Stephen

This is part two in the preview of the season opener vs. Tulsa. I will be breaking down each position plus the intangibles category and naming who has the edge in each particular one.

Quarterbacks

Tulsa:

Junior quarterback G.J. Kinne will return to lead the offense for the Golden Hurricane after posting solid numbers in 2009. Kinne did remarkably well considering he had one of the worst offensive lines in the country blocking for him for the entire season. He possesses great versatility and athletic ability for his size (6-2, 219) and used that to avoid many sacks and pressure situations throughout the year. As a ball-carrier, Kinne is a bruising, down-hill style runner when he takes off. The fact that he managed to rush for 399 total yards and 5 touchdowns while being sacked multiple times, just goes to show how good of a runner he is.
As a passer, Kinne was a little inconsistent, but then again that can be attributed to the fact he was running for his life just about every time he dropped back to pass. He finished the season with 210 completions, totaling 2,732 yards through the air. His touchdown to interception ratio of 22-10 might be good numbers for most college quarterbacks around the country, but in an offensive system such as Tulsa's, they were pretty average compared to other Tulsa quarterbacks the past few years.


Kinne

If Kinne were to go down with an injury, back-up sophomore quarterback Shavodrick Beaver would take his place. Even with the starter healthy, the fleet-footed Beaver will almost certainly see time in special packages and formations that play to his running ability out of the shotgun.

East Carolina:

With just over a week before the start of the season, the Pirates still haven't named their starting quarterback. The competition has recently been narrowed down to junior-college transfer Dominique Davis and sophomore Brad Wornick. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, with Davis being more of the vocal leader and having better arm strength, but Wornick has shown a better understanding of the offensive scheme as a whole.


Davis

Davis brings over two years of experience between starting as a true freshman at the end of Boston College's 2008 ACC Atlantic Division title run and last year at Fort Scott Community College, in which he led the Greyhounds to an undefeated regular season. It will be tough to turn down Davis' experience when it comes time to pick the starter, but Wornick isn't exactly making it an easy decision on the coaching staff. The former walk-on and scout team performer from a season ago, Wornick shot to the top of the depth chart out of nowhere during the spring. He carried over his spring success into the fall while continuing to be extremely accurate and consistent on the shorter routes in the air-raid offense.
Redshirt freshman Rio Johnson will fall into the third-string role, but also has a ton of potential. Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said he throws the best ball on the entire team, and if he can become more mature as he progresses through school, he will be a contender for the future starting job.

Who has the Edge? Tulsa

Although the potential of Dominique Davis and Brad Wornick for the Pirates is a lot, you can't go against the talent of Kinnie. With virtually no pass blocking, the Tulsa quarterback still put together a good season a year ago and will only get better heading into 2010. If the offensive line can give him enough time to make plays, Kinnie will become one of the top gunslingers in the conference.


Running Backs

Tulsa:

Although the Golden Hurricane are known for their spread offense, a lot of their success depends on their running game as well. They use more of a downhill running-style out of the shotgun that helps set-up passing lanes as the game progresses. In 2009, the team's leading rusher was their quarterback, which gives a sense of how bad they underperformed running the ball overall.
Their go-to guy out of the backfield from a season ago was Jamad Williams. The 5-9, 213-pound bowling ball of a running back will look to improve on his moderate success from a season ago. Although the senior didn't have much running room throughout the year, he still managed to total a decent 389 yards on 101 carries.


Jamad Williams

Behind Williams, sophomore Alex Singleton will get his snaps as well. He doesn't have much experience, but looks to be extremely tough to tackle for any defense standing at 6-1, 245-pounds. Look for Singleton to see significant time as games go on in order to help wear down the defense and provide more of a goalline power running game.
Wideouts/gadget players Damaris Johnson and Charles Clay also saw time out of the backfield last year as well. Johnson, one of Conference USA's fastest players, ran the ball for 175 yards. The very versatile Clay, who sees time at almost every offensive position on the field, was a solid threat out of the backfield as well last season with 236 rushing yards on 63 carries.
Don't count out transfer Derrick Hall either. The former blue-chip prospect who signed with Texas A&M out of high school, is eligible to play this season for the Golden Hurricane. He possesses tremendous vision and speed that could land him the starting job if he picks up the offense fast enough.
Fresmen Trey Watts and Ja'Terian Douglas appear to be in the mix as well.
It seems to be a wide open running back by committee system that Tulsa is planning on using this year. There are a lot of potential candidates to become the lead back, but expect their coaches to give everyone carries until somebody steps up and takes over the job.

