ECU Baseball is in goid hands as usual. Thank you Cliff. One question...describe how prepared we are in Catcher position?

Why was there no mention of us Pirates that donated our tickets, lost money in on hotels and travel? Thank you big donors but us little guys support the Pirates too!

The Military bowl should move the game and we should play NC State in Raleigh. Both teams were shafted by their respective bowl opponents and are ready to go!

ECU and BC have never met. Coach led the former to belief in itself over this season, and they play with a bit of a blue collar chip on their shoulder. BC was plagued by injury throughout the season, and never got its footing or acquired an identity. From that standpoint, ECU has an advantage. Also, BC was founded as a local option for bIue collar Catholic families, gained national prominence in the mid-'80s courtesy of Doug Flutie, and in the process of growing in stature in the decades since, has acquired a bit of an elitist attitude. BC is favored (slightly) more by reputation than by reality. Go Pirates.

Good 3 pt percentage, solid defense but good coaching more than anything else led to this win. The match between coaching staffs the final 2 mins was phenomenal. Checkmate Pirates

Never a shortage of football experts and critics! We forget so quickly it seems.... Just a couple short years ago, we couldn't tackle, couldn't block, and this team would have blown us completely out right away. The way we play, compete, the attitude, the effort, all reflections of Houston. Wake up and recognize. Blessed to have him and very proud of what we have accomplished. The future is bright!! Buy tickets and let's get behind this team. Any negatives IMO, AD lets get some folks in the concession areas. Lines are way out of hand at home games. I know it's been a tuff season to get folks to work, but this has to improve. Also would be nice to see Greenville police out or Hwy Patrol helping with traffic after games more. It's been a much more enjoyable season this year than the last several. Nice to actually look forward to Saturdays again in the fall!!! Go Pirates!!!

Valid questions. The clock management at various 'crunch' times through the season has been an issue. Before the half, I think Coach was afraid the offense would pull a quick three-and-out, leaving Cincy time to do more damage. Still, knowing Cincy was getting the ball first after the half, you would think the Pirates would at least TRY to score at least a field goal. To me, it seemed as if Cincy had memorized most of the Pirate playbook. Couple that with an unwillingness to move Ahlers out of the pocket and force Cincy to adjust, made for a long day. I don't think the OC/Coach are willing to accept that the o-line can't execute either a solid run game or pocket passing, against stout competition. Also, Ahlers overall accuracy wasn't very high. Agreed, the defense played a decent game. Too much peeking into the backfield by the secondary, though. Hopefully, corrections can be made in time for the bowl game.

"ECU may have given its best shot in terms of effort, but the performance came up short on execution." That says it all, and I know that those long passes given up by the defense were hard to watch, but generally I thought the d was exceptional; the offense, not so much, but the Cinnci d had a lot to do w/ that; they appeared to be considerably quicker and faster. That late field goal SNAFU and interception were daggers. Cinnci proved that they're considerably superior, but I've got a nagging question as to what Houston was thinking about when ECU got a huge takeaway at the end of the first half, had the ball at their own 25 or so w/ well over a minute remaining, plus a timeout or two, a classic two minute drill situation, and yet they more or less sat on it!! What the hell was that about?? Was it confusion on the sideline, or just a "limit the damage" mentality?? Neither answer is satisfactory, and both reminded me of the Navy game, when they didn't go for it late in the 4th on a 4th and 1, and then basically mismanaged the clock at the very end, unnecessarily forcing a 54 yard fg. You cannot take away from the Pirates improvement, but I think there's more room for that on the sidelines, too.

