ECU Travels To In-State Rival North Carolina
September 29, 2010 | Football
Sept. 29, 2010
Kenan Stadium Parking Information | Time Warner Cable Broadcast Information
ECU Game Notes 
| North Carolina Game Notes
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina will face the second of three BCS members on its 2010 schedule when the Pirates travel to Chapel Hill Saturday to meet North Carolina at Kenan Stadium. The contest with the Tar Heels also represents the second battle during a three-game road swing for ECU, which returns to Conference USA play next week when it visits Southern Miss.
East Carolina, which will try to improve its record to 3-1 for only the second time since 2001, will also be looking to become the first Pirate squad to capture a victory in a non-conference opponent’s home stadium since 2006 (21-16 at N.C. State) and end a run of seven-straight setbacks.
The Series
North Carolina leads 9-2-1 ... The 2010 meeting between the Pirates and Tar Heels will mark back-to-back annual clashes at Kenan Stadium for the first time since the 1980 and 1981 campaigns after two consecutive tilts at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (2003, 2007) ... In addition to 2007, ECU’s only other win in the series came in 1975 ... The 24-24 deadlock in 1979 is one of two all-time ties in ECU’s history against FBS members (other is against Louisiana Tech in 1989).
Ruffin McNeill’s Playing Career Vs. North Carolina
Ruffin McNeill squared off against North Carolina three times during his playing career at East Carolina ... As a safety under Pat Dye, McNeill suffered low-scoring setbacks as a freshman and junior before the Pirates and Tar Heels battled to a 24-24 deadlock during his senior campaign:
| Date | Year | Pos. | ECU Coach | Score | Location |
| 10/23/76 | Fr. | SS | Pat Dye | UNC, 12-10 | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| 09/16/78 | Jr. | SS | Pat Dye | UNC, 14-10 | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| 10/27/79 | Sr. | SS | Pat Dye | TIE, 24-24 | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
1978 note - credited with seven tackles (one solo).
1979 note - logged two solo stops, recovered a fumble and had a pass breakup ... UNC’s Jeff Hayes connects on a 47-yard FG with 13 seconds remaining to produce the tie.
North Carolina-East Carolina “Connections”
Three members of North Carolina’s football staff have connections to East Carolina’s program, two serving in coaching roles and one as a player ... A closer look:
| Name | Current UNC Position | ECU Position | Years |
| Jeff Connors | Asst. AD/Strength & Conditioning | Dir. of Strength & Conditioning | 1991-2000 |
| Art Kaufman | Defensive Line Coach | Defensive Line Coach | 2003-04 |
| Norris McCleary | Player Development/Asst. DL Coach | Defensive Lineman | 1995-99 |
McCleary notes - earned four letters, playing in 41 games with 23 starts ... recorded 151 tackles (94 solo), 12 TFL (-48 yards), 8.5 sacks (-43 yards), three forced fumbles, seven recovered fumbles, five batted passes, two blocked kicks and 14 quarterback pressures ... signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs and played in 13 games (2000-2001) before signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2002 (no games played).
Pirate Career Numbers Against The Tar Heels
Only four East Carolina players have experienced action in both recent (2007 and 2009) battles against North Carolina - two on offense and two on defense ... A closer look:
IR Dwayne Harris - six receptions for 61 yards (10.2 ypr), long of 17; seven carries for 21 yards (3.1 ypc), one TD; two punt returns for 18 yards (9.0 ypr); four kickoff returns for 77 yards (19.3 ypr); scored on a six-yard run in 2009 to tie contest 14-14 with 6:22 left in the second quarter ...
FS/CB Dekota Marshall - eight tackles (five solo) ...
CB Travis Simmons - five tackles (all solo), one pass breakup ...
RB Jonathan Williams - four carries for seven yards (1.8 ypc); two receptions for three yards (1.5 ypr); two kickoff returns for 123 yards (30.8 ypr), long of 63 in 2007.
Other performance of note against UNC - OR Joe Womack collected a career-high four catches for a personal-best 66 yards (16.5 ypr) during the 2009 meeting.
Among The Nation's Best
With the release of the NCAA statistics through September 25 games, QB Dominique Davis is 1st in points per game responsible for, 2nd in completions per game, 6th in total offense per game, 10th in passing yards per game, 33rd in total passing yards and 39th in passing efficiency; IR Dwayne Harris is 11th in receptions per game and 14th in receiving yards per game; CB Emanuel Davis is 3rd in fumbles recovered per game; S Bradley Jacobs is 11th in forced fumbles per game.
Rolling The Dice Helps
East Carolina is one of 16 programs at the FBS level that possesses a 100 percent conversion rate on fourth down this season, yet the Pirates top the nation with seven successful tries (3-of-3 vs. Tulsa, 1-of-1 vs. Memphis and 3-of-3 vs. Virginia Tech) ... Army stands “second” with a perfect five-of-five ... ECU had seven conversions in 13 attempts the entire 2009 season.
Paying A Price For It
East Carolina has converted six turnovers (four recovered fumbles, two interceptions) into five scores (four TD, one FG) so far in 2010 in games against Tulsa, Memphis and Virginia Tech ... In its last eight games (dating back into 2009), ECU has forced a total of 18 TOs and converted 14 into scores, including nine touchdowns.
On The Flipside, Keeping It Off The Ground
The Pirates are one of only five teams nationally without a lost fumble in 2010, joining Clemson, Kentucky, Miami (Fla.) and Oregon State.
Backfield Pass-Catching Weapon
Senior RB Jonathan Williams is currently the Pirates’ second-leading pass-catcher with 15 receptions (93 yards) ... He established a career high with seven grabs at Virginia Tech a week after recording a personal-best 50 receiving yards vs. Memphis ... Williams’ 13 receptions in a two-game span is the highest total by a running back in ECU’s Division I history, surpassing a pair of 12-catch performances by Jerris McPhail and Chris Johnson in 1995 and 2005, respectively ... However, McPhail and Johnson hold the program’s consecutive three-game mark with 18 catches - a closer look:
| No. | ECU RB | Year | Opponents | Rec. | Yards |
| 1. | Chris Johnson | 2005 | WVU, USM, Rice | 18 | 209 |
| | Jerris McPhail | 1995 | SYR, CMU, ILL | 18 | 205 |
| 3. | Jonathan Williams | 2010 | TLS, MEM, VT | 15 | 93 |
Williams is on pace for a 60-catch campaign, which would break the single-season record for receptions by a running back (38 by McPhail in 1995).
