East Carolina Closes Non-Conference Slate At Navy
October 19, 2011 | Football
Oct. 19, 2011
| East Carolina Game 7: Navy | |
| Date | Saturday, October 22 |
| Time | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | Annapolis, Md. (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium) |
| Tickets & Parking | Game Tickets | Parking Information |
| Live Game Coverage |  Radio: WNCT 107.9FM and ECU All-Access Listen Live |  Television: CBS Sports Network (formerly called CBS College Sports) Gametracker |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Navy |
| Statistics | East Carolina | Navy |
| Pirate Football Central |
Gameday Central | Roster | Fact Book |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina will close out its non-conference schedule and unofficially open the second half of the 2011 campaign Saturday when it faces Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (EDT). The Pirates will try to continue their momentum after a 35-17 Conference USA triumph against Memphis last week while attempting to snap a seven-game non-conference road losing streak.
The visit to Annapolis also closes a three-game road swing for ECU, which will return home to face C-USA West Division member Tulane next week for annual Homecoming festivities.
The Pirates Against The Midshipmen
Navy leads 2-0 ... The Midshipmen have racked up a combined 104 points (52.0 ppg), 924 rushing yards (462.0 rypg) and 1,005 total yards (502.5 ypg) in 28-23 and 76-35 victories ... Navy's 521-yard ground effort in 2010 is the second-highest ever recorded versus the Pirates ... Both programs were members of the Colonial Athletic Association for a handful of years beginning in '85-'86.
Greenville, N.C.
East Carolina trailed by seven points at the half, but four third-quarter fumbles by the Pirates turned into 24 points for Navy as the Midshipmen controlled the second half to defeat ECU 76-35 Saturday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.The Last Meeting
Navy 76, East Carolina 35 | Nov. 6, 2011 @Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.
Navy's triple-option ground attack amassed 521 yards and eight touchdowns, while four third-quarter East Carolina fumbles helped the Midshipmen turn a seven-point halftime lead into a convincing 76-35 win over the Pirates ... Navy scored on all eight of its possessions after intermission, cashing the quartet of ECU miscues into 24 points ... After the Pirates evened the contest at 21 late in the second quarter on Lance Lewis' four-yard reception, the Midshipmen scored 24 unanswered points to take a commanding 45-21 lead midway through the third period ... The loss spoiled a record-setting performance by ECU quarterback Dominique Davis, who established program single-game standards with 43 completion and 65 attempts ... His 413 yards were the second most in a contest by an individual and the five TD passes matched the Pirate record ... Navy's rushing and point totals were the most ever tallied against East Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, while the loss was the first at home for Ruffin McNeill.
Annapolis, Md.
Brian Hampton ran for 149 of Navy's 403 yards in a 28-23 win over East Carolina on Saturday. Hampton carried the ball 34 times in his first start for the Midshipmen and also scored on a two-yard run.The Last Meeting In Annapolis
Navy 28, East Carolina 23 | Sept. 2, 2009 @Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
Navy unleashed a lethal rushing attack out of its triple option scheme which produced 403 yards and fully capitalized on the Pirates' only turnover of the game to hand East Carolina a 28-23 non-conference setback in the season opener for both teams ... Quarterback Brian Hampton topped the Midshipmen's offensive production with 149 ground yards and scored on a two-yard run late in the second quarter which appeared to take the momentum away from the Pirates ... After Chris Johnson's three-yard scoring run gave ECU a 14-7 lead with 8:48 left in the first half, the Pirates held Navy scoreless on its next possession and got the ball back with 2:20 left looking to add to their lead ... On ECU's first play, the Mids forced a fumble after a Bobby Good catch and recovered at the Pirates' 19-yard line ... Three plays later, Hampton reached the end zone for a 14-14 halftime deadlock ... Robert Lee drilled a 48-yard field goal to pull ECU within four (21-17) midway through the third quarter but Navy went on a clock-killing 16-play, 93-yard drive which consumed 7:31 to push across its final TD of the contest ... The Pirates rallied back, using a James Pinkney-to-Phillip Henry 10-yard scoring toss to trim the deficit to 28-23 with 4:57 left ... Pinkney finished with 283 passing yards while ECU held Navy to just six (fewest allowed by the Pirates since 1969).
ECU-Navy ... The Third Of Four
Saturday's matchup against Navy is the third of a four-game series, which was initiated in 2006 ... The Pirates and Midshipmen are scheduled to complete the terms of the contract next year (2012) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville.
An East Carolina-Navy Connection
Current ECU inside receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick and Midshipmen defensive coordinator Buddy Green both served as head coach at FCS-member UT-Chattanooga ... Green, who led the Mocs' program from 1994 to 1999, hired Kirkpatrick as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1998 ... Two years later, Kirkpatrick was promoted to the top position (2000-02) after Green left UTC to become the defensive coordinator at N.C. State.
The Pirates Against The Armed Forces
The Pirates' eight wins against Army (8-0 series record) and the pair of setbacks to Navy represent the only meetings East Carolina has had against the nation's military academies who annually compete for the Commander-In-Chief Trophy ... ECU, since beginning its football program in 1932, has never faced Air Force ... In addition, the Pirates are 19-5 all-time against the I-AA military schools, posting a 12-4 mark against The Citadel and a 7-1 clip vs. VMI.
