NCAA Football FanHouse

Turkey Legs to Go: Liberty Bowl Travel Guide, Kentucky vs. East Carolina

Will Brinson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Kentucky, Conference USA, SEC, Campus, Coaching, Fans, Bowl Games

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tennessee), which pits Kentucky against East Carolina.

Overview/Matchup: A strong finish by the East Carolina Purple Pirates -- including a Conference USA championship -- has them headed to a rare post-New Year's bowl game. Skip Holtz -- who already announced he would return to Greenville next year -- has a tough matchup in Kentucky, if only because the Pirates are so dinged up. It would be tougher but Wildcat signal caller Randall Cobb appears to be out for this contest, and that will make a Beale Street victory that much tougher to come by for UK.

Hotels: There isn't much in the way of luxury accommodation near the stadium, so downtown near Beale Street is the next best thing. The five-mile drive to the stadium is well worth it. The Westin Memphis Beale Street is a trendy new downtown establishment with modern design, luxurious guest rooms and good quality on-site dining. The Doubletree Hotel Memphis is a great midrange hotel with a good location. The guestrooms are comparable with the much ritzier Peabody, but at a much more reasonable price. Budget-minded travelers should stay at the Artisan Hotel. The hotel is just two miles from the stadium and offers rooms for less than US$100 per night.

Restaurants: If you're looking for fine dining, or just need a celebratory steak, try Grill 83 in the Madison hotel. Over time it's earned a reputation for serving the finest steaks in town. Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (known in town as "The Rendezvous") is one of Memphis' all-time great barbeque restaurants and is known nationwide for its exceptional ribs and superior service. For a cheap delicious meal, head to Interstate Bar-B-Que. Many aficionados consider it the finest spot for a pork sandwich in the city.

Nightlife: While paying a visit to Memphis, taking in some live music is a must. Try B.B. King's Blues Club, Rum Boogie Café, or The Lounge for great Memphis blues on Beale Street. All of the clubs charge a cover (usually around five dollars unless there's a big name) but the money is well worth it for a true Memphis experience.

All travel related information provided by Professional Travel Guide.

Turkey Legs to Go: Liberty Bowl Travel Guide, Kentucky vs. East Carolina originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skip Holtz Rejects Syracuse

Chas Rich — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:42:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Syracuse, Big East, Conference USA, Coaching

You know, for a program that had announced back in mid-November that they were looking for a new coach, Syracuse has really struggled to find someone, anyone to take the job. First Al Golden would rather stay at Temple than consider the Syracuse gig (though, that may not be entirely true). Now East Carolina's Skip Holtz has apparently rejected the Syracuse overtures.

East Carolina officials will announce later this afternoon that Skip Holtz has declined interest in the Syracuse University head coaching position.

The announcement is expected shortly before Holtz appears in Memphis for the Liberty Bowl press conference.

This is a big blow to Syracuse's coaching search. All signs pointed to Skip Holtz being the top target of Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross. He met with Holtz at least twice in New York City the last couple of days, when Holtz was there for the induction ceremony of his father Lou Holtz to the College Football Hall of Fame. A couple days ago, the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician took note of a curious video running on the Syracuse Athletics website of Lou Holtz singing the praises of his son.

Just not a good thing for the Orange. Whether Holtz was the best choice or not, it seems clear that he was their top choice. Getting rejected on top of the dismal season, and after they had plenty of time to figure out their coaching search just suggests how screwed up Syracuse football is right now.

On the bright side, Auburn hasn't offered their job to Buffalo's Turner Gill yet. The Orange might want to move on that front soon. Of course if they were to be rejected by the head coach of Buffalo as well...

Skip Holtz Rejects Syracuse originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Lou Holtz Is Reporting That Skip Holtz Will Visit With Syracuse About Coaching Gig

Will Brinson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Syracuse, Coaching, NCAA FB Gossip, Media Watch, Rumors, General CFB Insanity

Skip Holtz is kind of god-like in Greenville, N.C. After all, he has taken the East Carolina Pirates from "always-ran" to "false hope BCS team that made it to the GMAC Bowl."

Of course, with that success comes, inevitably, other schools that play the role of suitor. And the latest news, as is incredulously being "broken" by his own father Lou Holtz -- whose journalistic credibility knows no bounds -- is that Syracuse is really interested in Skip and that he has agreed to sit down and talk about their vacancy.

