I didn't believe the Pirates could get a win on the road in Memphis, playing as they did at times. It is a true testament of the Mike Houston football philosophy that the team simply refused to quit - even when the Pirates were their own worst enemy. Whether or not the remainder of the season goes to hell in a hand basket, the Pirates have definitely closed the door on a depressingly non-competitive era in Pirate football. Certainly, there is still more work to do - like not snapping the ball on the goal line with 25-30 seconds on the play clock, leaving Memphis with 1:29 on the game clock. I put that squarely on the sideline. I don't believe Memphis would have gotten the ball down field for the field goal - but who knows? Well done, Pirates! Now, how to figure out Navy's option offense?

Proud day for all Pirate Nation. Its been a long uphill tough struggle to get back from the equivalent of the coaching death penalty under Montgomery. This program is now a Houston program and this team looks and plays like a Mike Houston football team....and that is a very good thing for ECU.

That post-game emotion expressed by Coach and HA reflects the depth of what they and the whole team have invested into the program; while yesterday's performance was frustrating to watch at times, especially all of those points left on the table in the red zone, the final result was richly deserved. That 4th and a long 1 call on the Pirates' last drive, on their side of the 50, and with still like 7 minutes remaining, and an EMPTY BACKFIELD, was one gutsy (crazy?) call, and God bless Holton and Snead for vindicating it. We're also seeing the Pirate running backs really rising to this, helped of course by a hard working OL. The d continues to earn kudos, making the winning play at the end on the back of the right coaching call, and the freshman Daffer has quietly replaced Verity as a pretty darn dependable kicker. Next comes the Midshipmen and their tough to defend option attack, but beyond that, it wouldn't be crazy to place Cincinnati on upset watch. Congrats, Pirates.

The hard work of recruiting and the honesty displayed while leading from the front Has produced positive results on the field. Thank you John Gilbert and Mike Houston. Watching these young men struggle through adversity, compete on every single play with class, make us proud to be a Pirate !!

I'm from the class in 1982 with a sports medicine division And I'm moving backup to North Carolina to the Plymouth area Plymouth area next year or this year actually in in December I look forward to attending a lot of home games how do you scare a lot of football I've been in 4 for the past 33 years I'm going to UCF games and USF games look forward to seeing ECU play at home

Great day to be a Pirate! This Memphis bunch, probably have the best athletes we have faced thus far , I know we will play hard and fast, just need a few breaks!! Go Pirates!!

The Pirates beat a team they should have beaten. In years past, and even as recent as earlier this season, those games would still be in doubt far later into the game than they ought to be. Not on Saturday! Well done! The Pirates were solid, almost workmanlike, in their manner and execu-tion. The Pirates played like they expected to win all phases of the game, and did it for 60 minutes. Another box checked. Memphis is better competition. The Pirates must be ready to duplicate, and probably exceed, this performance in order to get the coveted sixth victory. The sweat, pain, and tears are paying off - and can lead to a truly nice season - as long as you keep playing one play at a time. The players now know the formula works if you take care of YOUR BUSINESS. Go Pirates

It looks like Houston is definitely lightening up on the reigns as regards HA tucking it, thereby increasing the offense by a 3rd dimension, a very good thing which paid big dividends last night. The defense has improved, the run game has improved, the compete level is high, and it's looking like the self-belief factor needle is moving rightward, also. ECU is doing quite well by Houston.

Logan used to say that you needed 30 points to win a game, he was usually right. I would love to see us be able to count on the offense for 30 points each night. We would only have one loss right now if we had followed his advice. We caught UCF, SC and Houston on a year where 30 points would have beaten all three. Good win. Go Pirates!

Baba Booey, Baba Booey

Congrats to the team for a getting the win on a short week, with bad weather, and overcoming another "less than stellar" start of the game. The overall effort displayed by the Pirates continues to be a mark of improvement within the Houston era. No question about it, if you can't give your all on this team you probably won't see the field. I'm not sure the defensive effort, overall, was as good as last Saturday. Certainly, the outcome was better. The Houston game was a high point for that unit - going back several years. So far, I think the defense has been the highlight of the year. Still, some loose tackling technique to clean up by a few players. I am beginning to expect a solid perfor-mance by the defense each time out. I know the weather/field conditions were tough, but if we don't cure the fumbling... heartbreak will replace Pee Dee as this team's mascot. A solid strike from a helmet on the ball is hard to overcome, but runners and receivers have to know when to get down to save possession(s). Coach said the o-line did a great job, and I'll take him at his word. However, on the goal line qb sneak, I've never seen a line blown so completely off the scrimmage line - so much so that it caused a fumble on the qb/center exchange. Is it just me, or was the staff blindsided by Jake Verity going pro? I'm a spoiled fan, and I know it. Still, I can't believe the Pirates couldn't find a kicker with a stronger leg. Better sharpen up on the k/o unit. The bumpy ride will continue. 4-4. Already better than 3-9, yet so much has been left on the table. The Pirates won a game they should have won, and without playing a solid 60 minutes. I consider the glass half full... and on to the next game.

Our D in the second half was the best defensive effort by ECU in many years. Great to see it, lets keep it up. The offensive play calling leaves a lot to be desired. We all want a strong rushing attack and most great programs have that ability, but we are not anywhere near that level yet. For this program to become a winning program again we have to do as historically ECU has always done....mold the team to the talent we have and utilize them at their strengths. As a program we have to learn how to win again after the deep deep hole left from the Montgomery fiasco.

You could be right... but Ahlers didn't come to ECU pretending to be a pocket passer who occasionally scampered out from the backfield. And he performed as advertised. So, is this a case where the coaches don't know how to - or won't - scheme the best scenarios to use his natural talent. He can clearly play at the D1 level. Maybe the DC and the Coach should acknowledge the o-line isn't quite what it needs to be to run "their" offense, and do as the Marines do - adapt and overcome.

I tend toward thinking that Ahlers just lacks that clutch ability that is hard to define but you know it when you see it, or in this case don’t. He doesn’t shine in the final moments of games. He has just enough talent to be a starter, but not a winner.

101% agree w/ the comment on HA, with one additional related point, which I've said before in this column, and that is that the "coaching out" of him of his natural proclivity to tuck the ball and go has tended to make him overthink, and in sports, when you think, you stink. ...not that HA stinks, but there have been a number of occasions this year in which he definitely seemed tentative behind the line, and I'd get the sense that a lot of it had to do w/ his talent for running being largely taken off the table. I totally get Houston's insistence on cultivating a traditional run game; it is simply indispensable, including to allow the pass attack the space it requires, but I think that he has overbaked it a little. All that said, the Pirates are fortunately to have him; they just need to learn to start closing these deals, being a handful of plays away from being 6 - 1. ...also agree that in college D1, you need to kick off into the ez on a regular basis, though the kid is a pretty decent FG man.