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GAME DAY WEATHER |
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East Carolina will
get a pleasant
change in the
weather for today's
4 p.m. kickoff at
Southern Methodist
in Dallas. With the
Pirates' home region
in the midst of an
extended period of
rain and anxious
eyes watching the
waves of tropical
precipitation, ECU
will venture forth
for today's American
Athletic Conference
contest in 80-degree
conditions under
sunny skies with
zero chance of
precipitation. Winds
will be north at
nine miles per hour
at the outset with
30 percent humidity.
The mercury will
drop into the lower
70s during the
course of the game
with a slight
increase in humidity
and a minor wind
shift to the
northeast. (Filed by Al
Myatt) |
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FOOTBALL |
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Pirates look to build on big win |
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Coming back from an
early 14-0 deficit to defeat
Virginia Tech 35-28 at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium on Saturday was a huge step
for an East Carolina football team
that had dropped preceding games at
Florida and Navy. ...
More
from Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL |
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The day fiction came to life |
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I have seen that
movie before. Ronnie Bass had just
come in at quarterback in "Remember
the Titans." Bass told the line to
let a lineman through. Bass fired a
pass and flipped the lineman over in
one move. ...
More
from Brian Bailey... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: Coach Ruff
Weekly Presser |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill met with
reporters on Monday in his weekly
press conference. (Audio courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250; archive photo):
Select audio
clip... |
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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 guests this week were ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill (right), Rose
coach Dave Wojtecki and Conley coach
Nate Conner:
Replay show... |
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Coach Ruff post-game
audio |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters on
Saturday after the
Pirates defeated
Virginia Tech (recorded
by Al Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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View Mobile Alpha version of this page.
By
Kevin Monroe
�2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
East
Carolina comes into today's game at Southern Methodist with a
hard-to-decipher 2-2 record. After opening at home with a with
a win over FCS opponent Towson
in a game that was a lot closer than expected, the Pirates traveled to
Gainesville and
outplayed expectations in a close loss
to the Florida Gators. It has been that type of season through four
games. SMU has had similar ups and downs after going toe to toe with
Baylor for a half and then losing to FCS foe James Madison last week.
Both
ECU and SMU have a lot to prove. Who will show up and get the much
needed win? To bring a win back from Dallas, the Pirates will need
to follow this script:
STAY
FOCUSED
Observers of the Pirates, from media to fans, have directed much of
their attention during the past week to what a great victory ECU had
over Virginia Tech last Saturday. It was
an important win over a Power 5 opponent,
but this week is a new week and SMU isn't thinking about what the
Pirates did last week. The Mustangs have a goal to beat ECU in an
American Athletic Conference game and have been game-planning all week
to do just that.
The
Pirates must move on from last week's glory and come into this game
focused solely on what they have to do to defeat the Mustangs on the
road. A lack of concentration by any one player on any one play
might mean the difference in the game.
MAKE WAY
FOR THE RUNNING BACKS
In game
one vs. Towson, the Pirates ran the ball very well with Chris Hairston.
ECU has recorded less than 100 yards total from the running back
position over the three-game span since then.
The
good news is the Pirates were able to get a running game going last
week against the Hokies � but the running game came from the
quarterback position. Both Blake Kemp and James Summers had rushing
touchdowns. Summers ran for 169 yards, averaging around 10 yards per
carry.
Tech
had no answers for the QB run, but now that it's on film SMU will
have some defensive adjustments ready for it. The Pirates will have
to block better up front and the quarterbacks will need to carry out
their fakes in order to find a way to give the running backs some
space.
Article continues after the
following ad...
FINE
TUNE THE QB PLAY
It's too
early to say that ECU has a quarterback controversy. Both Kemp and
Summers are trying to find their way after being forced to step up after
designated starter Kurt Benkert went down with a knee injury.
Kemp
has had his ups and downs. In his debut against Towson he was
accurate and protective of the football, but he had a fumble and a
pick in each of the next three games.
Summers played very little in the early contests but had his coming
out party against the Hokies last week. That being said, he wasn't
forced to throw the ball much and hasn't had the pressure of playing
as the starter yet.
Both
guys seem to get along well and ECU will probably need both of them
to play well if they are going to be successful this season.
BOTTOM
LINE
This is
a big game for both teams. The Mustangs need a win because they had a
bad loss last week against James Madison and their season is heading in
the wrong direction. The Pirates need this win to get their first
back-to-back victories and to fuel their conference aspirations.
ECU
will win this game if it comes in focused, gets some production from
the running back spot and gets solid play from its quarterbacks.
It should be a fun one to watch. The Mustangs have some good talent
on offense and can score at any moment, but so can the Pirates.
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