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Audio: Brian Bailey
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   The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Brian's guests this week were ECU
unit coordinators Rick Smith (left)
and Dave Nichol (middle) and ECU
media specialist Brian Meador
(right):
Replay
show... |
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View Pirate Radio
1250 Programming
Lineup |
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Infographic: Pick 6
set the tone |
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30 |
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17 |
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East Carolina forced
two turnovers,
kicked three field
goals and pulled out
a 30-17 win over
Tulsa Saturday
afternoon in front of a Homecoming
crowd of 43,065 at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium. Cornerback Josh Hawkins set
the tone early for
the Pirate defense,
returning an
interception 100
yards for a TD ...
Details and data from Greg Vacek... |
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Ball 'Hawk' boosts Pirates |
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GREENVILLE —
Everything seemed to feed
off one game-changing play
in East Carolina's 30-17
American Athletic Conference
football win over Tulsa on
Homecoming Saturday.
The
Golden Hurricane was moving the
ball as advertised after taking
the opening kickoff and
traversing from their 19 to the
ECU 12 over the manicured turf
of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Tulsa
came in averaging 568 yards of
total offense and 36.6 points
per game.
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More from Al Myatt... |
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View
W.A. Myatt's
game day
photo gallery... |
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Ruff post-game
audio |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters
on Saturday after the
Pirates' Homecoming win
over Tulsa
(recorded by Al Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
East Carolina
comes into today's American
Athletic Conference contest
with Tulsa at 3-3, while the
Golden Hurricane has a 3-2
record. The Pirates are 1-1
in the AAC and Tulsa is 0-1,
making this a pivotal game
for both both teams in terms
of their conference
championship ambitions.
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More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Home sweet Homecoming for Pirates |
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 Homecoming
at East Carolina is a party that
will attract around 50,000 guests.
ECU coach Ruffin McNeill is in
charge of the entertainment. McNeill
and the late Ed Emory are former
Pirate players who have gone on to
become head coaches at their alma
mater ...
More
from Al Myatt... |
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By
Brian Bailey
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
These five days may turn out to define
the 2015 East Carolina football season.
Part one was a success. ECU
beat Tulsa 30-17 for the Pirate’s 10th straight
homecoming victory. It certainly wasn’t a
masterpiece, but last I checked you don’t get bonus points for shutouts
or blowouts.
Pirate head coach Ruffin McNeill put an exclamation point on the
victory.
“Saturday was a great, great win! I said it after the game and I say it
again now,” said McNeill to open his weekly press briefing on Monday.
“I’ve been coaching a long time and, for me, it was one of the best wins
I’ve had as a head coach, period. You saw the kids, as a team, compete,
fight and scrap with no panic.”
It was certainly a game with an odd flow. Everyone expected an old
fashioned shootout. Tulsa came to town with the nation’s 7th-ranked
offense.
It was the ECU defense that set the tone and they did it on Tulsa’s
first drive.
Josh Hawkins stepped in front of Dane Evans pass at the goal line and
raced 100 yards for the game’s opening score. On Monday Hawkins was
named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Hawkins has certainly had his ups and downs at East Carolina. Saturday’s
‘pick-six’ was definitely an up and he was all smiles after the win.
“I read the play and was right there,” said Hawkins. “I then went back
into ‘running back’ mode like in high school. My teammates gave me some
great blocks and I just took it home to Mama.”
Story
continues after the following ad...
Now the Pirates face the shortest of weeks with nationally-ranked Temple
coming to town on Thursday. The Owls are one of three teams in the
American in this week’s national rankings.
The game with Temple gives the Pirates a great chance to avenge 2014’s
most disappointing loss,
that humbling loss in the cold and rain of Philly last
November.
ECU Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Tom McClellan
called it ‘Flipping the Déjà Vu?’ in the weekly ECU game notes. The game
is almost a direct opposite from the matchup last season.
In 2014 the Pirates were 6-1 and ranked 21st and 23rd in the national
polls. Temple came into that game at 4-3. The Owls upset the Pirates
20-10, forcing five turnovers and racking up 11 tackles for losses.
Fast-forward to 2015. Temple is 6-0 and ranked 22nd and 24th in the
national polls. The Pirates are 4-3. Oddly enough, East Carolina is an
early three-point favorite in the game.
Regardless of the similarities in the matchups, Coach Ruff says he’ll
keep his team focused on the ‘next game philosophy.’
“They beat us last year,” said McNeill. “It wasn’t luck. They did a good
job. I talk about getting better. Let’s play our best game our next
game, but play our best game our last game of the year. Temple has a
great team and proposes a great opportunity, but a challenge for us. I
talk more about preparation. That’s how I’m built and that’s what I
believe in.”
The Pirate defense may once again be the key. This time that defense
will have to stop the run first.
If they do that, ECU can unleash Montese Overton and his buddies. That
unit has collected 16 sacks in the last three games. That stat comes
after the Pirates had just five sacks in the team’s first four games.
“That’s always two of the big keys,” said ECU Defensive Coordinator Rick
Smith. “We have to first stop the run, and then we have to get pressure
on the quarterback. No secondary can withstand these offenses if the
quarterback has all day. Our guys are playing well and have to continue
to do that.”
Hopefully the Pirate Nation will come out in force.
It’s a blackout game, as the Pirates look to turn the lights out on
Temple’s unbeaten season.
BB