Navy Against Conference USA
Navy has recorded a 24-27-1 (.471) all-time mark against current members of Conference USA ... In addition to their two-game (2-0) experience with East Carolina, the Midshipmen have also squared off against SMU (8-7), Tulane (7-11-1), Rice (6-6), Tulsa (1-1), Houston (0-1) and Southern Miss (0-1) ... The Pirates are one of three C-USA opponents on Navy's 2011 slate (L 65-35 to USM on Oct. 8; at SMU on Nov. 12) ... The Mids have never faced Marshall, UCF, Memphis, UAB or UTEP on the gridiron.
Playing True Freshmen
By earning his first career starts against South Carolina and Virginia Tech, and coming off the bench versus UAB, UNC, UH and MEM, true freshman inside receiver Danny Webster wiped away a redshirt season ... In fact, he became the first true rookie to start for the Pirates in a season opener since RG Chris Nelson on Sept. 6, 1997 (at WVU) ... Recently, walk-on inside linebacker Brandon Williams made his debut, recording six tackles at Houston and two more versus Memphis to lose his redshirt status ... The Pirates activated four "early" a year ago (DE Lee Pegues, DE Derrell Johnson, FS Damon Magazu and H Trent Tignor).
A Mid-Season Comparison
For the first time since 2006, East Carolina has opened a campaign with a 2-4 record through six games ... A closer look at a 10-year comparison:
| Year | Record | Game 7 Opponent | W/L | Record | Remainder |
| 2001 | 3-3 | Memphis | W | 4-3 | *2-3 |
| 2002 | 2-4 | Louisville | L | 2-5 | 2-3 |
| 2003 | 0-6 | Army | W | 1-6 | 0-5 |
| 2004 | 1-5 | Army | W | 2-5 | 0-4 |
| 2005 | 3-3 | Memphis | L | 3-4 | 2-2 |
| 2006 | 2-4 | SMU | W | 3-4 | *4-2 |
| 2007 | 3-3 | UTEP | W | 4-3 | *4-2 |
| 2008 | 3-3 | Memphis | W | 4-3 | *5-2 |
| 2009 | 3-3 | Rice | W | 4-3 | *5-2 |
| 2010 | 4-2 | Marshall | W | 5-2 | *1-5 |
| 2011 | 2-4 | Navy | - | - | - |
*includes bowl appearance
174 And Counting
ECU will enter the Navy contest with an active streak of 174 games of not suffering a shutout - a new school record (17 points at Rice in `06 surpassed the previous mark of 110 set from 1971 to 1981) ... The last time the Pirates were blanked was on Oct. 4, 1997, when they fell to the Syracuse Orangemen 56-0 at the Carrier Dome.
Bringing Some Heat
The Pirates have already been credited with 16 quarterback "pressures" so far this season, 12 more than what they recorded in the last six games of 2010.
Big Play Awakenings?
After recording only one play of 40 or more yards in its first five games this season, East Carolina reeled off three against Memphis last Saturday with a 43-yard run by Torrance Hunt, a 58-yard touchdown reception by Justin Hardy and a 51-yard pass from Hardy to Andrew Bodenheimer ... On the other hand, the Pirates still haven't posted a rush of 50 yards or more in the Ruffin McNeill era (a time span that covers 19 contests).
The Pirates "Go-To" Guy
Outside receiver Lance Lewis has opened his senior season with a team-high 45 catches for 481 yards through the first six games ... He is currently enjoying a 12-game run that includes 97 receptions for 1,142 yards (95.2 ypg) and 13 TDs ... His 20 career touchdown catches ranks 12th among all active FBS receivers and he is just one shy of Larry Shannon's East Carolina record of 21 set from 1994 to 1997 ... A closer look at the national leaders:
| No. | Name (class) | School | Games | Touchdowns |
| 1. | Ryan Broyles (Sr.) | Oklahoma | 45 | 44 |
| 2. | Michael Floyd (Sr.) | Notre Dame | 36 | 32 |
| 3. | Jeff Fuller (Sr.) | Texas A&M | 42 | 30 |
| 4. | Justin Blackmon (Jr.) | Oklahoma State | 31 | 29 |
| 5. | Jermaine Kearse (Sr.) | Washington | 43 | 28 |
| 12. | Lance Lewis (Sr.) | East Carolina | 19 | 20 |
| Alshon Jeffery (Jr.) | South Carolina | 34 | 20 |
Lewis stands first nationally with a 1.05 TD reception per game average
Among The Nation's Best
- Quarterback Dominique Davis is 4th in completions per game, 22nd in passing yards per game, 25th in total passing yards, 28th in total offense and 42nd in points per game responsible for
- Outside receiver Lance Lewis is 16th in receptions per game, 44th in receiving yards per game and 48th in total receiving yards
- Inside receiver Justin Hardy is 21st in receptions per game
- Inside linebacker Jeremy Grove is 3rd in tackles per game
- Inside linebacker Daniel Drake is 28th in tackles per game
- Free safety Damon Magazu is 47th in interceptions per game
- Field cornerback Derek Blacknall is 50th in pass breakups per game
- Punter Ben Ryan is 45th in punting average