"I know he has not met with them thus far," Lou Holtz said tonight. "I know he wouldn't do that with so much riding on his team (going to the Conference USA championship game). We're going to be in New York. Notre Dame is having a dinner for me tomorrow night which (Skip) and wife are coming up as well. Syracuse will be there. I think they're going to talk. He hasn't met with them. He's going to talk to them. I know they want to talk to him. I think they've asked permission. I'm not in the middle of negotiations. I'm not an agent. I'm just trying to hang on to my job and do a TV show".

Asked if Skip has interest in the Syracuse job, Lou said he did.

Syracuse? Really, Skip?

I suppose that in the whole "better school" scheme of things, sure, 'Cuse applies, but I don't know that it's a better situation to succeed than East Carolina -- had the Pirates run the table in Conference USA this year, they might have been BCS bound.

And what the mess is Lou doing reporting this. Yeah, it's information that he has insider access to, but something about Lou presenting this "breaking news" (that doesn't really seem plausible given the recent interest in Skip at Notre Freaking Dame) to the world just doesn't seem to stir the Kool-Aid in a particularly appropriate fashion.

ESPN's Lou Holtz Is Reporting That Skip Holtz Will Visit With Syracuse About Coaching Gig originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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East Carolina Overcomes Mid-Season Swoon, Beats Tulsa, Wins Conference USA Title

Will Brinson — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Tulsa, Conference USA, Coaching, General CFB Insanity

I tell you what -- "East Carolina is your conference champion" is not a phrase I really planned on hearing (or wanted to hear, for that matter) in 2008. However, after the Purple Pirates defeated Tulsa, 27-24, on a late field goal to win the Conference-USA championship and a Liberty Bowl berth, it's just a phrase everyone is going to have to get used to hearing.

The Pirates, though, without delving into some ridiculous coming-of-age type of storyline, are once again fun to root for; the first few weeks of this season, the Pirates were America's sweetheart, rising up in the polls as they continued to upset bigger name teams.

And people whispered those magic "BCS" letters, because the Pirates, could have, conceivably, run the table in their Conference and landed in a big January bowl. They didn't make it all the way to the top, but a resurgent second half of the season has them headed towards the Liberty Bowl now (as I predicted elsewhere).

Oh yeah -- the game itself was interesting too.

David Johnson had a shot at breaking the single-season passer rating heading into this game and everyone and their brother with a prophetic mouthpiece was picking Tulsa to head towards Memphis.

But then Skip Holtz's defense happened, and Johnson, one of the most turnover-free passers in the nation (hence the rating) threw an insane five interceptions -- one of which was returned for a touchdown --and fumbled once. The Pirates still didn't blow out the Golden Hurricane, despite all the freebies from Johnson.

Patrick Pinkney was just good enough (10-of-24 with a pretty abysmal 5.1 YPP), especially compared with Johnson, and an interception returned for six by Travis Simmons was enough to push Petey's crew past the Canes.

East Carolina Overcomes Mid-Season Swoon, Beats Tulsa, Wins Conference USA Title originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charlie Weis, Totally Honest, Tells Recruits He'll Be Coaching the Irish Next Year

Will Brinson — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Notre Dame, Coaching, NCAA FB Gossip, Recruiting, General CFB Insanity

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a feel good story if there ever was one, are in a precarious position with regard to their head coach, Charlie Weis. See, in case you missed it, Weis has been stinking the joint up since he got to South Bend. But the Irish just can't punt on Ole' Slim, because they'll owe him an insane amount of money.

On the other hand, they've got a pretty good shot of landing East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz, should they pounce now, and frankly, about anything seems like a viable option compared to Weis. But Chuckles doesn't think he'll be gone next year. In fact, he's telling recruits (via the unfathomably awesome Mouthpiece Blog) that he'll be back next year. Specifically, Shaquelle Evans.

"I asked him about his job status," Evans told the web site after Weis visited him Sunday. "He told me he's good to go; he'll be there. He said he made sure he's good before he left and it's just the media spreading that he's going to get fired. He said if he didn't know if he was going to be there or not he would tell me. It makes me feel good that he'll be there."

See? I told you he was being honest -- if he knew he was gone, he would tell Evans. But clearly Weis doesn't know if he's gone or not, because he doesn't meet with his boss until December 8. But imagine that you were in charge of a company that was failing miserably and you had to meet with your investors in a week: would you be confident of your job status?