Congrats to the Pirates for a very solid season, advancing both the overall quality of play, and more than doubling the Wins. Most important, the Pirates play hard every play, every game - no quitting. Unfortunately, against Cincy, the Pirates looked more like the team who played App State back in August, not the team who fought back through adversity against Navy. As much fun as it has been watching the advancement of the Program, the Cincy game is a reminder the Pirates are still a work in progress. Cincy may yet prove unworthy of a playoff spot, but you have to envy the workmanlike manner in which they take care of business. I think Coach Houston is trying to build that type of team. All three phases of the game faltered, showing how much our team needs to improve going forward - if the Pirates ever want to be in Cincy's position. Some of the mistakes/breakdowns were certainly due to the level of competition, while others were the Pirates' own doing. Much has been accomplished, yet, much is left to do. To realize how hard it is to achieve the results desired by Pirate Nation, look only to Cincy. Two full years at a high level of performance, yet still on the outside looking in at the playoffs. Again, congratulations Pirate football, and go win a bowl game!!

...will be super interesting to what happens under center after this season. If HA were to be drafted at all, it would be late, and he has a year of eligibility remaining, but you also have a high school four star who's been waiting in the wings for some time. My money says that HA will stay, and MG will enter the transfer portal.

Very enlightening comments by the Coach. Overall, it's hard to argue with his criteria for players. The turnaround in football culture is fantastic in and of itself. Additionally, Coach and his staff - and most of all, the players - have translated the change to very positive results on the field. Other than the App State game, the Pirates were capable of winning the next 10 games, eventually winning 7. Pirate Nation has every right to believe the Cincy game is doable. OMG, do I wish I could be there. I'm glad the Coach, in so many words, addressed the transition from Verity to Daffer as his kicker. I translate his words to mean he evaluated the team's need, and used a scholarship to fill a spot, elsewhere on the roster. Coaches have to do this all the time. The Pirates have paid a price for lacking a "long" leg on kick offs. There's no argument that Daffer isn't just a run-of-the-mill placekicker. He has come through on most of his attempts, and like the team as a whole, improved as the season progressed. How great it is as a Pirate Fan to know the team has reached beyond the obvious goal of being competitive, to having an 8-win season staring us in the face. Win or lose the Cincy game, the 2021 Pirates are special. Go Pirates!

This is not meant as the remotest critique against Coach, who has done a remarkable job restoring Pirates football, but I was extremely puzzled by his decision late in the game to kick the fg from the Navy 7 on 4th down and 1, to then still trail by 1. I thought that it was quite uncharacteristic of him, but it all worked out. Snead reminds me so much of the Super Bowl Patriots' slot backs Wes Welker and (later) Julian Edelman, undersized, extremely athletic, versatile and extraordinary playmakers. Ahlers' numbers were off the charts. Kudos to him, to the OL, and to the skill players around him; but this was a memorable all-around team win. You know that this edition of the Pirates is giving Cincinnati something to think about in the runup to this Friday. Coach is likely reminding his team of the trickeration Cinn. pulled against them late in the game last year, despite the Bearcats being way up on them at the time; that's fine locker room bulletin board material for an underdog team at home which very deservedly believes in itself. Go Pirates.

U got that right - a must play. So many plays, that's what a good team does, play after play - its takes many to be a winner. Soooooo far from where we were. These young men and coaches have earned respect and we need to fill up the stadium Friday!!! Get on board no matter what happens Friday. What a different feeling it is to watch Pirate football again, we have been in every game and could have easily won more!! Go Pirates!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

With all due respect this article is incomplete without describing the play that forced Navy to Punt. Jaquan McMillan saved the day by forcing a fumble when he was singled up in coverage by a great call by Navy… McMillian sniffed it out and made the stop preventing a first down and forcing the punt. The rest is history. Pirates are playing hard and it is a pleasure to see.

What a ride this season has been..... Very bumpy and frustrating at times, but a whole lot of fun, adventure and suspense along the way. And, its not over yet Pirate Nation. 7-4 overall and 5-2 (currently 3rd place) in AAC. Not too shabby considering how far our proud program had floundered. The Pirate ship is headed on the right course and we have the captain we have all wanted in charge of the ship. Lets keeps this adventure going for two more games.