East Carolina:


Jonathan Williams

When the casual fan looks at rising senior Jonathan Williams' stats on paper, they don't seem very impressive. A total of 568 career rushing yards isn't the best in the world, but for many Pirate fans out there, they know just how much potential this guy has. The fact that he achieved those yards over only 111 carries shows just what he can do (just over 5 yards-per-carry). Various run-ins with the law and inconsistent playing time have hampered Williams' career so far at East Carolina. However, with a new coach comes new life given to all of the players and Williams has took advantage.
During the spring, the Greenville native showed off his incredible skill-set and new-found work ethic to the new staff and stormed into the number one running back position. He hasn't backed off one bit since then, as he has officially locked down the starting running back job for the Pirates. Williams has the talent to make defenders miss with a juke, bowl over them, or just simply run right past them. The powerful, yet extremely shifty back can carry this offense on his back if he puts it all together this season.
Battling for the number two spot behind him are senior Giavanni Ruffin and redshirt freshman Michael Dobson. Ruffin, who appeared to be the front-runner for the number one running back job after the 2009 season, was suspended during the summer over off-the-field issues. He was forced to miss the entire spring, but has since been reinstated and has come back strong. During 2009, he came on extremely well at the end of the season, finishing the year with 308 yards and 5 touchdowns without hardly playing the first half of the season. As the most physical runner in the Pirate backfield, Ruffin will be sure to see some time in a back-up role of some sort.
The freshman Dobson impressed coaches during the offseason with his blazing speed and shiftiness. Expect the former highly-recruited prospect out of Mount Airy High School to spend this season getting his feet wet for the future.
The other running back on the Pirate roster that has potential to do some damage is senior Norman Whitley. Although Whitley leads all active ECU players with 744 rushing yards on 151 carries, he was not able to participate the entire offseason due to injuries. He is getting a late start, but could catch up once the season gets going.

Who has the Edge? East Carolina

Tulsa possesses a ton of potential at their running back position heading into this year, but the only ones that have seen marginal game-experience out of the backfield are seniors Jamad Williams and Charles Clay (not really a true halfback). There are so many candidates for the Golden Hurricane, but is there anyone good enough to step up and take on the full-time role? For ECU, Jonathan Williams, Giavanni Ruffin, and Norman Whitley are all seniors that have all been the starting tailback for the Pirates at one point in their career. The talent of Williams (if he can keep his head on straight) and the experience of the two veterans behind him give the Pirates the slight edge in this category.


Receivers

Tulsa:


Johnson

The Golden Hurricane have the advantage of having one of the most explosive playmakers in the country in wideout Damaris Johnson. The 5-8, 160 pound junior with blazing speed is nearly impossible to cover one on one in the open field because of his tremendous quickness and lateral movement. Last season he was used in many different ways, but in the passing game was where he made his most damage. He caught 78 balls for 1,131 yards and three touchdowns and those numbers will only get better this season.
Senior Charles Clay will line up at tight end or anywhere else on the field the coaches tell him. The powerful Clay possesses great hands that you wouldn't expect such a big guy to have and uses his tremendous size to his advantage when going out on passing routes. He is coming off a year in which he caught 39 balls for 530 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was Tulsa's top go-to guy in the redzone last season and don't expect that to change in 2010.
Veterans A.J. Whitmore and Trae Johnson are trying to hold on to their starting jobs at the other receiver positions, but after showing inconsistencies a season ago, they are getting pushed by the younger players on the Tulsa roster. Both were solid contributers in 2009 with just about 550 total receiving yards between the two of them. However, they'll have to get better or sophomores Ricky Johnson (tremendous speed and solid hands) and Jameel Owens (Oklahoma transfer who was a big-time prospect out of high school) will get their chance to start.

East Carolina

Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley stated that the group of receivers the Pirates have in Greenville are the best he's ever been around during his coaching career. Coming from a guy that has coached tremendous wideouts at Texas Tech for numerous years, just goes to show how much talent and depth the Pirates have there this year.


