Being 3-3 at the midpoint of the season indicates overall improvement by the team as a whole. Coach has the program going in the right direction. It's speaks well of the team that it didn't collapse after the first quarter miscues. At some point, hopefully, the offense will be able to do more at crunch time than three-and-out. Managing snap count/play clock in tight situations is a benchmark of good offenses, and we're not there yet. The defense must tackle in space. It does NO GOOD to run hard to the ball, then not have the control to even make contact with a receiver/runner. The effort is there - but not the results. 3-3 at the midpoint. Make some improvement during the second half of the season and a 4-2 finish isn't out of the question. That would be real progress.

The team is improving, overperforming even in losses. Like coach said, two plays from a one loss record but one issue needs to be addressed. The most frustrating thing, streaming on espn plus, every commercial break. Dave Doren decked out in red pitching coke zero to the Wolfpack nation, Insulting. Ecu athletics or conference head office needs to get that corrected. Insulting. Can we get our coach in purple and gold selling us something? Go Pirates, Aaargh.

Can't get over how exciting our game with Tulane was. It reminded me of some of our past years when we had a great team and it was always a pleasure to be at Downy-Ficklin. It also showed that we have the making of a great team and one hopefully going to a good bowl game this year. Great to be a Pirate!!

My impression is that HA is being seriously restrained from running, in tension with a hard wired inclination to do so, and that's making him overthink. Anyway, the Pirates surely know that their performance on Sat. on either side of the ball won't get it done in the upcoming league play.

I agree with Blue. It was clear the Bucs could move the ball on our defense, With 3:30 left in the game, all Donny Kirkpatrick's play-calling did was tell everybody he didn't think our o-line and running backs (including Ahlers in the RPO) could pound out a couple of first downs. That does not bode well, going forward. While I appreciate Ahler's ability to improvise, his decision-making continues to be questionable. I thought he had hung KM out to dry on the shuttle pass. I think he could have gained about the same yardage himself and protected himself with a slide. We also had some STUPID major penalties. The team isn't good enough to overcome the give away of yardage ( I don't count the targeting call because the quarterback lowered his head just before contact). All in all, we survived the ambush - and, that is a GOOD THING.

Up 10. Kirkpatrick has to do a better job with play calling and clock management. The next to last ecu possession after the one running play, ecu snapped with 17 seconds on play clock. Two incomplete passes and you give the apponent the ball back with > 77 seconds that should not have been there.

Before the "experts" call for burning of the ship, I'd like to remind folks of a great and relevant comment about transitioning a team culture to be a winner from Skip Holtz. He said there is a progression that takes place when you are turning a team around...... " You lose big, you lose small, you win small, you win big" Don't be so quick to forget where we were just 4 years ago folks. Hardly competitive from week to week. W Saturday! Now, let's improve and move on! O line got to do better, simple as that. Looking for good things ahead. Go Pirates!!!

This program and the players basically forgot how to consistently compete win football games under Montgomery. That's what a bad hire can do to a program. Mike has had a tough hill to climb to get our program back to a program that expects to win every Saturday. We are not there yet by a long shot but the win against Marshall was a step in the right direction.

...an instant classic, a great team win that hopefully will be the catalyst that propels them into a new era. Ahlers particularly deserves a hat tip for bouncing back from last week, and some outstanding catches helped the cause, 8 different players, 6 with 3 or more, to give future opponents a little more to think about, with trickeration on the side, though it's vital that the run game continue to develop. I've never seen a more perfectly executed onsides kick; give Daffer a cigar, the Freshman kicker AND recoverer. ...perfect play-calling down the stretch from the sidelines, too; Houston coached more or less like the Pirates had nothing to lose, an exciting brand of football, a well deserved signature win for the Pirates.

Proud to be a Pirate, fight till the last breath. Luck, when preparation meets opportunity! Go Pirates!!!

i agree that Ahlers should be free to be Ahlers. i read in the off season that the coaches wanted him to run less and pass more. I think this hampers him in the game. he is best when he can be free to react to the game situations.

I appreciate that Coach put the happiest spin possible on the S. Carolina game, and in fact the d played well, aided, however, by a q whose play was poor 'til things suddenly began clicking in the 4th quarter, but I think the suggestion that S. Carolina will prove to be a middling SEC team is very generous; we'll see. Also, the Marshall observations sound like preparing excuses for more disappointment.

Isn't Al Myatt's article nothing more than a rehash of Coach Houston's Press conference?

S.Carolina is a middle of the pack team in the SEC, Marshall wins their division in conference USA last year, returning much of that team. After watching the Marshall game this Saturday, you tell me about about the talent in S.Carolina O-line&D-line. Folks our kids are so much better than we were 2 years ago. Can you imagine Our team of 2 years ago competing against the S.Carolina team of last Saturday. 70-0 probably. I don't think Brett Farve would be very good under the same pressure Holton sees every play. Until you actually have the experience of playing in the college game you can't imagine how fast game speed is, and S.Caroina and App.St. athletes make it even faster. Be patient GREAT PIRATE NATION!

Coach didn't address the kick return by SC in the most direct manner. If our kicker could routinely reach the middle-to-back of the end zone, in all probability, there is no return. Not having an adequate replacement for k/o duties was/is, and will continue to be, a problem. The poor decision-making by a veteran quarterback is glaring, because two of the mistakes indicate an almost complete lack of awareness; illegal passing FOUR yards beyond the LoS, and the big loss on the jailbreak blitz when he COMPLETELY turned his back to the LoS. Lastly; is it just me, or does anyone else think that CJ Johnson should be in the slot where he can get some separation from defender? He clearly cannot defeat lockdown DBs as a wideout, and the OC doesn't seem to have a back-shoulder pass route in the mix. CJ must be effective for ANY long term success on offense.