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Farewell to a
Familiar Foe
Today will be the
39th meeting between
Southern Miss and
East Carolina. As a
result of ECU�s move
to the American
Athletic Conference
next season, the
contest will mark
the last scheduled
regular season
meeting between two
programs that have
played annually for
31 straight years
and share a 38-game
series dating back
to 1951. Although
the Golden Eagles
hold a 27-11
advantage in the
series, ECU has won
three of the last
four.
Both teams enter
this game battered
and bruised.
Southern Miss has
had eight players
that were listed as
starters on the
preseason depth
chart lost for at
least one game this
season, including
senior defensive
backs Deron Wilson,
who was lost in the
preseason with an
injury, and Jacorius
Cotton, who is not
eligible in 2013.
The Pirates have
seven offensive and
four defensive
players that are out
for the season or
suspended
indefinitely. Players will have to
step up and continue
to play through
adversity.
ECU doesn't want to
be the team that
helps end Southern
Miss's losing
streak. With
the possibility of
dark clouds hovering
over Dowdy-Ficklen
today, many Pirate
fans remember a
rainy Saturday when
Duke ended it's
drought,
defeating the
Pirates in 2002.
Although they have
lost 17 consecutive
games, the Golden
Eagles played
the Pirates tough
last season in
a
24-14 defeat.
Fourteen of the 38
games in the series
have been decided by
seven points or
less. This
Rivalry has produced
some memorable games
(1983 �Mud Bowl�,
1986 �Forward
lateral,� 1995 �Fake FG�), many
of which are chronicled
in Alan Hinton�s
Biloxi Sun Herald
article and
Brian Bailey�s
2009 Bonesville.net
article.
With the script
still unwritten, the
Pirates remain in
control of their Conference USA destiny.
Will this be a
memorable finale to
a great series?
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