Harris

It all starts with rising-senior Dwayne Harris. The stud playmaker for the Pirates caught 83 balls for 978 yards and a team-high 7 touchdowns. Add in the fact that he also ran for 150 yards and another 5 touchdowns makes Harris one of the most dangerous players in the nation. Expect these numbers to only improve going from a run-oriented offense to the air-raid offense.
On the outside, the Pirates have one of the top number two receiving threats in the conference in junior Darryl Freeney. He came on incredibly strong at the halfway point through the season finishing with 48 catches for 718 yards and 3 scores.
At one of the other outside slots, JUCO-transfer Lance Lewis has already locked down a starting job in just a couple of weeks of practice. After missing the entire spring, many thought the ultra-talented Lewis would be too far behind to catch up, but his incredible hands and vertical ability that go along with his 6-3 frame allows him to go over the top of the defense at will to make big plays. If someone can get him the ball, expect Lewis to make the same impact that former transfer Aundrae Allison made for the Pirates a few years back.
Junior Michael Bowman has been set-back by injuries over his first couple of years in Greenville, but his 5-9, 165-pound frame with his 4.4 speed makes him a perfect fit on the inside as a slot receiver. Coaches have raved all offseason about how great Bowman has looked and expect him to follow through with a breakout campaign.
Others Pirate receivers expected to compete for playing time are redshirt sophomores Andrew Bodenheimer and Dayon Arrington. Although both don't have a lot of numbers statistically speaking, they got solid playing time a season ago and are perfect candidates to become possession-type receivers on the outside in this offense. They will almost certainly see the field in some form on opening day.
At the big Y receiver (the tight end in the air-raid) freshman Justin Jones has a chance to become something special. At 6-8, 252-pounds with surprising speed for his size, how do you cover him? He is too big for cornerbacks, probably too fast for linebackers and is most likely too physical for safeties. The coaches and fellow players have raved about the potential of Jones and expect him to make an immediate impact in just his first year on the playing field.

Who has the Edge? Neither Team

Probably the strongest position talent-wise and depth-wise for both teams overall. Tulsa's Damaris Johnson and Charles Clay are pretty much on par with the combination of Dwayne Harris and Darryl Freeney for the Pirates. Both teams have a ton of talent and depth that will only make them better as the season wears on. It will be interesting to watch which receiving core can do more damage on September 5th at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.


Offensive Line

Tulsa:

This unit ranked 118th in the nation last season, giving up 46 sacks in 12 games, and was the main cause of Tulsa's offensive collapse. If they can somehow find a stable offensive line that can protect their quarterback, the Golden Hurricane could get back to their normal 35-40 point outbursts per game.
Injuiries played a key role in knocking out multiple offensive lineman for a period of time which didn't allow the team to put together a unit that could gel on the field week in and week out. Most of the players are now back, healthy and ready to try again this year.
The one guy they can count on is junior left tackle Tyler Holmes. Holmes fought through an inury-plagued 2009 season and was forced to miss some time because of it, but if he can stay healthy this year, he is an All-Conference performer.
Besides him however, there are many question marks. Junior left guard Clint Anderson is probably the next most consistent performer from a season ago, but he got beat multiple times last season as well.
At center, Trent Dupy was forced to start for the Golden Hurricane last year as a just a freshman. The coaches are hoping his experience from a season ago can teach him what he did wrong and he can mature a little bit with his blocking skills heading into this year.
And on the right side of the line, the spot at right guard is up for grabs. Veteran Nick Gates has experienced playing time in over 20 games during his career, but the talent of junior Eric Sproal (who is also competing for center) and sophomore Brian DeShane could overtake Gates' experience.
The right tackle spot is expected to be won by junior Brandon Thomas who was burnt a lot last year in pass coverage, but is getting time there because of his massive size and potential.
Unluckily for Tulsa, they already have lost two offensive linemen who were expected to compete for playing time as well. The losses of once-probable starter Jared Grigg and back-up Jake Alexander are a huge blow to an already thin Tulsa offensive line.

