ECU-Virginia Tech Kickoff Set For 12 Noon
June 04, 2007 | Football
June 4, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The kickoff time for East Carolina's season-opening non-conference contest against Virginia Tech, scheduled for September 1 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, has been set for 12 noon (EDT) to accommodate a live ESPN national television broadcast according to an announcement from the network Monday morning.
The Pirates will open Skip Holtz' third season at the helm of the East Carolina program by renewing a 12-game series with the Hokies that began in 1956. The meeting against Virginia Tech, which wrapped up the 2006 season with a No. 18 national rank and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, will be the first since a 45-28 Hokie win at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Sept. 7, 2000. In all, ECU won four of the first seven matchups before Virginia Tech rolled off five straight.
East Carolina posted a 7-6 overall record last year, which marked the Pirates' highest win total since an 8-4 ledger in 2000. In addition, ECU made its first bowl appearance since 2001 when it accepted an invite to the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. The Pirates closed the season by winning five of its last seven games and finished league play with a 5-3 record to earn a second-place standing in C-USA's East Division.
The national telecast will be the third for East Carolina in its last 11 games on an ESPN entity, dating back to No. 4 West Virginia's visit to Greenville on Sept. 23 and the Pirates' bowl clash against USF last December - both of which were carried by ESPN2.
Other ESPN selections announced Monday involving Conference USA teams include Marshall at Miami (ESPNU, Sept. 1/12 noon), UCF at N.C. State (ESPN360, Sept. 1/6 p.m.) and UAB at Florida State (ESPNU, Sept. 8/5 p.m.).
This original release was revised June 12 when network officials announced that the ECU-Virginia Tech contest was moved from ESPN2 to ESPN because of a Big 10 Conference commitment.
