Dinged-up Wolfpack didn't compete at Cincinnati after short week.