Great win for the Pirates, considering last year’s game against Army, and last week’s game with BYU. The Pirates offense started hot, and for most of the game seemed capable of moving the ball against Army. A couple of QB errors ended chances for more points. Let’s hope KH can clean these up over the bye week. The Pirates offense came up empty in the second half, despite moving the ball fairly well. I give credit to Army for fighting back. The Pirate defense came up lucky early in the game, thanks to Army dropping two touchdown passes. For the remainder of the game, minus Army’s 2nd half opening drive, the defense played well. However, they need to clean up the breakdowns in the secondary, which would have given at least twelve points to Army. Clearly, the highlight of the game was the gutsy call by Coach to fake the field goal. With the offense unable to finish, the field goal unit executed the fake perfectly. The Pirates would have been happy with a first down, but Pearson got a couple of great blocks and took it to the house. The score was huge for the defense, which now had a large cushion. Overall, not the prettiest win ever, but a solid win. I don’t think this effort by the Pirates will be good enough against Tulane, and other teams. However, if the Pirates can find a way to finish more drives on offense, and clean up the secondary breakdowns, they have what it takes to play with anybody in the conference.

It’s no sin to lose to a better team, and BYU was the better team. The Pirate defense didn’t have the answer for the balance and discipline of the Cougars offense. Losing Teagan Wilk certainly didn’t help. He should know better. The Pirate offense, once again, was its’ own worst enemy. Houser’s two picks were killers, no doubt. You can’t do that against any team that’s playing as well as BYU. However, more disappointing to me was the lack of discipline displayed by the Pirate offense. Pre-snap penalties should be few and far between by the fourth game of the season. Coach Baker doesn’t run a tight ship. The same problems that stopped the Pirates against NC STATE are still problematic. The “correctable” problems haven’t been corrected. The Pirates have performed well enough, at times, to show they can compete against good teams. The lack of consistency and discipline make the Pirates a mediocre team. With Army coming next Thursday, it could be a very ugly night. I hope the coaches and players dig deep to find some answers. The Army game needs to be the pivot point for the season, going forward. If the Pirates don’t play well against Army, I see a largely disappointing season ahead. Opponents don’t have to beat you when you’re beating yourself.

ECU going from down 6 - 3 to down 13 - 3 with possession and less than a minute left in the half was a 100% game-changer; from there they wilted, and BYU strengthened. The defense battled, but got worn down; the offense kept making execution mistake after mistake after mistake. …numerous dropped passes, critical interceptions, key false starts, and bad snaps. This wasn’t a case of being outclassed; it was self destruction. How ECU responds vs. a very difficult Army at home this week will tell us a LOT about what to expect for the rest of the season; they’re in for a very long haul if the offense can’t clean things up.

This will be the first time I have ever traveled so far for a football game. I’m excited. Wishing y’all the best (except the final score! Haha)

Solid win, very happy to see that. My comment is in appreciation for how "NICE" Dowdy Fick and our game day environment is!! What a contrast. Not a fan of the teal field at all. And the noise maker disguised as a sound system, too much. Just turn it down please. The bright lights on the field goal attempt, bush league at best. CC needs to come to us from here forward!! Looking forward to being back in GVegas next week. Let's pack it out!!! Go Pirates!!!

Progress is always good and the offense and defense both took steps in the right direction. Still, far to many penalties and missed opportunities to score to beat really good teams. ECU must fix these issues for this tough 3 game stretch coming up. Run blocking is the key issue we need to fix.

Congratulations to the Pirates on a convincing win over Coastal. While CC shot themselves in the foot more than once, it was clear ECU had the better team. Certainly, the Pirates still have some rough spots to smooth out. I hope JDB and BH have a come-to-Jesus moment on the offensive play-calling. I don’t believe the o-line performance will allow a “run first” approach to the offense, going forward. Yes, there was success later in the game when the Coastal defense was exhausted. BYU, and most of the remaining schedule, have defenses who won’t collapse. Still, the Pirates showed demonstrable improvement going into a tough matchup with BYU. The disappointment of the NC State game can be wiped away if the Pirates can pass the test with BYU.

Nothing terrible, as far as I know, but, if Jeter can’t get playing time in front of Chaston Ditta, then chances are he’s just occupying space in the qb room. JDB is playing his younger players, not someone who, unfortunately, is a holdover from “Donny” ball. Also, Jeter doesn’t have a lot of time remaining at ECU. He’s in his Jr year. I would’ve liked to have seen him get a chance to run the offense during the fourth quarter. Loyalty should count for something. Not sure the Pirates will get many chances to play that many reserves, going forward. Of course, there is always the possibility the staff is doing him a favor by keeping him in uniform.

What happened to Jeter?

Congratulations to the Pirates. They dotted most of the i’s and crossed most of the t’s in the win over the Camels. You would expect a lopsided score, and the Pirates didn’t disappoint. Perhaps the best accomplishment by the Pirates was maintaining their focus for most of the game. Some sloppiness early by the defense, and a few stupid penalties by the offense. Of concern going forward, the O-line, in my opinion, still has some work to do. Good to see so many reserves get some playing time!! I feel bad for Jeter. By all accounts he is a good young man. Doesn’t look like much playing time will come his way as a qb.

30 yards on 29 carries is the top storyline on this one. …BUT, there's still lots of good to take away from last night, especially the (very pleasantly surprising) play of the new defense, and the Pirates’ no-quit attitude. Once it got untracked, ECU’s passing attack showed what it can do, with lots of weapons, Spalding being of particular note, looking like a reincarnation of Tyler Snead. Houser was a little inconsistent, but on balance was good, especially given the added pressure of not being able to run. That will have to get fixed, and part of the fix might be QB draws. I've said it before, but what a difference there is in Coach's aggressive style from his predecessor's; he plays to win, not to control damage.

The Pirates showed up in Raleigh last night. Unfortunately, they could do very little right for most of the first half. The Pirates spotted State 17 points before the offense could get it into gear. Still, it came down to a fourth and one inside State’s 10yd line, with a chance for the Pirates to tie, or go for the win. Can’t say I loved the play call, but given the lack of a running game, I can understand it. I would have liked to have seen something more vertical to make State have to back out of the box and cover the end zone. There are no moral victories, but there is a lot of good to build on, going forward. The Pirates didn’t quit. Many of the mistakes that were made can be corrected, although the lack of a running game is more problematic. The Pirates D-line did a good job. With a couple of exceptions, the rebuilt secondary was competitive. As Coach said, this one is over. Hopefully, the Pirates came out of last night’s game healthy. GO PIRATES!!!

God bless you, Coach Doll!

Al can't wait to see the Pirates victorious, just like in 1971!!!

Talk is only just that, but Coach reflects an intense edge and expectation that you never really heard from his predecessor. That hopefully translates to his Pirates this Fall.