Of course not. Yet, Charlie knows he's got the Irish by the you-know-whats, at least in terms of financial stability. Sure, they can fire him from his dream job and humiliate him personally, but they'll still have to pay him. And they'll lose recruits who believed the coaching staff. Really, it's a win-win for all of us that care so much for the NDers.

However, in fairness to Weis, as R points out, it would be totally ridiculous of him to be telling recruits that he might be gone -- he does care about his job, even if he's not good at it right now, and he certainly doesn't want to harm his future recruiting potential by acting like he might be staring down at the firing squad.

Charlie Weis, Totally Honest, Tells Recruits He'll Be Coaching the Irish Next Year originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suspended East Carolina Running Back Jonathan Williams in Hot Water Once Again

Steve Franklin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Conference USA, Police Blotter

East Carolina running back Jonathan Williams' legal problems continue.

On Tuesday, hours after news broke about Williams being arrested on Oct. 5 for resisting a police officer, the ECU running back was back in the custody of Greenville police, this time facing two charges for assault with a deadly weapon.

Police allege that on Sunday, the Pirates' leading rusher was involved in an assault at a house party in Greenville. It is alleged that Williams used a beer bottle to strike a male victim in the back of the head, and also struck a female victim in the arm with a beer bottle.

He turned himself into Greenville police on Tuesday evening, and was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond. He faces a November 19 court date for his latest arrest.

ECU coach Skip Holtz didn't become aware of Williams' Oct. 5 arrest until Tuesday. Williams was not at practice the last two days and Holtz would only release the following statement.

"We have just been made aware of the situation and we are certainly going to gather facts from an internal standpoint and let the judicial system take its course," Holtz said. "Any charge filed against an ECU football player is something that we take very seriously, but since this is a legal matter, any further comment on our part would be inappropriate at this point.

"Our basic expectation for every member of our program has always been that they must earn the right to represent East Carolina University on the football field every week and that they will be held accountable for their actions on and off the field," Holtz added. "Any player charged with a crime will not represent ECU in any manner until cleared to do so by university and athletic department administrators. We always work closely with those entities to ensure that student-athletes are disciplined in a fair and consistent manner within the expectations for all ECU students as well as the expectations for all student-athletes."

After Tuesday's practice, the fourth-year head coach said he was unaware of Sunday's incident.

"I've had very little time to sit down and evaluate the facts," said Holtz following Tuesday's practice. "Once I get a chance to evaluate the facts, we'll sit down and take a look at where we go from there."

For the time being, Williams, who leads the Pirates with 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns, has been suspended indefinitely.

The 20-year old sophomore, a Greenville native, has been arrested three times since spring football practice began.

In April, he was arrested on a DWI charge and was also charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor. He'll appear in court Nov. 5 for the resisting a police officer charge, Nov. 19 for the two assault with a deadly weapons charges, and Jan. 16 for the DWI and consumption of alcohol by a minor charges.

Suspended East Carolina Running Back Jonathan Williams in Hot Water Once Again originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ECU Suspends Leading Rusher Jonathan Williams After Latest Arrest

Steve Franklin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:14:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Conference USA, Police Blotter

East Carolina running back Jonathan Williams is facing criminal charges for the second time in the last six months.

A report surfaced Tuesday that Williams, the Pirates' leading rusher, was arrested on Oct. 5 by the Greenville Police Department for resisting an officer after a domestic call.

He was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 5.

The arrest comes on the heels of Williams' DWI arrest in early April.

Coach Skip Holtz said he learned of the latest incident in a letter from athletic director Terry Holland on Monday afternoon.

"We have just been made aware of the situation and we are certainly going to gather facts from an internal standpoint and let the judicial system take its course," Holtz said. "Any charge filed against an ECU football player is something that we take very seriously, but since this is a legal matter, any further comment on our part would be inappropriate at this point."

WITN Channel 7 out of Washington also reported Tuesday that Williams is being investigated for another incident that occurred in Greenville this weekend.

Holtz said he was unaware of that incident, but reiterated that ECU plans to look into Williams' legal issues.

"I've had very little time to sit down and evaluate the facts," said Holtz following Tuesday's practice. "Once I get a chance to evaluate the facts, we'll sit down and take a look at where we go from there."

Williams was not at practice Tuesday and isn't likely to rejoin the team until East Carolina conducts an internal investigation into the incidents.

