News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

08.16.06: Bucs have depth chart heading into scrimmage ... Calipari assistant named UTEP hoops coach ... Clemson gives Leggett new five-year contract

08.15.06: Get ready to "Meet the Pirates" ... Depth chart looms as Bucs continue drills ... Red Raiders dedicate season to fallen coach

08.14.06: New thumbnails: Freeney, McNeil, Perryman ... Blazers hold first scrimmage on Sunday ... NCAA clears Snider to play this season at Tulsa ... Kansas officials undergo NCAA grilling

08.13.06: Dye goes into college football hall of fame ... ECU scrimmage helps shape depth chart ... Memphis works out at Liberty Bowl

08.12.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: Ben Herlocker ... Pirates tune up for Saturday scrimmage ... Blazers preparing for opener with Oklahoma ... SMU golfer qualifies for U.S. Amateur

08.11.06: Pirates dodge heat with nighttime drills ... ECU's Thorsen claims Norwegian amateur title ... Manning pledges $1 million to Vols

08.10.06: Thursday 'Nuggets' sacked by network glitch

08.09.06: Lou's book says Skip was promised USC job ... Humid weather doesn't dampen ECU drills ... 'Bright House' will be home for Golden Knights

08.08.06: Pirates shifting to full-gear practice mode ... Hattiesburg pro takes over USM golf program ... Sooners turn to Thompson to fill QB void

08.07.06: Pirates strap on shoulder pads ... Ex-Duke lacrosse coach has new program ... NIT will trim field from 40 to 32 teams

08.06.06: Media day no day off for Pirates ... Drew-Skip check goes to Greenville Rec. Dept. ... Coordinator of ACC refs hanging up whistle

08.05.06: Holtz likes what he sees as camp starts ... Buckeyes pegged as team to beat; WVU #7 ... Groh reinstates senior safety Tony Franklin ... Four from C-USA on Thorpe Award watch list

08.04.06: Judge: Buckeyes owe ex-coach big bucks ... Marshall takes preseason volleyball accolades ... Conference USA adds administrator to staff

08.03.06: Four Hurricanes will miss opener with FSU ... Report says Sooners QB canned ... Tigers' Tate takes aim on Women's Amateur

08.02.06: Kragthorpe lassoes new pact, new transfers ... ACC champ to Orange; makeup policy defined ... Blazers launching prep baseball league

08.01.06: C-USA releases schedule of televised games ... 'The Voice' adds morning duties on local AM's ... Huskers, Huskies set dates in 2010, 2011

07.31.06: Blue Edwards' twins' team seeking AAU title ... Bower suspends USM LB for two games ... Preseason honors piling up for Houston QB ... SMU grid luncheon will feature Forrest Gregg

07.30.06: Love, smitten with UCLA, spurns Tar Heels ... Wake won't enroll indicted football signee ... Slippery Rock backpedals after Title IX ruling

07.29.06: Whimper, Williams get multimillion-dollar deals ... Blazers DE nabs C-USA preseason honor ... TCU coach resigns over phone infraction

07.28.06: Navy game tickets available to Pirate Clubbers ... ECU grants extension, raise to Baldwin-Tener ... League football coaches visit New Orleans ... C-USA football media blitz set for CSTV

07.27.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: Devon Wallace ... USM soph on Mackey watch list ... Scribes pick Miami to win ACC title ... New post-college football league in the works

07.26.06: "Meet the Pirates" shin-dig set for Aug. 19 ... Leukemia claims former UAB football star ... ACC honors Dukie Redick, Terp Infante

07.25.06: ECU last in poll; Allison, Graham get respect ... Former Pirate Ward joins Bulls baseball staff ... NCAA's impact lucrative for Indianapolis

07.24.06: Miami football player shot at off-campus residence ... 'Star-crossed' defensive back leaving Auburn ... Admission denied for Gamecock hoops signee

07.23.06: Accident claims life of Georgia hoops player ...
Ex-Navy quarterback Owens spared jail time ... Former Gamecock suing university

07.22.06: Blue Devils name new lacrosse coach ... Former Duke back issues $1 million challenge ... Current Duke back Harris gets tube time

07.21.06: Hoops recruiting thumbnail: Jontae Sherrod ... Tiger recruit says Irish used negative tactics ... Duke football hit by suspension, dismissals ... UK to report self over Internet shenanigans

