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GAME DAY WEATHER |
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The outlook for the
Birmingham Bowl is
calling for 63
degrees at kickoff
with a 35 percent
chance of a
thunderstorm. Winds
are expected to be
11 to 13 miles per
hour out of the
South during the
matchup between East
Carolina and
Florida. Legion
Field is set up
North-South with the
sidelines on the
East and West so
wind could be a
factor. The
temperature will
increase slightly to
65 degrees during
the game with the
chance of a
thunderstorm rising
to 45 percent.
Humidity will range
from 92 to 94
percent. (Filed by
Al Myatt) |
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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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FOOTBALL |
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Late bowl date has pros and
cons |
By the time the East
Carolina football team
charges out of the tunnel
onto historic Legion Field
for its Birmingham Bowl game
against Florida on Saturday,
all but two of the 39 games
on the postseason schedule
will have already been
completed. ...
More from Brett
Friedlander... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Tulane takes AAC opener at
ECU |
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GREENVILLE Tulane's
Jonathan Stark hit four of
five attempts from beyond
the arc as the Green Wave
took a 67-59 American
Athletic Conference win over
East Carolina at Williams
Arena in Minges Coliseum on
Wednesday afternoon. Stark
scored 22 points and Louis
Dabney added 19 for Tulane
(10-3, 1-0 AAC). ...
More... |
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Next: ECU at USF |
Sat., 7 pm | TV:
ESPN3 |
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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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View Mobile Alpha version of this page.
By
Kevin Monroe
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
The East
Carolina Pirates will tangle with the Florida Gators today in the
Birmingham Bowl on historic Legion Field. Florida will be ECU's toughest
test of the year defensively. The Gators are big, strong and fast and
can cause havoc on opposing offenses. This is not the same Florida of
Tim Tebows era when the perennial SEC juggernaut was playing for
national championships, but the Gators still have some of the top talent
in the country.
Florida went 4-8 last year and 6-6 this season, an underachieving
stretch for this storied program. Just getting to a bowl was a task
this year. East Carolina matches up well against the Gators, but
will have it hands full today. In order to beat Florida, the Pirates
will need to follow this script:
MOVE THE CHAINS
Establishing the run and the short-to-mid-range passing game is
going to be huge for ECU today. The Gators possess the best defense
the Pirates have faced this season. Florida is allowing only 118
rushing yards, 194 passing yards and 21 points per game. Getting
that run game going early will force Florida to respect the run and
not put so many folks in pass coverage. If the Gators are focused on
the running game they will have less people to blitz Shane Carden
and less people in pass coverage. Even if the running game lacks
success, it will force Florida to respect the threat of the run,
thus opening up the throwing lanes for Shane. Picking up first downs
against this tough Gator defense means moving the ball and creating
opportunities.
STOP THE RUN
Florida runs the football well, averaging nearly 190 yards per game.
The yardage is coming at 4.4 yards per attempt and has produced 21
touchdowns on the ground. The team's top rushers, Kelvin Taylor and
Matt Jones, have 12 touchdowns between them and are each averaging
approximately 5 yards per carry. ECU has been very good against the
run, giving up only 107 yards per game. The Pirates must get off
blocks, fill the rushing lanes and tackle well. Dealing with the
size and athleticism of the Gator offensive line will be a challenge
but the Pirates have seen big lines this season. The South Carolina
and Virginia Tech offensive lines were very good and the Pirates
performed well.
PLAY BIG
East
Carolina played its best football the season in the games that had
the most hype. When the Pirates played
at South Carolina and
Virginia Tech and
hosted North Carolina
early in the season, they played great football. This is another one
of those games. East Carolina is challenging a high-profile program
steeped in the tradition that comes with three national
championships, including two in the last eight years. ECU will once
again need to play big and fight for that respect that it seeks and
deserves. Its a big stage, with big time players for both teams. We
will see which guys step up and embrace that spotlight today.
BOTTOM LINE
The
Pirates last played football about a month ago,
losing at home on Senior Night
when Central Florida completed a Hail Mary pass as time expired.
ECU's players have wanted to get that taste out of their mouths for
a long time. This bowl game is the opportunity to do just that. If
the Pirates can keep the chains moving offensively, stop the run
defensively and play big in the biggest moments, they can win this
battle. It should be a great game.
Send an e-mail message to
Kevin Monroe.
Dig into Kevin Monroe's
archives.
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.
...