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AAC Bowl Scoreboard |
Miami Beach Bowl
Marlins Park
Miami, FL
Dec. 22 2 p.m. ESPN
Memphis 55,
BYU 48 (2OT)
Attendance: 20,761 |
Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
Dec. 26 8 p.m. ESPN
N.C. State
34, Central Florida 27
Attendance: 26,675 |
Northrop Grumman Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, MD
Dec. 27 1 p.m. ESPN
Virginia
Tech 33, Cincinnati 17
Attendance: 34,277 |
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
Jan. 2 Noon ESPN
Houston 35,
Pittsburgh 34
Attendance:
37,888 |
Birmingham Bowl
Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
Jan. 3 Noon ESPN
Florida 28,
East Carolina 20
Attendance: 30,083 |
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BASKETBALL |
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Whisnant leads Pirates past
UNCG |
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GREENVILLE East Carolina
built an early lead and
defeated UNC-Greensboro
71-50 in Williams Arena at
Minges Coliseum on Sunday
afternoon. Terry Whisnant
scored 14 of his 17 points
in the first half as the
Pirates led 45-26 at
intermission. ...
More... |
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Next: ECU vs. Tulane
| Wed., 12 pm |
The Season |
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BASKETBALL |
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ECU gets untracked, downs
Rattlers |
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GREENVILLE After trailing
winless Florida A&M 29-27 at
the half, East Carolina
outscored the Rattlers 48-28
after intermission for a
75-57 nonconference win at
Williams Arena in Minges
Coliseum on Monday night.
ECU was led by Caleb White
with 19 points as the
Pirates improved to 6-6.
Michel-Ofik Nzege added 14
points and a team-high six
rebounds. ...
More... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Pirates struggle at UNCW |
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WILMINGTON East Carolina
made just 28.1 percent of
its field goal attempts and
took a 66-54 nonconference
loss at UNC-Wilmington on
Saturday night. The Seahawks
blocked 11 shots in
improving to 5-3. Terry
Whisnant led ECU (5-6) with
18 points and Paris
Roberts-Campbell added 11 in
his first game this season
coming off a knee injury.
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: Coach Ruff Presser |
 ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the news media on
Thursday about the Pirates'
Jan. 3 matchup with Florida
in the Birmingham Bowl
(courtesy of Pirate Radio
1250 via Brian Bailey):
Select
clip... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Pirates surge past JMU |
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 GREENVILLE
Florida State
transfer Terry
Whisnant scored 14
of his 24 points in
the second half and
Caleb White had all
16 of his points
after intermission
as East Carolina
overcame a 28-25
deficit at the break
for a 70-58
nonconference win
over James Madison
at Williams Arena in
Minges Coliseum on
Saturday ...
Story
& photo... |
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Pictured: ECU guard
Terry Whisnant
scores a layup over
JMU defender Hari
Hall in the first
half of a 70-58 win
on Saturday. (Photo
by W.A. Myatt) |
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Next: ECU at UNW |
Saturday, 7 pm |
The Season |
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By
Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's Football
Schedule
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
East Carolina's football team travels today in advance of
the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday against Florida.
Classes are out so the Pirates' focus narrows to
bowl-related matters.
A team meeting was scheduled for 9 a.m. today.
"We'll load up at 9:15," said ECU alumnus and coach
Ruffin McNeill. "Feed 'em before we leave. Fly out at 10. When we
arrive, we'll check in and settle down."
This also will be an orientation day. The players will be
shown where meetings will be at the hotel. There will be a meeting on
rules.
The Pirates will see where they will practice Tuesday at
Hoover High School in suburban Birmingham.
"We'll load up and do some things the kids have not
seen," McNeill said. "For example, we're going to the Bear Bryant
Museum."
The museum named for the legendary former Alabama coach
is located in Tuscaloosa, about an hour ride from Birmingham.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has given permission for
the Pirates to tour Alabama's facilities.
ECU running backs coach and special teams coordinator
Kirk Doll was on Saban's staff at LSU.
Tide linebacker coach Kevin Steele is the brother of Dale
Steele, ECU's director of football administration.
"Dale set this up," McNeill said. "We'll go and see their
facilities. That will be good for our kids."
McNeill said the team would eat at a nice restaurant in
Tuscaloosa.
"We'll come back and bed down," McNeill said. "The next
day will begin the routine for us."
