By Denny O'Brien
�2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

With two games remaining in the 2011 season, losing games no longer is the most critical issue facing the East Carolina football program.

Losing momentum at the box office is.

If the halftime scene during the Pirates� home loss to Southern Miss was any indication, ECU�s status of possessing one of the region�s most loyal fan contingents is officially on high alert. As soon as things began to painfully unravel against the Golden Eagles, fans flocked quickly to the exits with the students leading the fairweather caravan.

After a disheartening 22-17 loss to Conference USA bottom feeder Texas-El Paso Saturday night, you can�t help but wonder if the thousands who made an early exit against Southern Miss will bypass attending the Pirates� home showdown against Central Florida. It�s a fair question considering how quickly ECU�s season has turned following its midseason surge.

You can certainly understand the frustration. East Carolina, now 4-6, is as much a victim of self-inflicted wounds as it is injuries or tough scheduling. For the most part, the Pirates enter each game with enough bullets in the chamber, but more often than not aim the majority of them at themselves.

That certainly was the case in an abysmal offensive performance against a UTEP defense that ranks among the nation�s worst. Backbreaking interceptions, poor execution, and a seeming lack of urgency led to the Pirates� ultimate undoing.

It was even more noticeable last week against Southern Miss when the Golden Eagles put 28 points on the scoreboard with the ECU defense resting on the sideline. Combined with the UTEP loss Saturday, that makes five non-offensive touchdowns in the past two weeks and ten overall this season.

Few teams can recover from that degree of calamity, let alone one that has spent ten weeks struggling to find any semblance of offensive rhythm.

Even so, that�s hardly sound reasoning for fans to bail out, not when the postseason remains within reach and several seniors will be playing their final game in Greenville.

And if this is as discouraging as it gets for some of the Pirates� younger fans, they should have a historical discussion with some of ECU�s true diehards.

That would provide some true perspective.

The most pressing battle Pirates� fans are facing these days is membership within a BCS automatic conference. Without discounting its importance, that fight pales in comparison to the significance of the ones many of ECU�s elder fans have experienced over the years.

The literal and figurative calluses lining their hands are the result of political battles for University status, a fair share of funding, a medical school, and countless other academic and athletics initiatives that wouldn�t be present today without their persistence.

By their collective refusal to accept the status quo, their unwavering devotion for ECU is something that is difficult for today�s nouveau fan to completely embrace.

This doesn�t mean East Carolina�s students and recent graduates can�t eventually develop the same level of ownership of the program as its more time weathered fans. But to do so, the Pirates� younger fans must go all-in on ECU and demonstrate a willingness to never back down from future battles regardless of the scenario.

Given the Pirates� struggles this season and the repetitious nature of the mistakes they are making, it�s understandable if fans are concerned about the direction of the program. Truthfully, the outcry would likely be louder today if Pirates Coach Ruffin McNeill wasn�t an alumnus, an engaging one that most are pulling for to succeed.

But there are ways of expressing any concerns without staging a personal boycott of the Pirates� home finale. Skipping Saturday�s contest against UCF would be a short-sighted method for simply proving a point.

Throughout the high-stakes race for Big East membership, and the monetary prosperity that is attached to it, attendance has been a major topic in the cyber battles ECU fans have waged with those from Central Florida. And if you�ve attended games at UCF, you've witnessed that the Knights� fan following is subpar at best.

With the Pirates experiencing a down year and a mediocre UCF team coming to town, ECU followers could send a strong message Saturday. While most indications suggest that UCF is heading to the Big East and East Carolina isn�t, there have been no formal announcements last I checked.

With much still at stake, now is hardly the time for ECU�s fringe fans to abandon ship.