Between that and sitting out bowl games for the NFL draft, it’s getting to the point that this once great tradition of college sports is coming to an end. Unless it’s for the playoff. Only possible solution is bonus money for players in bowl games.

If our players continue to leave via the “portal” not going to be much of a game to watch. When are we going to regulate this ridiculous system?!

Yes it is always a good sign when the pirates have a Dark Horse on the roster.

Fantastic report !! Thanks, Sammy

I don’t know if the Pirates could have held off Navy even if they had scored big on the two 1st-and-goal opportunities. It would have been nice to have seen the Pirates play a complete game against one of the better AAC opponents. What is concerning about the Pirates overall performance is the lack of discipline… in the 12th game of the season. You can’t do some of the stupid stuff exhibited by the Pirates and expect to win. Coach Harrell, it seems, has done nothing to rein in his players. Also, the Pirate “D” still needs a secondary, as too many receivers are allowed to run past the back line as if they had a hall pass. If we can’t recruit a lockdown cornerback, the Pirates will always have a problem getting off the field on third down. 7-5 is better than I thought possible, and I give Harrell and the crew some credit for finishing a game over .500. Hate to think how many players jump to the portal before the bowl game. Chances are the bowl game the Pirates get will be in mid-December, and hopefully, they’ll still have a full roster. Considering the times, that’s probably too optimistic.

It’s easy to pin this on Hauser who was off all day, but equal credit to his previously reliable go to target Smith only catching 3 of 11 passes, most were catchable. If I heard later they had been out drinking the night before it would all make sense. D played great until they were worn out. Offensive play calling was missing the creativity from previous weeks. Still running the ball for a yard or less up the middle in the 4th quarter was hard to comprehend. Congratulations to Blake, I still believe he was the right choice to carry this forward as he is proven a culture builder.

30 players away from a championship

Today's game was a reality check; the prior four opponents (with the possible exception of N. Texas) are FBS bottom feeders. The passing game was ECU's Achilles heel today; Houser was tentative and there were too many drops besides. Moreover, Navy made adjustments to ECU's early running success. Hopefully the Pirates will still draw an at least half respectable bowl opponent, but there's likely no hope now of it coming from a Power Four conference.

Ecu should beat Navy. Rice bested Navy 14-0. Rice is not strong. Navy is the only winning team that Ecu will have beaten, if a win plays out. Go Pirates.

Minus Army, the average of our other 3 losses was 92, and our worst performance was against 110 CHAR. NAVY is 49th and you would assume with a win our bowl opponent will be in top 60, so next two games will be a good preview of what the Pirates foundation for next season will be. The Navy game would have been an unfair requirement for Harrell considering the Pirates have never beaten Navy in Greenville. Hopefully the new/continued staff can take the program to the next level like Dabbo did when he took over Clemson. Not expecting National Championships with the comparison; would just like other schools to be fearful of scheduling the Pirates again. We have become to many opponents' choice for homecoming.

Don't disagree with Irish or with Reason, as both takes have merit. Is there an easy, sure way forward... no. I'm not sure Harrell is "THE ONE". But he might be the glue which can keep the program together. He's got a ton of energy. He has managed to piece together a decent defense using some young guys who have had to step up far too soon. Also, he was smart enough not to jump into JDB's lane when given the interim title. Rather, he simply told Baker to keep gettin' after it. So far, so good. Navy should be a better yardstick by which to judge just how far the Pirates have come as a team. For sure, Harrell has them playing hard. Most importantly, they clearly are believing the gospel according to Blake. If it is true about Coach Harrell, the Pirates could do far worse. The 2024 Pirates could have fallen apart completely following the firing of Coach Houston. Both Harrell and Baker deserve high marks setting the proper tone, and keeping the passion high.

We have to deal with the reality in front of us. Anybody but Blake means a complete overhaul of the roster which means throwing away next year. With a possibility that the other choice is a mistake. We have seen Blake and JDB win games. We have a quarterback that can play who won't be here if Blake and JDB are not. Blake and his staff have both recruited and transfer portaled as good a defense as we have had at East Carolina (I started watching in 1979). I believe offense players will come play for JDB and when he leaves, if he is successful, we will be able to get another good OC. There are no guarantees in college football anymore. In 5 years, the Sunbelt could be a better conference than AAC or ACC with the ACC being third of those 3. Or East Carolina could be in an ACC that is behind the Sunbelt. This is a good decision because of the strong performance over the last 4 games. I hope everyone will see this decision in a realistic light and support Blake and the team.

It's inarguable that Harrell has made a case for himself in a hurry, BUT this feels premature. What if the Pirates get toasted in their last two games? My quibble is based on a full perspective here; out of 134 FBS programs, the overall average current ranking of the 4 teams that ECU has beaten in their current streak is 116. This is NOT to take anything away from the man; the program certainly has a refreshingly new, competitive look and feel, but still... I could see them naming him if the Pirates get the dub this Fri.; they're actually slightly favored at home, so apparently people beyond Greenville are starting to take notice. taking

Both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde showed up for the Pirates in Texas. Fortunately, the good doctor got a little more playing time than his nemesis. The Pirates displayed all of the good and bad habits of the season to date, rolled up in a single game. Give credit where credit is due. When you spot the opponent 21 points, then put 40 of your own on the board while holding UNT to a single 2nd half score, you’ve earned the victory. The Pirates are not a great team, but when they manage to get out of their own way, the Pirates’ performance has been better than average. A lot of stupid penalties, which are the result of a disturbing lack of discipline, seems to dog this team. How good would the Pirates be without all of the yellow laundry? I hope they can clean up the mess before Navy comes to town. Regardless of what happens with Navy, you have to give the present staff a hard look at getting the full-time gig.

The Pirates showed a boatload of courage in how they reversed this game completely to seize the win; they've become an entirely different team overnight, including both sides of the ball. Major contributions have been made up and down the lineup; Harris' second touchdown to close the gap to one score, courtesy of being pushed and pulled by his own dudes out of a standing pileup, is a perfect metaphor for what ECU football has become, but special recognition should be given to Rahjai for all that he has endured leading up to what he is doing today. Bring on the Midshipmen.