"Our basic expectation for every member of our program has always been that they must earn the right to represent East Carolina University on the football field every week and that they will be held accountable for their actions on and off the field," Holtz said. "Any player charged with a crime will not represent ECU in any manner until cleared to do so by university and athletic department administrators."

The 20-year old Williams made his first career start against Virginia six days after the Oct. 5 incident and rushed for 95 yards.

On Saturday, he had a career-high 108 yards and a touchdown in the Pirates' victory over Memphis.

Williams is the second offensive starter to be disciplined by ECU this month.

In early October, Jamar Bryant, the Pirates' leading receiver in 2007, was suspended indefinitely by East Carolina for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.

"It's not a distraction," sophomore running back Norman Whitley said. "Everybody out here is a grown man and knows that there are consequences for your actions. Those guys slipped up and they've got to learn from their mistakes. We've all got to learn from their mistakes."

ECU Suspends Leading Rusher Jonathan Williams After Latest Arrest originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ECU's Pinkney Goes From Early Heisman Hopeful to Pirates' Bench

Steve Franklin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:33:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina

It didn't take long for East Carolina quarterback Patrick Pinkney to go from early Heisman hopeful to sideline cheerleader.

The Pirates' senior quarterback was the talk of college football after completing better than 78 percent of his passes in leading East Carolina to wins over No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 8 West Virginia to open the season. But, after three straight losses in which Pinkney completed just 52 percent of his passes, the Pirates' gunslinger has traded in his purple helmet for a clipboard and ball cap.

Pinkney got the start versus Memphis on Saturday, but after two ineffective series was lifted in favor of junior Rob Kass with ECU trailing 7-0.

Although East Carolina coach Skip Holtz said before Saturday's game that the Pirates will likely platoon the two quarterbacks, Pinkney did not see the field again after Kass got the hot hand.

Kass was at the helm of all five Pirates scoring drives and threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the second half , as ECU scored 23 unanswered point after intermission to rout Memphis, 30-10.

Afterwards, Holtz said that Pinkney and Kass will continue to split playing time as the season progresses.

"Right now, we'll go back and break down the film and evaluate it," Holtz said. "I suspect we'll give them both looks, then after three or four series, we'll go with whoever has the hot hand."

ECU's Pinkney Goes From Early Heisman Hopeful to Pirates' Bench originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's Gotten Bad Real Fast for ECU

Chas Rich — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Virginia, ACC, Conference USA

Remember a month ago when East Carolina Coach Skip Holtz became the "name" for replacing coaches on the hot seat? Things certainly change quickly. Now, it looks like only Syracuse might be competing with ECU for his services.

Key injuries on defense and now the suspension of the second leading receiver, have the Pirates spiraling. Where there was briefly talk of them being another non-BCS team to compete for a BCS bowl slot, the Pirates have to hope they can win the Conference USA East Division.

They have lost two straight, and are presently getting blown out by Virginia 28-6 at halftime. A team that has only 1-A win, and was blown out by Duke. The Pirates have struggled to move the ball and aren't stopping the Cavs offense. That Virginia has turned the ball over twice in the first half is the only reason the game isn't more lopsided.

It's Gotten Bad Real Fast for ECU originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, That Was Close/Disappointing: ECU, Georgia and Oregon Keep BCS Hopes Alive

Will Brinson — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Purdue, Tulane, Virginia Tech, ACC, Campus, Coaching, Media Watch, General CFB Insanity

ECU Will. Not. Go. Away.
After a fairly unpalatable morning set of games, we had some intriguing matchups this afternoon; Georgia, East Carolina, Oregon, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech -- the latter by default because the ACC is horrible -- all had BCS aspirations heading into the third week of college football.

Four of those teams still do, but it wasn't for a lack of trying to fail.

Georgia needed a last second interception by Chris Smelley (Dugout Name and license plate: SMLLYCOX) to overcome what really is looking like a disturbingly stout South Carolina defense (it wasn't just NC State, we swear!). The 'Cocks held Knoshown Moreno to just 79 yards on 20 carries even though he punched one in, and Matthew Stafford was hardly effective. But the Dogs held on and their BCS chances prevail.

Exciting recap I know, but that's because I spent most of the afternoon watching a shoddy YouTube-like feed of East Carolina squaring off against Tulane. ECU AD Terry Holland had oh-so-generously offered to play the game in Greenville as Ike, et al approached the coast (what a guy, huh?) and Tulane oh-so-obviously declined the invite.

