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Bailey's
Take on Conference USA
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From the Anchor Desk
Wednesday, November 21, 2001
By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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Pirate Players Are Resilient � and
Ready
�2001 Bonesville.net
ECU Looks to Bounce Back
in Finale
The mood at Pirate
camp on Monday was more positive then I expected.
I really thought
Coach Steve Logan looked a bit weary, but he answered every question with
respect and enthusiasm. Coach Logan has always said that the players handle
losses much better then the rest of us, and that apparently was the case
again this time out.
"The kids usually are the first to rebound and they did that Sunday,�
he explained, alluding to the players' rapid rebound after Thursday night's
close loss to Louisville. �It was disappointing, but at the same time, there's a
lot of disappointment that comes and goes in November to everybody. There
are very few teams that escape unscathed and we weren't one of them this
year. We've got a huge game coming up and we'd better get focused on that.
I'm confident that we'll do that."
The Pirates will also say goodbye to an outstanding senior class on Friday
morning. It is a very talented group, and a group that had to be devastated
with not bringing a conference title to the school during their time at East
Carolina.
Three That I will Especially Miss
I
will especially miss David Garrard, Leonard Henry and Pernell Griffin. The
three players were all from
Eastern Carolina,
and all made their own mark on the program.
David has faced every tough question since his debut as the Pirate
quarterback. I still remember my first interview with Garrard. It came after
the Spring game following his redshirt year.
I
commented then on how polished he was. He was genuinely nice and polite, and
really made every answer count.
He
did the same with the lights shining after the Louisville game. He answered
every question. If there ever was a stand-up guy, it�s David Garrard.
Leonard Henry didn�t like how a reporter once took his comments out of
context, and decided to no longer do post game interviews after his
sophomore season.
He
did do an interview with us after the galleryfurniture.com Bowl last season,
and explained that he concentrated more by not talking to the media.
As
I have said in this column before, Leonard was an intern of ours at WNCT-TV
this past winter. He was a joy to be around, and we have become good friends
since working together.
Pernell Griffin was
one of the most highly recruited players to come to East Carolina University. Pernell was
also a stand-up guy, who never missed an interview request.
I always liked
Pernell�s smile. He would flash it in an instant, and then go about the
business of making a tackle. He leaves as the leading tackler in Conference
USA history.
Here�s hoping that all
three players are in the NFL next season. If character is a deciding factor,
then all three will certainly be playing on Sundays.
Early Morning Start
Will Be Odd
Friday morning�s 11
a.m.
start for the East Carolina-Southern Miss game will be quite out of the
ordinary.
East Carolina Sports
Information Director Craig Wells has already announced that breakfast will
be served as the pre-game meal in the press box on Friday. He says that
lunch will come at half-time.
It just won�t be the
same for tailgating on Friday. Bar-b-cue and beer will be replaced by
scrambled eggs and orange juice.
We may even find some
new things to do with that leftover turkey for tailgating!
Conference USA Power Rankings [112101]
1. Louisville � Cards are 10-1 and ranked 17th in the
nation. The Conference USA champs need a big win against TCU and a big
bowl win to help the league down the road.2. East Carolina � Pirates still the only league team with one
conference loss. Win over Southern Miss sends the Pirates to Mobile for
the bowl game.
3.
Southern Miss � Golden Eagles are the best of the league teams with
two losses, by a long-shot.
4.
UAB � Blazers don�t travel well, but still have bowl hopes.
5.
Cincinnati � Bearcats still have a shot at 7-4 record.6.
Memphis- Tigers need a win over Cincy for winning record.
7.
TCU
� Horned Frogs still have Louisville and Southern Miss Ouch!
8. Army � Cadets looking forward to Army-Navy game.
9.
Tulane
� Green Wave would be the worst team in any other
conference.
10. Houston � Saves Tulane from last place slot... Cougars on pace for
�perfect� season.
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02/23/2007 01:19:51 AM
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