News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

10.03.06: Curry to receive Stagg award ... Inspired by fallen teammate, Rice whips Army ... ECU women's golf team finishes 11th

10.02.06: Takeaways, sacks mean good things for UVa ... Gators pull even with WVU in Harris BCS poll ... Swofford presented with Homer Rice Award ... Tulsa win streak continues at ECU's expense

10.01.06: Cavs blast Duke 37-0 in Durham ... Vols deal Memphis a resounding defeat ... Pirate women's cross country wins meet

09.30.06: Wave home after record road trip ... NIT selection committee adds two ... ECU women's golf gets underway

09.29.06: NCAA graduation rate inches higher ... ECU tennis alumni will hold Oct. 7 reunion ... Tulane's return home to be televised

09.28.06: ECU rolls out Mini Pack deal on football tickets ... O'Leary cites mistakes in loss to Southern Miss ... Finances major factor in Bunting's status

09.27.06: Struggling Cavaliers face winless Duke ... Upon further review: Review unwarranted ... ECU netters get singles wins in Port City

09.26.06: ECU diamond slate loaded with home games ... East Carolina 2007 Baseball Schedule ... Rice's Lloyd collapses at workout, dies ... Golden Knights-Golden Eagles collision on TV ... C-USA announces football players of week ... ECU gets tie in women's soccer

09.25.06: O'Brien: Buckeyes, Auburn, USC, WVU tops ... Ohio State, Southern Cal lead Harris BCS poll ... Blazers topped in OT for Bulldogs' first win ... Tulsa edges Navy on blocked kick ... UTEP tops East Carolina 3-0 in volleyball

09.24.06: Clemson recognizes 1981 national champs ... Ref gets assignment involving Stoops family ... ECU volleyball falls at Tulane, hosts UTEP

09.23.06: ACC football struggling despite expansion ... Cavs may have found their quarterback ... Southern Miss freshman setting records

09.22.06: Pirate baseball announces fall scrimmages ... Tulane football in ESPN spotlight today ... Southern Miss AD will chair NCAA group

09.21.06: Holland addresses crowd behavior ... WVU game at center of Pirate Club weekend ... AFCA cuts ties with Hula Bowl

09.20.06: Bad officiating costs Oklahoma against Oregon ... ECU women's hoops will travel to Cancun ... Pirate volleyball a shutout winner over A&T

09.19.06: Memphis ousts defensive coordinator Dunn ... ECU's Kasey Ross earns
C-USA weekly honor ... Sept. TV calendar filling up for
C-USA teams

09.18.06: Mountaineers have some things to work on ... New Jersey will test prep players for steroids ... ECU women's soccer falls 1-0 to Penn

09.17.06: Knife trouble nothing new at Northern Colorado ... South Carolina QB will rejoin team ... Pirate volleyball sweeps Grambling State

09.16.06: Yahoo report says Bush accepted benefits ... Pirate volleyball gets fourth shutout ... ECU women's soccer edged by Seahawks

09.15.06: Amato post-Akron comments fueling reactions ... Stabbed N. Colorado punter watches team ... Pirate volleyball topped by Herd

09.14.06: NFL rosters filled with C-USA alums ... Southern Miss coach Bower calls Pack "scary" ... Rice goalkeeper McClintock gets national honor

09.13.06: Pirate punter Dougherty on Guy watch list ... ECU golfers finish ninth at Mid Pines ... East Carolina sweeps Campbell in volleyball

09.12.06: WVU, Pirates to be shown on ESPN 2 ... UAB's Felder honored for game- saving strip ... C-USA volleyball accolade for Pirates' Krug

09.11.06: Buckeye cheerleader drinks, drives, hits veep ... Houston's Kolb sets school mark in rout ... Krug sets ECU volleyball assists mark

09.10.06: Aundrae Allison on Biletnikoff watch list ... SEC's artificial noise penalties reinstated ... ECU volleyball falls to North Florida

09.09.06: UAB focuses on covering Aundrae Allison ... Ga. Southern mourns death of Erk Russell ... Shelby named to ECU women's hoops staff

09.08.06: NCAA's Brand calls for 80 percent grad rate ... ECU women's soccer gets regional ranking ... Soccer Buzz recognizes ECU's Nicole Moore ... Pirates get volleyball sweep over UNCW

09.07.06: Tigers, Pack, Deacs highlight ECU hoops slate ... Record contradicts Tressel's poll vote claim ... Winston- Salem State coach gets extension

09.06.06: Holland featured speaker at power lunch ... College games shorter after rule changes ... Full day in
C-USA includes Pirates vs. Blazers ... C-USA names football players of the week

