Ruffin McNeill is coming back to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The former East Carolina player and coach is now a special assistant to N.C. State coach Dave Doeren and will be on hand when the No. 13 Wolfpack opens the season as guest of the Pirates on Saturday, Sept. 3, at noon (ESPN). McNeill, who was 42-34 at ECU from 2010 to 2015, went 2-0 against his present program during … [Read more...]

The East Carolina football team resumed practice Tuesday after classes started Monday and now the focus is on the season opener against No. 13 N.C. State on Saturday, Sept. 3, at noon (ESPN) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Pirate players spoke at media day Saturday about the season ahead and the leadoff challenge from the Wolfpack. Linebacker Myles Berry, quarterback Holton … [Read more...]

Blake Harrell remembers when he came to East Carolina as defensive coordinator after Mike Houston's first ECU team had gone 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the American Athletic Conference in 2019. The Pirates had yielded 33.7 points and 469.3 yards per game. Those numbers were down to 25.8 points and 394.8 yards last year as ECU was 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the AAC. "It's night … [Read more...]

East Carolina offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick is just over three weeks away from matching wits with an N.C. State defense that returns 10 starters from a 9-3 team. His focus for the present is preparing his platoon in preseason camp. ECU will scrimmage Saturday morning, a break from the specific structure of the sessions thus far. "Preseason camp is a grind as we … [Read more...]