Instead, the Green Wave took the Pirates down to the fourth quarter, with Petey's Pirates needing an interception --> last minute Patrick Pinkney touchdown to put away what might be a pretty underrated Tulane squad. My brother claims the Pirates were injured and Tulane is in fact better than we think, but it could also be that ECU overlooked them. Or isn't as good as we thought. Or got handed a freebie when Tyrod Taylor didn't play them the first week.

Taylor is playing now and he led Virginia Tech to an unranked matchup of the two favorites to win the Coastal Division in the ACC. Which is kind of like a race to senility between Brent Musberger and Lee Corso; amusing, yet painful to watch. Things happened, people did stuff, THERE WAS BEAMER BALL and eventually Paul Johnson kind of messed the bed in the end as the Northern-most Technical University involved in the game won.

Bob Griese is a homer, the Purdue kicker choked, Oregon was excellent on special teams, LeGarrette Blount was LeDominant and Curtis Painter managed exactly ZERO touchdowns in 50 attempts. Also, Kory Sheets looked good. But not good enough.

BCS Hopez Live.

Well, That Was Close/Disappointing: ECU, Georgia and Oregon Keep BCS Hopes Alive originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ECU Pirates Pegged With $10,000 Fine for Violating Sportsmanship Policy After WVA Win

Will Brinson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Conference USA, Campus, Fans, General CFB Insanity

It's difficult to blame the fans and students of East Carolina for charging the field after their win over West Virginia. After all, this was the eighth overall [incorrectly] ranked team in the nation and ECU immediately vaulted its BCS chances through the roof. So, yeah, storming the field seems like the right answer.

Well, except to the police. Or the people in charge of Conference USA, who just slapped the Pirates with a $10,000.00 fine (via Observation Bubble) for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy.

The action of the fans was "clearly in violation" of the sportsmanship standards of Conference USA, according to a letter sent Thursday by league Commissioner Britton Banowsky to ECU Athletic Director Terry Holland.

In addition to an increased fine, any repetition of such an incident in football or any sport could also result in the suspension of hosting privileges for conference championship competition.

"Having personally experienced the game day atmosphere at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, I would like to congratulate the 43,610 members of the Pirate Nation who provided a national television audience with an outstanding example of how important the fans are to a great college football experience," Banowksy said. "However, in June 2008, the conference adopted a post-game policy to ensure the safety of visiting players and officials is maintained. That cannot be achieved when fans are celebrating on the field in the presence of the visiting team.

I suppose you do have to fine the school. Especially considering the ridiculous and frequent nature which storming the floor has approached college athletics in recent years, it's actually kind of refreshing to see administrators say: "Grow up and sit in your seats."

On the other hand, I don't see any situation like this one -- darkhorse minded underdog at home against a top ten national team -- where the students stay in their seats. It happens more frequently with small universities and shocking wins or up and coming programs that have been buried in football misery for years.

ECU falls under the latter obviously and those are the situations that are infinitely more dangerous, because the people involved are larger in quantity and usually a little bit more riled up, for whatever reason. So yeah, celebration is awesome, but people getting hurt most certainly is not, so I actually agree with the CUSA in this case.

ECU Pirates Pegged With $10,000 Fine for Violating Sportsmanship Policy After WVA Win originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Case of the Mondays: What Was That?

Adam Jacobi — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Ohio State, Syracuse, West Virginia

Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeys almost had an epic case of the Mondays.

Week 2 is in the books, and we have lots to talk about, namely: Dude, what?! Ohio State barely beats Ohio, sending chortles throughout Southern California. West Virginia self-implodes against a very, very feisty ECU team, and Syracuse continues their slide into futility, getting smoked by... Akron.

Let's talk about the madness this evening on A Case of the Mondays, the best thing to happen to college football, ever. Festivities start at 7:00 p.m EST, right below the jump.

A Case of the Mondays: What Was That? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ECU Police Were in No Mood to Celebrate West Virginia Win

Chas Rich — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:52:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Conference USA, Campus, Police Blotter

No, the picture above is not the way officers dressed at the ECU game, but judging by the reaction of some, you can bet they wish they were.

Well, maybe the officers assigned to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium were celebrating. It's just that they have a different way of expressing the joy of East Carolina's big 24-3 win over West Virginia. The fans wanted to, and did, rush the field and the police dealt with people (watch the lower right corner).