The players will get a bowl gift each day. They'll lift
weights Tuesday and Thursday. They'll meet, eat and practice.
"There will be events each day," McNeill said.
The Pirates will visit the Civil Rights Museum in
Birmingham.
"That's going to be a big experience for our kids,"
McNeill said. "This bowl is very excited to have us. The kids are
excited to go and I'm excited, too."
More traditional Christmas
The relatively late position of the Birmingham Bowl in
the postseason calendar allowed for more holiday family time for the ECU
program.
"Went down to Lumberton and saw Pops (Ruffin McNeill,
Sr.)," said the Pirates coach. "I got back and hung out with Erlene's
(wife's) family. Now I've got all the boys around me so I'm at home."
The timing of the Birmingham Bowl allowed the Pirates to
have as traditional a Christmas as could be asked for among successful
college football programs.
Teams such as N.C. State and North Carolina, for
instance, had bowl games the day after Christmas and had to make some
sacrifices as a result.
"I love getting some work in and giving the kids a break
to go home," McNeill said. "We gave them four days to go home and spend
Christmas with their families. It worked out well. We ran them and got
them in a little condition after the holidays."
Bowls can be tricky
ECU limited reps for its players at the top of the depth
chart, keeping them sharp, but giving a lot of younger players
developmental opportunities in workouts before attention turned to the
Gators.
McNeill said full scale game plan installation began the
Saturday before Christmas (Dec. 20).
More preparation time means more things for which to
prepare.
"Bowl teams tend to do a lot of tricky things," McNeill
said.
The Pirates were no exception last year with receiver Cam
Worthy passing to quarterback Shane Carden for a 14-yard touchdown in
the fourth quarter of
a 37-20 win over Ohio in
the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg.
"I'm sure Lincoln (Riley, offensive coordinator) has some
things under his wing," McNeill said.
ECU not looking back
The Pirates have moved on from the disappointment of
a 32-30 loss to Central Florida
that ended the regular season.
"You've got to look forward," McNeill said. "You keep
looking back, that's where you'll go."
The Pirates were ranked as high as No. 21 in their first
season in the American Athletic Conference despite a significant number
of personnel losses from last year's 10-3 team.
"Replacing the number of starters we did is easier said
than done," McNeill stated.
ECU takes an 8-4 record to Birmingham with a competitive
performance in every loss.
The Pirates outgained host South Carolina in
a 33-23 loss on Sept.6.
ECU had a pronounced lead in yardage in chilly, wet and windy conditions
in
a 20-10 loss at Temple in
which the Owls recovered five Pirate fumbles.
ECU had leads in the final seconds
at Cincinnati and against
UCF.
"At the same time, the kids have accomplished so much,"
McNeill said. "Nine guys on all-conference teams. The offense has broken
23 records this year alone. There are a lot of positives going on. ...
"We're focusing solely on Florida, making sure we play
our best game next Saturday."
2000 loss to Pirates educational
McNeill cited a 40-27 loss to East Carolina in a bowl
game at the Astrodome in 2000 when he was at Texas Tech as part of his
postseason education.
"From that point on, we have what we think is a pretty
good system and we adjusted accordingly," McNeill said. "Lincoln has
every script from every practice and every meeting from all of our
bowls. We go back and review and say, 'This fits. This fits.'
"Getting the proper rest. Getting the guys quality reps.
Developing the young guys. Putting the game plan in so it's not stale.
Once we get to the bowl site, we understand what we're going to do each
day."
Sympathy for the Blazers
UAB's decision to drop football weeks ago in response to
financial losses is relevant to the Birmingham Bowl because the Blazers
played their home games at Legion Field. UAB was 6-6 and bowl eligible
when the announcement that the program was going to be shut down was
made.
"I feel very disappointed for the university," McNeill
said. "I have a lot of sympathy for the kids and the staff, the
secretaries that work football. There are a lot of people tied in to a
football program who are sometimes overlooked. Playing a team sport is a
tremendous life experience.
"The football locker room is the greatest laboratory for
human behavior ever invented. There's 125 people, all men, who go
through adversity, triumph and work hard. They have a policy that I
direct but they police themselves. You make friends that you'll have for
30, 40, 50 years. My roommate and I met in 1976 and we still text today.
"Removing that program is more costly than people think.