09.05.06: Holtz discusses loss to Navy, challenge at UAB ... UAB pleased with performance vs. Sooners ... U of L's Bush has surgery for broken leg

09.04.06: Ole Miss survives Memphis in Sunday opener ... Blazers narrowly miss upset bid at Oklahoma ... Early showdown tonight for 'Canes, 'Noles ... Cavaliers turn back Pirates in volleyball final

09.03.06: NCAA president Brand at Elon on Wednesday ... Pirate volleyball 2-0 after topping Georgetown ... National honor for Memphis soccer player

09.02.06: Miners prevail over Aztecs in season opener ... East Carolina has Wright stuff in volleyball ... ECU women's soccer gets another shutout

09.01.06: UAB game off limits to Peterson's Dad ... Tulsa rolls past Stephen F. Austin in opener ... Pirates announce nine women's track signees

A key Conference USA East Division battle will be televised tonight when Central Florida plays at Marshall (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2).

The game comes on the heels of Tuesday night's inter-divisional battle on ESPN2 in which defending conference champion Tulsa of the West defeated East Division stalwart Southern Mississippi, 20-6.

East Carolina was off this past week as the Pirates prepared to host Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday night. CSTV will televise the game live at 6 p.m. EDT, as the Cavaliers make their first appearance in Greenville. ECU dismantled UVA, 61-10, in a 1975 visit to Charlottesville.

ECU senior quarterback James Pinkney continues to climb the school's all-time passing charts. He is now ranked third in attempts (9310 and yards (6,436), fourth in touchdown passes (39) and seventh in completions (537).

In the West Virginia game on Sept. 23, senior wide receiver Aundrae Allsion moved into a tie for sixth place on the all-time career receptions list, tying Luke Fisher (102 from 1988-91). Allison has 1,288 career receiving yards, 72 shy of breaking into the school's all-time top 10 (Marcellus Harris is 10th with 1,359).

Senior kicker Robert Lee has nailed all 38 of his extra-point attempts at East Carolina, just four shy of tying the school record set by Rob Imperato in 1989 and 1990. Including two years in the junior college ranks, Lee is has been perfect in 66 attempts in his collegiate career. He has also connected on 21 of 25 field goal attempts as a Pirate.

The ECU defense has forced two or more turnovers in each of the last six games and has registered 14 takeaways in four games this season.

Former Virginia football stars and current National Football League All-Pros Ronde and Tiki Barber and their families have made a $1 million gift to their alma mater, according to a release on the UVa athletic website.

Announcement of the Barbers' gift was made during a dinner to launch the University's $3 billion campaign. The Barber twins served as the emcees for that event in the John Paul Jones Arena.

The Barbers' gift was made in two parts with $500,000 divided among the McIntire School of Commerce, where both received their undergraduate degrees; the Virginia Athletics Foundation; the U.Va. Children's Hospital; the U.Va. Alumni Association's Walter N. Ridley Scholarship Fund, which benefits African American students; and the Young Alumni Council. The other $500,000 will be in the form of a challenge to encourage young alumni of the university to participate in the campaign.

Ronde Barber is a cornerback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Tiki Barber is a running back with the New York Giants and a part-time co-host on "Fox and Friends," the Fox News Channel's highly-rated morning program.

The Barber twins, members of the Class of 1997, have actively supported the university since their graduation. Tiki Barber served on the Young Alumni Council and is the founder of a program that encourages young grads to begin a tradition of giving to UVa — MY-D-CAV (My Yearly Dollars Count at Virginia).

The Barbers will be celebrating their 10th class reunion next spring and hope that the challenge will spur giving on the part of their classmates.

Conference USA's players of the week include Southern Methodist's first selections of the 2006 season.

Kick returner Jessie Henderson (special teams) and nose tackle Adrian Haywood (defense) were honored for their roles in the Mustangs conference-opening win at Tulane.

Rice quarterback Chase Clement was named offensive player of the week after throwing for 299 yards and setting a school-record with five touchdown passes in the Owls' 48-14 win at Army.

Clement returned to action for the first time since the season opener and set a school record with five touchdown passes at Army. He also established career highs in attempts (39), completions (29), passing yards (299), rushing yards (64) and total offense (363) in leading the Owls to their first road victory since 2003.

Haywood notched three tackles for loss, including a sack and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter of SMU's 33-28 win at Tulane that halted a potential go-ahead scoring drive by the Green Wave. Haywood was part of a Mustang defense that held Tulane to minus 33 rushing yards, a new SMU record. He finished with five total tackles.

Trailing for the first time in the game, Henderson put SMU back in the lead with a fourth quarter kick return for a touchdown that covered 100 yards. He had three returns for 136 yards on the night.

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 electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.