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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
By Brian Bailey |
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It's finally that time
of the season
By
Brian Bailey
©2008 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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Game week rivals
Christmas week as one of
the most exciting times
of the year.
The two milestones on
the calendar are similar
in that children can’t
wait for Christmas
morning, while football
fans can’t wait for that
first game.
For East Carolina fans,
that first game is in
Charlotte where the
Pirates will face
Virginia Tech. The non-BCS
Pirates take on the Bowl
Championship Series
powerhouse Hokies.
I hate the whole BCS
deal. ECU defensive
coordinator Greg Hudson
sums it up best. Hudson
says it’s all MAJOR
college football. Forget
the haves and the
have-nots. The Pirates
play a
MAJOR college
schedule,
and that’s all that
really matters.
The Virginia Tech game
offers up another great
opportunity for Skip
Holtz and company. Holtz
knows his team will be
underdogs again.
Last year the Pirates
were 28-point underdogs.
For the second straight
year, East Carolina is a
double-digit underdog.
Despite the loss in last
year’s meeting with the
Hokies, Holtz knows his
team earned some
respect, and turned some
heads in that first
game.
"There weren't many
people who thought we
had any chance to go
into that environment,
emotionally or
physically, and play
with a team of that
caliber with all the
returning starters that
they had,” said Holtz.
“I was proud of our team
and the way they went in
there and competed.”
"I think our players
like to play the tough
schedule. They gain some
confidence. We've been
competitive and close,
and now we've got to get
to the point where we
can win some of those
games, and it comes down
to one to two plays."
Last year’s game with
Virginia Tech did just
that. The Pirates lost
on a couple of plays.
The one that really
stood out was the Brett
Clay interception that
was returned for a
touchdown.
What a difference a year
makes for the Pirates,
especially at the
quarterback position.
ECU had no experience
whatsoever at the
position starting out
the 2007 season. Rob
Kass was suspended and
couldn’t play. Brett
Clay struggled.
Patrick Pinkney got his
chance, showed poise,
and earned a chance to
start, and beat rival
North Carolina, the very
next week.
Pinkney has since
solidified his role as
both the quarterback and
leader of this football
team.
“We’ve all worked really
hard,” said Pinkney.
“It’s time. I think
we’re all really ready
to go.”
I think the entire
Pirate Nation agrees. It
is time to go. It’s time
to kick off a brand new
football season.
Coach Holtz likes to say
that every team has its
own identity, its own
personality.
The coach knows that,
just like last year,
this first test will
tell him a lot about his
football team.
BB
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08/26/2008 02:16:11 AM |
