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ECU Pirates 2015
Football Schedule |
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DATE |
TIME |
OPPONENT |
TV |
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Sept 5 |
6 pm |
Towson |
ESPN3 |
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Sept 12 |
7 pm |
at Florida |
ESPN2 |
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Sept 19 |
3:30 pm |
at Navy |
CBSSN |
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Sept 26 |
TBA |
Virginia Tech |
TBA |
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Oct 3 |
TBA |
at SMU |
TBA |
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Oct 10 |
TBA |
at BYU |
TBA |
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Oct 17 |
TBA |
Tulsa |
TBA |
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Oct 22 |
7 pm |
Temple |
ESPN2 |
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Oct 30 |
7 pm |
at UConn |
ESPNU |
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Nov 7 |
TBA |
USF |
TBA |
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Nov 19 |
7:30 pm |
at UCF |
ESPN |
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Nov 28 |
TBA |
Cincinnati |
TBA |
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Dec 5 |
12 pm |
Championship |
ABC/ESPN |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates generate alarming
numbers |
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 For a fan base that counts the hours
to the start of the football season,
there is a paucity of statistics
this time of year. The only numbers
generated since preseason camp
started at East Carolina earlier
this month were from a scrimmage
Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. ...
More from
Al Myatt... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
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  The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Brian's guest this week was ECU
athletic director Jeff Compher:
Replay
show... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates rigging for difficult seas |
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The
2015 East Carolina football schedule is quite a conversation
piece. There's a rematch with Florida from the Birmingham Bowl
in the Swamp on Sept. 12. The trip to Navy for the Midshipmen's
first ever American Athletic Conference contest ensues Sept. 19.
...
More
from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates pad up and pop |
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 East
Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill
says camp is flying by. I�m not sure
if the players agree, but the
calendar continues to peel off the
dates as we get closer to the season
opener. ...
More
from Brian Bailey... |
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FOOTBALL: ECU MEDIA
DAY |
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Pirates have
questions to answer |
GREENVILLE �
The pertinent
questions were asked at East
Carolina's football media day on
Saturday. The Pirate coaches
essentially said we'll have to
get back to you.
The quarterback situation in the absence of Shane Carden
and the potential impact of Minnesota/Rutgers transfer Philip Nelson as
well as the competition for placekicker are among the issues ECU is
dealing with as the 2015 season approaches. Nelson walked on with the
Pirates and his status for this season is to be determined.
...
Story & pictures from Al Myatt...
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Pictured: ECU Coach
Ruffin McNeill
expressed his
excitement that the
program is into
preseason camp while
addressing reporters
on media day. (Photo
by Al Myatt) |
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By
Brian Bailey
�2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
The offensive timing was back for East Carolina�s final scrimmage of the
preseason on Saturday.
That timing was a big part of five scores for the offense in the
scrimmage. It was
a far cry from a week
before, when the Pirate defense dominated play.
Head coach Ruffin McNeill had that same look your wife often gives you
when she�s right, and you�re wrong.
"I was very pleased with both sides of the ball today," McNeill said
with that sly grin. �I liked the execution and thought the special teams
did a great job as well. Our sideline communication was a lot better
today from box to field to coaches, and our sub packages went smooth."
Kurt Benkert, who was named as the Pirate�s starting quarterback earlier
in the week, had a nice morning, completing 8-13 passes for 87 yards.
His 32-yard strike to Davon Grayson was his best play of the day.
�The line gave me a lot of time,� said Benkert. �They were moving people
from point A to point B. On the one drive we ran the football eight
straight times and I didn�t have to throw it once. We scored a
touchdown, so that was really easy for me.�
For the second straight week senior running back Chris Hairston broke a
long one. Hairston exploded for a 57-yard touchdown run. Freshman Shawn
Furlow, from nearby South Central, added a 12-yard touchdown run. Furlow
is doing all he can this camp to not redshirt this coming season.
One thing we�ve seen firsthand is the maturity of first year offensive
coordinator Dave Nichol.
Nichol was frustrated after the first scrimmage, but kept everything on
an even keel. Likewise, when things went better this week, Nichol was at
the same level.
�It wasn�t going to be hard to do better than last week,� said Nichol
afterwards. �Last week was pretty tough. We did some good things in this
scrimmage. I thought our quarterbacks played well. I think overall we
were just a lot better.
"We have two weeks left. We�ll soon focus in on our game plan.�
Nichol also had high praise for his new starting quarterback.
�He (Benkert) has made great strides, especially in the last week to
seven days,� added Nichol. �He�s a smart guy and he�s motivated. It�s a
dependent position. The other ten guys made strides this week and I
think that�s what we saw.�
As always in a scrimmage, the offense�s success comes at the defense�s
expense.
Defensive coordinator Rick Smith�s main concern is giving up the long
run.
�We tell our secondary it�s our job to limit any big run to 15 yards and
we didn�t do that,� said Smith, who is now in his third year as the
Pirate�s defensive coordinator. �Overall though, our ones played well.
The twos have to tackle better. They have to understand that they are
all just one play away from being a starter. We played the threes quite
a bit because they have to realize they are two plays away from being a
starter.�
Even though the offense had some success, Smith was pleased with his
units as well.
�It was a good day overall,� Smith added. �We gave up one long pass and
one long run. We only had one turnover, and in sixty some plays we�d
like more than that.�
The ECU players can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
School started on Monday, and that put this squad in its normal practice
routine.
�We got two more weeks and I think we�ll be ready,� said senior
linebacker Zeek Bigger. �I think the young ones are ready and it�s my
job as a leader to make sure they are ready.�
The most important stat on the sheet deals with injuries. The Pirates
stayed healthy as a team through the two scrimmages.
Bigger says the two scrimmages were very important.
�It�s just good to get out here and get these little shakes out before
the first game,� said Bigger. �I think we accomplished a lot of good
things in the scrimmage. I think we are organized and ready to play. We
are just looking forward to Dowdy-Ficklen rocking in a couple of weeks.�
I think we are all looking forward to that.
BB
The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
guest this week was
ECU offensive
coordinator Dave
Nichol (right):
The
Brian Bailey Show airs on Pirate
Radio 1250 on Mondays from 6:30-7:30
p.m. Brian's guests this week were
ECU assistant head football coach
Donnie Kirkpatrick (left), ECU
