Twenty-seven East Carolina seniors, graduate transfers and graduating juniors were honored Saturday before their final game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. That much is certain. What is still to be decided — and of much more interest to the Pirates’ frustrated fan base — is whether the 48-20 Senior Day thrashing of Cincinnati will also be the last home game for Scottie … [Read more...]

Running back Hussein Howe was in no mood for moral victories in the moments after his East Carolina teammate Darius Pinnix was stopped inches short of the goal line on the final play of Saturday’s 31-24 overtime loss to Tulane. “It’s still an ‘L’ in the win-lose column,” a dejected Howe said. “They all hurt.” The fact is that this one did one did hurt more than the … [Read more...]

For a few fleeting moments, extended by a calming week off, there was reason to hope — and perhaps even believe — that East Carolina had finally turned a corner and taken the first baby steps back toward football respectability. Turns out ECU's encouraging homecoming victory over Brigham Young was nothing more than a momentary rest stop on a still unfinished journey down to … [Read more...]

One of the nice things about a bye week is that it allows players and fans to waive the “24-hour rule” and enjoy victories such as East Carolina's 33-17 homecoming beatdown of Brigham Young just a little longer than usual. One of the bad things about a bye week is that is allows players and especially fans just a little extra time to overanalyze their team’s latest … [Read more...]

Maybe it was the combination of an early evening kickoff and perfect fall weather. Maybe it was the presence of all those alumni coming back for homecoming or the perception that for a change, East Carolina actually had a realistic shot at winning. Or perhaps athletic director Jeff Compher’s admonishment earlier in the week that members of Pirate Nation fight with their … [Read more...]