There were plenty of reports from fans, witnesses and those pesky ESPN cameras to suggest this was not isolated.

ECU Police Chief Scott Shelton said university officers are interviewing witnesses and analyzing photos and videotapes. The complaints are varied and include assertions that officers punched a fan and threw another to the ground. Shelton said, "Preliminary investigation indicates excessive force was used in an incident of most concern by complainants."

The police chief also says that the officers were supposed to only be visible and try to deter fans and students from running out on the field. If that didn't work, they were supposed to fall back and just try to keep it from getting out of hand. Officers from the State Highway Patrol, City of Greenville, Pitt County Sheriff's Department, the City of Kinston, and Lenoir County were also helping with security.

As for the officers that were shown beating a person on the ground. It's denials all around.

Pitt County Sheriff Mac Manning said that though his deputies were staffing the game in brown uniforms, it was not one of his men caught on tape.

"As far as what happened, or if there was excessive force used, I have no idea," Manning said. "My supervisor at the game saw the video, and what he had seen did not involve a Pitt County deputy."

Of course not. It was a different shade of brown. Or perhaps it was someone dressed as a Pitt County officer trying to make them look bad.

Some more videos after the jump.
This video shows the cops being very forceful in trying to keep fans from the field as the goalposts were being removed.It was to little avail, and most of the cops there backed off to just standing by the goalposts.

This one is too far away but you can here the fans and students talking about the cops on the field.

It's a good chance that more pictures and video will be popping up. The volume of cameras and camera phones makes that increasingly likely.

ECU Police Were in No Mood to Celebrate West Virginia Win originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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College Football Songbook: You Ruined Our Dreams, Bill

John Radcliff — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:05:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, West Virginia, Big East, Conference USA, FanHouse TV

The College Football Songbook is a weekly feature in which we'll be making as much fun as humanly possible of the most embarrassing moments in college football. Through words, music, and related video we'll leave a lasting memory implanted on the brains of the vanquished that they are not soon to forget.

Ugh! I couldn't side step this one again. The show goes on, even when it's your team.

Video Link

Photo Credits:

fansedge.com
bighugelabs.com
walktheplank.org
mywedding.com
daylife.com
pediment.com
playlikeyourcouchisonfire.com
oceantreasures.org
Getty Images

College Football Songbook: You Ruined Our Dreams, Bill originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pirates Have Tunnel Vision for Success

John Radcliff — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:12:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, West Virginia, Big East, Conference USA

Number eight West Virginia came into their game against East Carolina today with their sites on going to a national championship game. But the Pirates had other ideas. From the first possession of the game for East Carolina, it was obvious that they were going to be able to move the ball on the Mountaineer defense. The first drive went for 80 yards and they chewed up over six minutes on the clock. From there, it was all East Carolina. The Mountaineers were able to break a couple big plays, but for the most part the Pirate defense tackled well all day long. They forced the Mountaineers into third and long situations and kept everything in front of them.

On the flip side of that coin, East Carolina was able to break tackles consistently and convert third downs. They held on to the ball and kept Pat White and Co. from getting in anything resembling a rhythm. Final score, East Carolina 24-3.

This marks the third straight ranked team that East Carolina has defeated going back to the bowl game last year against Boise St. Expect the Pirates to slide way up in the polls and West Virginia way down. Nothing is a guarantee, but the rest of the schedule looks much easier and much more BCS busting friendly for the Pirates. And I probably gotta write a song about this...

Pirates Have Tunnel Vision for Success originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That Was Quick: Bill Stewart Drives West Virginia Into the Ground

Brian Cook — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:06:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, West Virginia

I love you, West Virginia player. I love you so much. Isn't this nice? What do you mean we're down three touchdowns?

Well, West Virginia just punted from midfield with seven minutes left in a game they're down three touchdowns, so it's time to write the requisite "boy, I bet Ed Pastilong wishes he didn't wake up on January third with a wicked hangover, the faint memory of something profane at three in the morning, and a contract signed by Bill Stewart" post.

So, yeah, I bet Ed Pastilong wishes he didn't wake up on January third with a wicked hangover, the faint memory of something profane at three in the morning, and a contract signed by Bill Stewart. We heard all fall about how Bill Stewart was a terrifically nice man who didn't yell at his players and boy wasn't that nice and new offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen would UNLEASH THE UNBELIEVABLE PASSING ABILITY OF PAT WHITE.

