News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

10.17.06: ACC, Miami announce additional suspensions ... More suspensions also on Sun Belt's agenda ... Duke lacrosse under "60 Minutes" scrutiny

10.16.06: Coker suspends eight Miami players after brawl ... Pirate volleyball continues roll at UCF ... Szilard leads ECU women's soccer win ... Harris Poll's top 5 varies from BCS Standings

10.15.06: Stokes convenes season's first hoops practice ... Pirate volleyball wins third straight ... ECU women open basketball practice at Rose

10.14.06: EA Sports video game features ECU baseball stadium ... Pirates announce Tickets for Troops drive ... Six C-USA gridders in All-American Classic

10.13.06: Pirate basketball gets national TV dates ... ECU women's hoops getting tube time, too ... East Carolina baseball to host winter camp

10.12.06: ECU hoops scrimmages set for Homecoming ... Camels stun No. 3 UNC-Chapel Hill in soccer ... ECU picked 7th in C-USA women's hoops

10.11.06: Dougherty gets
C-USA special teams honor ... Pirate promotions abound for Tulsa game ... UCF versus Pitt on TV Friday night

10.10.06: Tulsa netter Brugues takes national title ... Miami (OH) reeling after sixth loss ... Pirates host unique diving competition

10.09.06: Buckeyes, Trojans, Gators top Harris Poll ... Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll ballot ... Gators continue success in Swamp ... Pirates stun Memphis in volleyball ... ECU soccer shuts out Herd

10.08.06: Jeff Blake bows out of hall induction ... NCAA's tax status under investigation ... North Dakota challenges NCAA mascot policy

10.07.06: Amato continues mastery of Seminoles ... ECU volleyball triumphs at home over UAB ... Millican continues bid for spot on LPGA Tour

10.06.06: Big Ten announces fines, reprimands ... Central Florida wins late field goal battle ... Millican shoots 74 in qualifying event

10.05.06: Gold captures ECU World Series with 8-7 win ... Tulsa runs past Southern Miss ... Former ECU golfer Millican in LPGA qualifying

10.04.06: TV exposure continues for C-USA teams ... Former UVa stars make $1 million gift ... SMU takes two of three weekly league honors

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

All 12 Conference USA football teams will be in action this Saturday, with five league games on the docket along with a pair of non-conference matchups.

Texas-El Paso and Houston meet in a Texas-sized battle, Tulsa goes to Memphis in the CSTV Game of the Week (8 p.m. EDT), East Carolina closes a five-game homestand versus Southern Methodist, Rice is at Central Florida and Marshall goes to UAB.

In out-of-conference action, Southern Miss will face Virginia Tech on the road in a game to be televised by ESPNU (7 p.m. EDT) and Tulane will play at No. 7 Auburn.

Conference USA's football players of the week are Rice wide receiver Jarrett Dillard on offense, Southern Methodist defensive back Devin Lowery on defense and Texas-El Paso punt returner Johnnie Lee Higgins on special teams.

Dillard caught nine passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns, the last of them with 3.5 seconds remaining to give the Owls a 34-33 win over UAB. It was the second time in the last three games that Dillard has caught three TD passes. His three TDs on the night allowed him to set a Rice single-season record with 11 TD grabs. Dillard has now caught a TD pass in nine consecutive games, the longest active streak in the country.

Lowery had three interceptions in SMU's win over Marshall, becoming just the eighth player in school history to notch three picks in a game. He also had seven stops as the Mustangs improved to 4-3 heading into their C-USA match-up at East Carolina on Saturday (3 p.m. EDT.) SMU's record represents its best start since a 5-2 mark in 1986.

Higgins became the first Miner in 40 years to return a punt for a touchdown in back-to-back games. He returned a kick 88 yards for a TD in the second quarter against Tulane. It was the longest punt return by a UTEP player since 1967 and the fourth-longest in school history.

East Carolina senior Heidi Krug has been named setter of the week in Conference USA volleyball, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

Krug recorded a career-best 71 assists against Southern Miss and added 12 digs for the double-double. The senior averaged 13 assists per game, totaling 104 on the week.

Krup registered 17 digs (2.12 pg), two blocks and five kills last week and is now 10th all-time in service aces with 124, after notching one against Central Florida on Sunday.

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.