07.20.06: ECU to hold public "celebration" of LeClair's life ... LeClair rites to be broadcast and live-streamed ... Future Pirate Fields tallies 8 points in East loss ... C-USA announces staff additions, promotions ... UCF uses buyout; Vols host Wolfpack in 2008

07.19.06: Irish fill baseball coaching vacancy ... Fork Union, Oak Hill getting review by NCAA ... Alabama cager denied fifth year of eligibility

07.18.06: ECU's Krog, Hauser recognized for academics ... UCF golfer fires record round of 60 ... Rutgers drops six sports to trim athletic budget

07.17.06: LSU paying baseball coach $450K per year ... Kruger uses rule change to play for dad ... MAAC adopts new hoops tourney format

07.16.06: UTEP track athletes achieve in classroom ... Former George Mason cager gives up on NFL ... Jury hears tape of Navy quarterback's call

07.15.06: GMAC Bowl in Mobile moves to January ... Louisville ponies up to lock down Petrino ... Tulsa names McCombs women's golf coach

07.14.06: N.C. prep hoops star re-routes to Memphis ... ECU's Flye, Ray land in CPL All-Star Game ... UNC-CH's Miller receives Clemens Award

07.13.06: Logan to have daily show on "The Bull" ... Marshall hires former Blue Devil as hoops aide ... Redick 'backs' out of Team USA workouts

East Carolina senior Robert Lee is one of 30 placekickers selected to the 2006 preseason Lou Groza collegiate place-kicker award watch list, according to an announcement from the ECU athletic media relations department.

Lee, who earned preseason national ratings from The Sporting News (17th) and Phil Steele Magazine (18th), was named one of the "Top Clutch Players for Game-Winning Kicks" by The Sporting News as well as a preseason All-Conference USA selection by Phil Steele Magazine.

As a junior, Lee connected on 17-of 19 (89.5 percent) field goal attempts, was a perfect 30-of-30 on PATs, and was a semi-finalist for the 2005 Lou Groza Award. He finished the season ranked 19th nationally in field goals made per game, was ECU's leading scorer with 81 points, had six multiple field goal contests and was a perfect 15-of-15 from inside the 40-yard line.

For his performance in 2005, Lee received the team's "Blackbeard Award" for special teams great plays and the Janet Overton Decal Award.

The top three finalists will be honored during the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Banquet and Silent Auction on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 7, during the ESPN College Football Award Show from Orlando.

After working through record-setting heat during the majority of the first 10 days of preseason camp, East Carolina took advantage of plenty of cloud cover and a later starting time for a practice approaching three hours on Wednesday evening at the Cliff Moore Practice Complex, according to a report from the university's athletic media relations department.

Coach Skip Holtz pushed back the session two hours which allowed the Pirates to conduct the 11-on-11 scrimmage-type practice under cooler conditions and closely match the 5:30 p.m. start time of ECU's opener at Navy on Sept. 2.

The Pirates opened the workout with brief individual and special teams drills before moving quickly to an extended team-on-team session, which featured plenty of contact but no tackling, in preparation for their second scrimmage of camp scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

"It is critically important for us to get work in that live environment, especially with many of our inexperienced guys," Holtz said. "We need to see the chains out there. We need to see people moving in front of you in different schemes and alignments in simulated game conditions. The idea was to incorporate a true scrimmage feel but in a thud mode, without the tackling.

"We've got a lot of guys who are still fighting for positions. Saturday's scrimmage will hopefully answer some of the personnel questions we have as a staff. We need to move on to the next phase and begin preparations for Navy."

Holtz lauded the play of sophomore quarterback Patrick Pinkney during Wednesday's practice, noting he "had a good day moving the team and the chains."

Patrick Pinkney and redshirt freshman Rob Kass took the majority of snaps under center for the second and third units.

Converted junior center Fred Hicks, who was moved to the offensive line prior to the start of spring drills, was officially added to the 105-man preseason roster Wednesday. Hicks, who had suffered a knee injury, was medically cleared to rejoin the program and will be allowed to engage in contact work Monday.

Individual game tickets for all six of East Carolina's home football games are now on sale, according to an announcement made by the athletics department through the media relations office.

Ticket prices for Conference USA matchups against Memphis, Tulsa, Southern Methodist and Marshall have been set at $30 each while the cost for the West Virginia and Virginia games have been established at $40 per ticket.

Tickets for all home and road games, except the contest at N.C. State on Nov. 25, are available online through ecupirates.com or by calling the ECU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-DIAL-ECU.

The Pirates will open their home schedule against Memphis at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Sept. 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.