East Carolina:

Three very good starters return from a Pirate offensive line that was probably the best in Conference USA a season ago. Senior left guard Cory Dowless is the unit's leader and top performer. He has started 36 games over his career for ECU, more than any other offensive lineman, and will start every game again this season, barring injury. Known for more of his physical, bulldozer-mentality of blocking, Dowless adjusted well to the new pass-blocking scheme that the new coaching staff installed.
Opposite of Dowless at the right guard spot is fellow senior D.J. Scott. Like Dowless, Scott was the starter for the entire 2009 season at his particular spot on the line and earned himself honorable mention All-Conference USA honors for his play.
The 6-6, 290-pound product at left tackle is senior Willie Smith. He also started every game for the Pirates last season at his spot and was one of the main reason they gave up the least amount of sacks in the conference. His tremendous footwork and hand strength should fit nicely into the new blocking scheme.
At the other tackle position, a battle took place during the offseason between giant 6-8, 316-pound junior Steven Baker and 6-6, 323-pound redshirt freshman Grant Harner. Harner's balance and footwork impressed the coaches so much that the young gun beat out the veteran for the starting job. If Harner struggles however, Baker will surely see a lot of time in a back-up role pushing the freshman.
Junior Will Towery has won himself the spot at center after waiting patiently behind former teammarte and All-Conference USA performer Sean Allen for a couple of years. He has battled the injury bug over the course of his career, but appears to be healthy going into game one.

Who has the Edge? East Carolina

Not a very hard one to pick here. East Carolina had one of the best offensive lines in the country last year while Tulsa had one of the worst. The majority of both lines return and until Tulsa proves they can actually protect their quarterback, the Pirates have the advantage by a very large margin.


Defensive Line

Tulsa:

Tulsa's 3-man defensive line in their defensive scheme is responsible for holding their ground and creating room for the linebackers and secondary to make plays. They have two returning starters at their defensive end positions from a season ago in sophomore Cory Dorris and senior Odrick Ray.


Dorris

Dorris, a preseason All-Conference USA 2nd Team selection, will look to have the same success he did as just a freshman in 2009. He possesses great size at 6-4, 255-pounds that allows him to overpower offensive tackles at the end position, but also get penetration against opposing guards as well. He led all Tulsa linemen with 54 tackles for the year, including 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
Opposite of Dorris is Ray, who is more of a run-stopper than most defensive ends out there. At 6-3, 270-pounds, he can give opposing offensive linemen fits with his massive size and strength on the outside. He is a veteran of the program after earning playing time in each of his first three seasons and made a career-best 21 tackles a season ago.
At the nose-tackle spot, one of the key holes that Tulsa needs to fill, looks to be transfer Darnell Zellers. This 300-pounder has impressed coaches during the offseason in practice, but can he go up against some of the upper-echelon centers in Conference USA and still have the same success he had in community college? If he can't get the job done, expect back-up nose tackle Derrick Jackson to step into the fold, although he is a tad undersized at only 266 pounds.

East Carolina:

Four starters must be replaced from a defensive line that dominated Conference USA a season ago. It won't be an easy task, but what most fans don't realize, is that most of the guys projected to step up this season received solid playing time filling in for the starters in the past year or so. Skip Holtz' rotation system allowed for multiple defensive lineman to see the field, not just the main four guys like most teams did.
Senior defensive tackle Josh Smith will hope to anchor the interior of the line after totaling 26 tackles and four sacks a season ago. The hard-nosed Smith plays his guts out every play and knows the meaning of the word physical.
Alongside him will be junior Antonio Allison, who is an imposing beast at 6-4, 286-pounds. However, injuries over the course of his career with the Pirates have set him back from getting consistent playing time on the line. If he can stay healthy this season, him and Smith will be tough to stop on the inside.
Two players that are currently dealing with injuries, but could see time if the situation calls for it are sophomore Michael Brooks and junior Diavalvo Simpson. Both play defensive tackle and will back-up the two starters to begin the year.
There are a ton of candidates to take over at the end positions, which new defensive coordinator Brian Mitchell loves to put his speed rushing candidates. Justin Dixon, a four-star linebacker out of high school, has been moved to defensive end due to the depth ahead of him at linebacker already. The freshman has tremendous brute strength at 240+ pounds and will be able to beat offensive tackles due to that and the 4.5 speed he possesses.
Freshman Matt Milner looks to be earning the number one spot at one of the open spots and has the potential to dominate as he grows into his 6-4 frame. The number one back-up to him is 6-5, 264-pound junior Maurice Mercer who is much more developed in terms of body-weight and will almost definately split time with Milner depending on the situation.
Other freshman to watch on passing downs will be Derrell Johnson and Marke Powell. Both impressed coaches a ton during offseason practice and earned themselves a spot in the rotation at the least.