These are the fruits of magnificent freedom: 214 yards and three points against Eastern Carolina. Even Michigan managed more. As you might imagine, West Virginia message boards have turned into Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and will feature heavily in This Week In Schadefreude.

And hey, how about East Carolina? If they run the table do they get a shot at the national title? They've got Virginia on their "tour of teams with Virginia in their name who want no piece of this," and if they take 'em out that's three BCS teams, two of whom should/might win their conference.

That Was Quick: Bill Stewart Drives West Virginia Into the Ground originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week Two Proposition Bets For The College Football Junkie

John Radcliff — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, East Carolina, Temple, West Virginia, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, Gambling

Prop Bets for the College Football Junkie is a weekly post that cares not for your silly point spreads. If you have the money and the gumption, we'll lay down a weekly gauntlet of propositions that'll take you from the penthouse to the outhouse faster than you can guess the number of times Lee Corso will say "not so fast my friend." As always, this is for entertainment purposes only.

- We kid because we care, and if Notre Dame is able to win this weekend against San Diego State you can expect Lou Holtz to remind the world that he predicted the Irish to win 11 games this year. We put the over/under for this at five, provided Notre Dame wins. Also, we put the over/under at three for the number of times Mark May will remind Holtz that it was San Diego State. We would say five, but we're sure at least a couple of those times there will be a producer on the set with a look on his face that says "just let him enjoy this moment."

- The punt block that sealed East Carolina's victory over Virginia Tech was poetic justice for all the times the Hokies have won games like that. We're sure it will be replayed multiple times during the game with West Virginia this weekend. But that's now what we're looking at. No, the over/under for this one will be the number of Tech fans actually cheering for West Virginia, and we put that number at five. If you don't know, the catch is that Tech and West Virginia were hated rivals in the Big East days. Being a West Virginia fan, I find it comforting that any Hokie would stoop so low as to cheer for the Mountaineers. Even funnier is that I know of at least one already. Unfortunately, I had to delete his comments on this because he had some derogatory phrases about the Pirates in his comments. I guess it must be my picture.

- Howard Schnellenberger had some choice words for Texas before getting thumped 52-10 last weekend. After eating those words, do you think he learned anything from it? This is a straight up yes/no proposition. Florida Atlantic plays UAB this weekend. We lean toward the yes, because if he'd say that about Texas he's say it about anyone. But probably not again to anyone that would print it.

Quick Hitters:

- Number of "firemikesherman.com's" if the Aggies lose to New Mexico this weekend, +/- 10. Remember, they take their football serious in Texas even if he doesn't.

- Number of keystrokes Desmond Howard will pretend to hit while he's on the bus talking about the volume of chatters online, +/- 500. For some reason, ESPN thinks we care if Desmond really is jumping in with chatters while he's talking in that segment.

- The announcers for the Akron-Syracuse game will probably mention Greg Robinson's accomplishments before coming to Syracuse in a vain attempt to persuade the Orange not to fire him at the end of the year. We put that at +/- 5. But for the sake of Syracuse fans, isn't one too many?

- Number of times the video in this post will be played during the UConn-Temple game, +/- 10. Come on, networks! Get on the karma train. It's time to remind everyone why UConn didn't deserve the record they had last year.

Week Two Proposition Bets For The College Football Junkie originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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College Football Songbook: Sometimes It's Hard To Be In The ACC

John Radcliff — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:47:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama, Clemson, East Carolina, Virginia Tech, ACC, FanHouse TV

The College Football Songbook is a weekly feature in which we'll be making as much fun as humanly possible of the most embarrassing moments in college football. Through words, music, and related video we'll leave a lasting memory implanted on the brains of the vanquished that they are not soon to forget.

Since I didn't get to do an ACC preview song, the teams in the ACC went ahead and stunk it up so I could give you this. Cheers guys!

Video Link

Photo Credits:

Every Day Should Be Saturday
Antibowden.com
Sportsfantreasures.com
Flickr.com user Planetblaksburg
Faniq.com
Deepsouthsports blog
Order of the Spur.com
Deadspin.com

College Football Songbook: Sometimes It's Hard To Be In The ACC originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I Think We Can 'Call It an Upset' as East Carolina Stuns Va Tech on Opening Weekend

Will Brinson — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Virginia Tech, ACC, BCS, Conference USA, General CFB Insanity

There were several ridiculous things that happened in and around Charlotte, N.C., involving the East Carolina - Virginia Tech game on Saturday.

