The preliminaries are over and it's time for the East Carolina football team to deliver. Everyone associated with the program and most of those who support it are aware that two halves of football, minimal turnovers and some swarming Pirate defense are needed this week.

ECU plays at Memphis on Saturday night and can not afford to lay an egg as in last week's 56-3 wipeout at Houston. This is a Conference USA East Division game and the Pirates still control their fate in terms of winning the division and playing for the league championship.

But if ECU loses a game within its division, then its path to the league title game on Dec. 3 becomes seriously obstructed.

Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill accepted responsibility immediately following the debacle last week. The players know that Ruff hasn't personally had one turnover or one missed assignment this season. The team met Sunday night.

"They know I take (responsibility) in the press, but the guys on the team stood up and said 'We are accountable, too,' " said the Pirates coach.

McNeill said at the completion of Wednesday's workout that he had been pleased with practices this week.

"This group is a resilient bunch," McNeill said. "We just need to get that spark of confidence and you'll see us roll. I really believe that."

The importance of the trip to Memphis isn't lost on the Pirates' second-year coach.

"We need to win this game for the simple fact that it's in our division," McNeill said. "One of our goals is to win our division so we can get back to the championship game. ... We're a team that needs to win a football game. They're hungry for success. We need this game. We won't overlook Memphis. ... We can't wait to get down there."

Hunt at running back

One silver lining of the Houston game was that some players who haven't had a chance to show what they can do got some playing time. Sophomore Torrance Hunt will start this week at running back based on his effort in a reserve role against the Cougars with Reggie Bullock out with a leg injury.

"He's practiced great," McNeill said. "He's always been a special teams demon for us. He got his chance the other night and took advantage of it."

Hunt ran 12 times for 65 yards at Houston.

Injury updates

Tight end Justin Jones also is out with a wrist injury. In terms of good news in regard to injuries this week, inside linebacker Daniel Drake and corner Derek Blacknall have been practicing this week and that means they will probably be available.

Carryover needed from practice to game

McNeill said the Pirates need to play with enthusiasm and take the lessons of practice into the game.

Senior corner Emanuel Davis, who was in on seven tackles and was credited with half a sack, said the Pirates are on board.

"Guys came out Sunday after we watched film," Davis said. "We put that game behind us and we moved on to Memphis. Everybody on the team was excited to get back out there. It's a chance to redeem ourselves from the week before. Hopefully, we'll go out there and get a win this week."

Lewis sheds dreads

ECU receiver Lance Lewis has had a haircut and the long dreadlocks are gone.

"I started a new look because we're about to start a fresh season," Lewis said. "We put that Houston game behind us. We had a team meeting Sunday that we're going to start fresh. We've got things to do. ... We've got to go in there and execute everything we've practiced this week."

Lewis' five catches for 73 yards led ECU receivers last week.

State Line Power Rankings™

1. Clemson ... Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd may be theTaj Mahal of Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks. He'll be in the mix at Maryland despite a hip injury last week.

2. South Carolina ... More happening off the field than on it for the Gamecocks, who won't have quarterback Stephen Garcia to kick around any more.

3. North Carolina ... Tar Heels oozed past Louisville last week and become a Golden opportunity for Miami in Chapel Hill this week.

4. Wake Forest ... Florida State paid a Price for its turnovers last week, as the Deacons became more than just a passing fancy.

5. Duke ... Blue Devils, now two steps out of the basement, look to keep new-found success going against Seminoles after an open date.

6. N.C. State ... The Wolfpack revived slightly with a win over Central Michigan and has an open date before visiting struggling Virginia.

7. East Carolina ... The Pirates experienced Murphy's Law last week in Houston. Everything that could go wrong, did.