Who has the Edge? Tulsa

The experience of Tulsa's starters far outweighs East Carolina although the Pirates might have greater overall depth. The key to Tulsa's defensive line is the nose tackle position while the key to the Pirates' line is everyone staying healthy and how quickly the young contributers can get adjusted to playing every down at the division one level.


Linebackers

Tulsa:

Both outside linebackers return from a season ago in 6-4, 225-pound senior Tanner Antle and 6-1, 231-pound junior Curnelius Arnick. Antle appears to be the new leader of the defense after being all over the field a season ago. The veteran was a complete stud last year for the Hurricane defense, making 78 tackles, including 6.5 of those being for a loss and 2.5 sacks.
Opposite of him is Arnick, who started the past season for Tulsa and will look to continuing his success in 2010. Not only did he total 53 tackles in 2009, but Arnick was used a lot in pass coverage against inside receivers because of his surprising lateral quickness and talent.
These two guys should help make the new starter at middle linebacker's job a little more easier with the ground they cover. Redshirt freshman Shawn Jackson takes over the starting duties at that particular position and is known for his serious strength. The 250-pounder also moves surprisingly well given his size and should make a ton of noise on up the middle.
The depth behind the starters appears to be a bit thin however. One injury to one of the outside linebackers would really be a huge blow to Tulsa's defense and something they might not be able to recover from.
Sophomore Alan Dock is the back-up middle linebacker, although he hardly has any experience and is pretty undersized at just 5-10, 203-pounds. The coaches are aslo counting on true freshman Donnell Hawkins to step in and see some time as a back-up at one of the outside backer slots.

East Carolina:

Though the Pirates lost all three starters from a season ago, they might be even better than they were at this particular position a season ago.
Junior middle linebacker Steve Spence has locked down the starting spot after waiting in the wings for two years. Spence, who possesses serious smarts, has the potential to become the new leader of the front 7 with his calm demeanor on and off the field. Not to mention his play isn't too shabby either. He's seen time in 27 games the past two years making 15 tackles and 2 sacks in 2009.
At the outside spots, former walk-ons Dustin Lineback and Wes Pittman seem to have their starting spots wrapped up as well. The two seniors have shown all offseason that hard work and staying out of trouble can pay off in the end.


Lineback

Behind them however, is a ton of talent pushing for their jobs. Juniors Matt Thompson and Cliff Perryman both started at one point during their freshman season, but injuries and an off the field incident (Thompson only) have hampered their careers. Still, both have a ton of talent and will certainly see the field one way or another this year.
Back-up middle linebacker Melvin Patterson has been everywhere during fall practice and the scrimmages as well. If Spence plays well ahead of him, expect Patterson to get some time at outside linebacker since his speed and size combination allows him to play on the outside as well.

Who has the Edge? Tulsa

Two returning starters that played extremely well a season ago give the Golden Hurricane the edge in this position. However, just like on the defensive line, the Pirates once again offer more depth and potential than Tulsa. An injury or two to the Cane's linebacking core during opening day would open huge holes for the Pirates to exploit.


Secondary

Tulsa:

Tulsa uses 5 defensive backs with one of those being named a spur. The spur's job is to come up and stop the run as well as play the pass. He is almost like a fourth linebacker or another safety, but has greater range than your average backer and can tackle better than your average safety.
The spur for Tulsa in 2010 is in the form of DeAundre Brown. The best overall defender on the team, Brown led all of his teammates last year with 102 total tackles. At 5-11, 200-pounds he has enough speed to fly all over the field and enough strength to tackle anybody that comes his way.


Brown

At corner, the starters look to be seniors Charles Davis and Laquentin Black. Though both are extremely talented, neither has much experience in one-on-one pass coverage. Both have showed their solid tackling abilities in the past, but can they defend a Dwayne Harris or Darryl Freeney one-on-one in the open field when the ball is in the air?
Sophomore Dexter McCoil had a great season in 2009 with 85 tackles and 6 pass break-ups at the free safety spot. Those numbers are only going to improve with one more year in the system.
At the bandit position (another hybrid safety position in the 3-3-5) juniors John Flanders and Milton Howell are battling for the number one spot. Whoever wins will be a solid starter for the defense as both look to be extremely gifted.