First of all, East Carolina won. Congrats, Pirate fans. Secondly, Sean Glennon started for Virginia Tech. Memo to Frank Beamer: he's not good. Thirdly, Dave Pasch and Andre Ware agreed that this was only an upset on paper. (/Bangs head on table)

And finally, Mark May chatted, while Lou Holtz blushed and giggled -- his son Skip coaches ECU, about the Pirates chance at a BCS bowl this year. To sum up: ohmygodlookoutthat'sbrimfirereigningdown!

The Pirates' win is tremendous and I don't want to take away from that. But it might be as much an indictment of the ACC this year as it is a semi-coming out party for the boys of Greenville, N.C.

Virginia Tech is, in theory, one of the two best teams in the ACC, although Wake Forest fans might be quick to argue that point. So,how on Earth can you explain Glennon throwing the ball 23 times while they only rushed 22? Certainly not by pointing out that he went 14 of 23 for two picks and no touchdowns and 62 of his 123 passing yards coming on one play.

Patrick Pickney looked pretty freaking spectacular but was aided by the fact that the Hokie defenders decided not to tackle a whole hell of a lot throughout the game. And in fairness, the ECU defense was good -- Glennon averaged under 10 yards a pass (including a 62-yarder!) and both Kenny Lewis and Darren Evans failed to crack 3.5 yards per carry.

So, to sum up, after taking five minutes to breath: East Carolina and Pickney are much better than most people thought, but because Virginia Tech and Glennon are much worse than anyone thought we all need to take a nice deep huff of oxygen and relax on the BCS talk for Pickney and crew.

Tyrod Taylor? Not gonna be redshirting this year. Glennon? Not gonna be playing much this season. Seriously, if Beamer doesn't make that call by 7 p.m. tonight, there need to be whispers and quickly. At least the good news for the ACC is that someone is contractually obligated to make it to a BCS game!

I Think We Can 'Call It an Upset' as East Carolina Stuns Va Tech on Opening Weekend originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ECU Fans Go To War Against Cracker Barrel

Nathan Fowler — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:52:00 EST

Filed under: East Carolina, Conference USA, General CFB Insanity

For anyone who has driven through the southern portion of the US, the name Cracker Barrel brings up images of biscuits, chicken fried steak and a general store packed with goodies like Moon Pies and all sorts of trinkets. Evidently though, an East Carolina fan noticed a small problem at the local Cracker Barrel in Greenville, NC - it didn't stock enough ECU gear, but had plenty of items bearing the logos of UNC and North Carolina State. Being a conscientious college football fan, he sent in an e-mail to Cracker Barrel requesting they stock more Pirates gear in Greenville ... and got this in response:

[...] since this is a small school that plays in a small conference there are few manufacturers that will make ECU merchandise [...]

That wasn't a very well thought out response from the PR rep - ECU is a school with a very proud football tradition, has put a number of players into the NFL (Jeff Blake and David Garrard, to name a couple), has a large and rabid fanbase in the coastal region of North Carolina, and there is no shortage of available purple Pirate gear in the entire region, obviously someone is making it. Predictably the e-mail ended up on the popular ECU fansite Boneyard Banter and ECU fans took to their e-mail inboxes and launched a protest campaign against Cracker Barrel. They won a quick victory, as Cracker Barrel responded:

[...]I also am very sorry for the response sent by one of our Guest Relations Representatives. The response was not an informed nor researched response. I apologize the response seemed insensitive to your concerns for the lack of ECU merchandise offered by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Please be assured this error has been addressed and corrections have been made within our department.[...]

[...] We do have a limited number of items available in East Carolina University in our Greenville, NC location only. We have sweaters, t-shirts, hats, children's cheerleader and football outfits, coasters, garden flags, a hand-painted Christmas ornament, quilt, hand-painted lamp, and a coffee mug. If while you are visiting our Greenville store you don't find this merchandise, please ask one of our retail sales associates to assist you in locating these items. [...]

"Corrections have been made within our department" certainly sounds ominous, maybe the Pirates have forced another one to walk to the plank. In any case, sign me up for one of the hand-painted Christmas ornaments and maybe a coffee mug. And some chicken fried chicken with that awesome white gravy. Oh, and can college football season please start soon? I think the offseason is starting to drive some folks crazy.

ECU Fans Go To War Against Cracker Barrel originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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