CHRONICLING EAST
CAROLINA & CONFERENCE USA
SPORTS
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View from the East
Thursday, October 25, 2012
By Al Myatt |
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Holland monitoring Big East situation
By
Al Myatt
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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The independent
comments of Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart regarding
East Carolina's suitability for the Big East Conference generated a
wave of reaction regarding the Pirates' membership in the league
which currently holds automatic qualifier status in the Bowl
Championship Series.
Ehrhart now orchestrates a
three-way deal involving the Big East, Conference USA and the SEC for
two slots in the Liberty Bowl.
After voicing his support
for the Pirates, Ehrhart subsequently explained that his contention
developed from his own perceptions about ECU's viability and was not
based on any kind of inside information from the Big East itself.
Ehrhart has long been
impressed with the devotion of ECU fans in his 19 years with the Liberty
Bowl. He made his comments initially on the air in the Memphis market
and subsequently chatted with Pirate Radio.
The Pirates have courted
the Big East over a period of years. ECU's accessibility via the
Greenville airport and the relatively small size of the television
market are generally the reasons presented as to why the Big East passed
over the Pirates in its expansion wave that plucked Central Florida,
Houston, Memphis and Southern Methodist from C-USA.
If the runways aren't long
enough in Greenville, what about Kinston? The factor that I really don't
comprehend is the TV market thing. Sure, Rutgers is in the mammoth New
York market but how many viewers in the Big Apple actually watch the
Scarlet Knights? The Pirates are much closer to market saturation, which
apparently gets ignored in the evaluation process.
Because those two factors
don't really pass the test of common sense, I'm inclined to look
elsewhere for the basis of the Big East's exclusion to date of ECU.
I wouldn't doubt if the
source of the problem is Louisville.
The Cardinals, who have
failed to escape the Big East for greener grass in the ACC or Big 12 as
have many of their former Big East brethren, have never seemed to like
the Pirates. Louisville initially blocked ECU's entry to C-USA and
relations between the two institutions appeared to get worse instead of
better when the Pirates were admitted.
It's certainly not
inconceivable to me that Louisville is still blocking ECU's access to a
more desirable affiliation.
The destination of choice
for the Pirates is the Big East but the numbers situations in the ACC
and SEC indicate the possibility of future expansion for those leagues
as well.
I like the ACC because I
think it would significantly enhance regional rivalries. Anyone care
about Pitt-Georgia Tech tickets? Didn't think so.
The SEC is more akin to
ECU's football-first mindset. As far as the Pirates' quest over the
decades for the big time, the SEC would be the ultimate destination.
What the Pirates can do at
the present is work to win, particularly in football and basketball,
continue to develop facilities and hope that a power conference
recognizes ECU's tremendous growth and potential rather than take the
bait that television interests are dangling. There is also the matter of
public relations with the C-USA teams who exit after this scholastic
year. I think ECU athletic director Terry Holland is astute enough to
stay on good terms with UCF, Memphis, Houston and SMU because of the
influence they will have in the new membership of the Big East.
Strange as it may seem,
given the intensity of the ECU-UCF football series, the Knights may
actually be in the Pirates' corner as an advocate to the Big East.
Holland didn't make the
trip to UAB last weekend as he worked to complete the search for a
softball coach. Nick Floyd, Lee Workman and J.J. McLamb represented ECU
from an athletic administration standpoint as the Pirates took
a 42-35 win over the Blazers at
Legion Field.
But Holland remains close
to the Big East dynamic.
"The Big East is focused
on its television contract but the need for a fourteenth member will be
there soon as Navy joins for the 2015 season," Holland said. "Whenever
they get around to the fourteenth member, they may view BYU and/or Air
Force as better matches, geographically and for television purposes, but
we would definitely have to be interested in a full member invitation
and, although more complicated, a 'football only' one as well."
ECU already has football
scheduling relationships with BYU and Navy, which potentially could
create more political influence within the Big East to give favorable
consideration to the Pirates.
Busy week for Perry
Joey Perry, ECU's director
of athletic grounds, has been busier than usual this week in preparing
for the Pirates' home game with Navy at 3:30 p.m. Saturday after vandals
damaged the playing surface at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium last weekend.
One culprit was
apprehended after returning to get his cell phone, which he apparently
lost while involved in the misdeeds. That may make John Boy and Billy's
Dumb Crook News.
"We have mowed several
more times than normal trying to smooth out the surface as best as we
could," Perry said. "We had to sweep and blow off all the dead grass and
debris that was created by the machines."
Tractors were apparently
used to cut doughnuts into the normally-manicured Bermuda grass surface
of Bagwell Field.
"The field will play
fine," Perry said. "There is no structural damage to the root zone. It's
just going to be an eye sore for the next two games. I have tried to
cover up the marks as best as I could but they will still be noticeable,
especially the higher up you are in the stadium. There is always some
secret stuff that I spray before every game but even that won't fix this
problem."
ECU coach Ruffin McNeill
credited the repair effort.
"Joey is one of the best
I've been around," McNeill said. "He's been working diligently since
Sunday."
Reaction to 2010 Navy
blowout
Navy's
humbling 76-35 win over the Pirates
in 2010, a stunning debacle in the rain at the time, may have produced
benefits in the long run.
The outcome drove home the
need for defensive improvement. ECU has subsequently changed its scheme
and fortified the unit in terms of talent and depth.
McNeill has presented the
unique Navy option offense since early in practice in order to prepare
the Pirates for what they face.
"They beat us pretty good
and we didn't play well, really, on either side of the ball," McNeill
said. "We turned the ball over on offense (four lost fumbles) and we
couldn't stop 'em on defense. ... We had some great kids but we weren't
as talented as we are now. It was a combination of all three sides
(offense, defense and special teams)."
McNeill doesn't like for
his team to see scary movies. He wants them to sleep well and get their
rest.
Wonder if that means the
current Pirates haven't watched the 2010 Navy tape?
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10/25/2012 01:16 AM
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