East Carolina:

The Pirates possess two of the best cornerbacks in the nation in veterans Travis Simmons and Emmanuel Davis. Simmons, a 5-10, 177-pound senior has started the past two seasons for the Pirates and has truly become a lockdown corner. Although last season he only had one interception and two pass break-ups, the reason for that was because teams hardly ever threw the ball at him. The year before that, he had two huge plays against the same Tulsa team he is playing against on opening day with an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery he returned for 40 yards in that same game.


Simmons

Across from Simmons, is the former freshman All-American Emmanuel Davis. In 2009, he totaled 69 tackles, two interceptions and 12 pass knock-downs. With more man-to-man coverage being expected out of the new coaching staff, these two cornerbacks will get even more chances to make plays on the ball this season.
Sophomores Jacobi Jenkins and Leonard Paulk will be the nickel and dime cornerbacks off the bench for the Pirates. Paulk is more of the physical corner while Jenkins will use his speed and athleticism to his advantage.
Free-safety Derek Blacknall was the starter at the beginning of last season, but due to his inability to prevent the deep ball, he was quickly benched. The new staff will have to hope he learned from his mistake heading into this year.
Taking over at strong safety is hard-hitting, JUCO-transfer Bradley Jacobs. He arrived in January and took over the number one job right way. He hasn't looked back one bit and looks to be a solid starter for the Pirates.

Who has the Edge? East Carolina

Sure Tulsa has one of the best secondary players in the country in DeAundre Brown, but anytime a team such as ECU has two lockdown cornerbacks the caliber of Travis Simmons and Emmanuel Davis, they can change an offensive gameplan just by being on the field.


Special Teams

Tulsa:

Anytime a team has three players on the All-Conference USA preseason First Team special teams, they've got a great special teams unit. This is the case for this Tulsa football team heading into 2010.
It starts with electric return man Damaris Johnson who averaged 24.5 yards per kick return and ranked number 8 in the country on punt returns as well.
Junior kicker Kevin Fitzpatrick knocked in 13 of 14 field goal attempts a season ago, and will look to keep that success going into a new season.
Their senior punter, Michael Such, has started every year since he came to the Tulsa program, and averaged 44.5 yards per punt a season ago which was in the top ten in the country.

East Carolina:

East Carolina must replace their placekicker and punter from a season ago. The placekicker battle looks to be between University of Maryland transfer Michael Barbour and junior Ben Ryan. Ryan has had game experience for the Pirates in the past and although he didn't fair too well in his brief action, that still gives him a big advantage over Barbour. However, if Ryan continues with his inconsistent accuracy during practice, don't be surprised if Barbour is kicking on opening day.
At the punter spot, freshman Matt Millisor and walk-on Trent Tignor are battling for that particular spot. Both have strong legs, but the job will go to the more consistent player.
Return man Dwayne Harris felt he was robbed after not being named to the Conference USA Preseason First Team as the kickoff return man, and he has a good argument. Anytime a guy takes back three kickoffs for a touchdown in one season he should be the preseason favorite the following year.

Who has the Edge? Tulsa

An easy decision to go with the Golden Hurricane in this one. ECU's Dwayne Harris is probably a little bit better return man than Tulsa's Damaris Johnson, but you can't go against the two All-Conference USA performers in placekicker Kevin Fitzpatrick and punter Michael Such. Having these two players gives Tulsa a huge advantage going into September 5th.



Intangibles

Tulsa:

Tulsa is out to prove to everyone that last year was a fluke. The coaching staff has been preaching to them all offseason that they were better than what their record indicated at the end of last season. What better way to start the season out on the right note than to go into the defending conference champions house and beat them on opening day?

East Carolina:

The Pirates are coming off back-to-back conference championships, but yet many media outlets are predicting that they are going to finish in the lower half of the conference this year. That has not stopped the excitement or the expectations surrounding the team that are close to the program however. They know that there is talent and experience waiting in the wings. Add in the fact that 7,000 more seats have been added to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and the best homefield advantage in Conference USA just got that much louder.

Who has the Edge? East Carolina

"The Fick" will be packed and the atmosphere will be at a whole new level for the debut of the new coaching staff. Both teams have a lot of pride to play, but the Pirates homefield advantage gives the edge to ECU as each team will be motivated a ton.


Upcoming in this game one preview:

1. Setting the Stage
2. The Edge
3. Pirates try to start the McNeill era with a boom
4. Pirate fans will play key role on opening day
5. Final Thoughts and Analysis