... It's more about giving a kid a chance to have a life, a chance to be
successful in life.
"We're going to take 125 kids to Alabama. Some have never
been to Alabama. ... The program not being there I wish and hoped they
would have gotten it worked out. I'm very disappointed they didn't."
ECU history at Legion Field
The Pirates played at Legion Field against Alabama in
1998. ECU scored three touchdowns and kicked a field goal but had
problems with conversions. Alabama had three touchdowns and returned a
blocked PAT for two points in a 23-22 Tide win.
The Pirates were 3-3 against the Blazers at the venerable
facility.
ECU played in the inaugural Birmingham Bowl, when it was
known as the Papajohns.com Bowl in 2006. South Florida took
a 24-7 win.
"Playing in the stadium is an honor because of all the
great teams and players who have played at Legion Field and what great
games they've had," McNeill said.
The Pirates had 600 yards of total offense on their last
trip to Legion Field. The occasion was a Conference USA contest with UAB
in 2012 that produced
a 42-35 ECU win.
"We've played there," McNeill said. "We know the locker
room layout."
Interim situation
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is Florida's interim
coach. Will Muschamp was dismissed as Gators head coach during a 6-5
season and Jim McElwain has been brought in from Colorado State as his
replacement.
McNeill was interim head coach at Texas Tech when the Red
Raiders defeated Michigan State 41-31 in the Alamo Bowl. He was filling
in for Mike Leach, who was terminated.
"When I took over it was the most challenging time in my
coaching life," McNeill said. "We found out 30 minutes before a team
meeting, Erlene and I. I told the staff and we began practice. In 30
minutes, I had to become a head coach.
"The staff felt if we won the game, we would be able to
stay. ... It didn't happen but God has a way of putting things the way
he wants them, not the way we want them."
Former ECU athletic director Terry Holland hired McNeill
shortly after the Red Raiders' final game of the 2009 season.
Interest in staff
The depth of McNeill's experience in coaching gives him a
realistic perspective when other programs show interest in his staff.
Kentucky recently interviewed Riley and there were
reports that he would leave ECU to become offensive coordinator for the
Wildcats.
That scenario was not realized as Kentucky coach Mark
Stoops brought in former West Virginia OC Shannon Dawson to fill the
position created when Neal Brown left Lexington to become head coach at
Troy.
"I was excited for Lincoln," McNeill said. "He's earned
that interest. It also shows the success of our program.
"When you do some positive things, people want your
staff. I look at that as a compliment. I never hold any of our staff
back."
The Pirates have had a high degree of staff continuity in
the McNeill era.
"People have come after the coaches each year I've been
here," McNeill said. "It speaks to where we are as a program. ...
Lincoln always lets me know when somebody contacts him. I'm proud of him
and I'm very proud of our program."
Trevon Brown could be back
Dynamic receiver and kick returner Trevon Brown has been
out of action for three months with a knee ailment but has started
practicing again.
"We're working him in slowly, trying not to overdo it,"
McNeill said. "He's a hard-working kid. He's done well in his classes.
He's a joy to be around. It's good to see 88 running around on the
field. He's a great kid.
" ... Every time we break the huddle, he waits and gives
me a hug and tells me he loves me. Every day. I tell him, 'I love you
more.' "
If Brown is back for the bowl, he may not do kickoff
returns.
"I'm going to wait and see on that one," McNeill said.
"He's just getting back. He's got a brace on right now. He's available.
He'll definitely be on offense and he'll be available to do the others."
Also in terms of personnel, ECU announced on Sunday that
nose tackle Terry Williams and free safety Domonique Lennon would not be
eligible for the bowl.
Keys for Pirates
McNeill shared his thoughts on keys for ECU in the
pending matchup.
"We need to make sure we're fundamentally sound," he
said. "That means we must block well and tackle well. Playing smart. We
need to minimize penalties and not stopping ourselves. One of the things
this year we found out, more than people stopping us, no disrespect,
we've stopped ourselves.
"Takeaways on defense and ball security on offense
let's do a great job of that. Let's keep our composure and play one play
at a time and do the best you can on that play every time."
East
Carolina has landed one of
North Carolina's top college
prospects, albeit a 2012
model. The Pirates went back
in the stacks to snare James
Summers, who quarterbacked
Greensboro's Page High
School to the state 4-AA
title in 2011 as a senior.
...
