Pirates Open 2011 Against South Carolina
August 31, 2011 | Football
Aug. 31, 2011
| East Carolina Game 1: South Carolina | |
| Date | Saturday, September 3 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Charlotte, N.C. (Bank of America Stadium) |
| Tickets & Parking | Game Tickets | Parking Map |
| Live Game Coverage |  Radio: WNCT 107.9FM and ECU All-Access Listen Live |  Television: FSCarolinas and ESPN3 Watch Live |
| Internet Options | Gametracker | Live Chat |
| Mobile Connect | Live Chat for Mobile Devices |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | South Carolina |
| 2010 Final Statistics | East Carolina | South Carolina |
| Pirate Football Central |
Gameday Central | Roster | Fact Book |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina, which has made five consecutive bowl game appearances, will open a new season under the direction of second-year head coach Ruffin McNeill at 7:00 p.m. Saturday when the Pirates battle No. 12 South Carolina in a non-conference matchup at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium.
The contest against the Gamecocks also represents the first of three meetings against automatic-qualifying Bowl Championship Series (BCS) members in 2011 for ECU, which next Saturday will face Virginia Tech at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium before following with an in-state rivalry clash against the North Carolina Tar Heels (Oct. 1), also in Greenville.
East Carolina Records And Streaks
- Eleven bowl appearances since 1990; seven since 2000 (five straight) ...
- Has won 27 of the last 31 games when scoring 30 or more points ...
- Has scored 35 or more points in six of the last seven (and 11 of the last 13) games ...
- Has lost seven-straight games when scoring 20 or less points ...
- Has split its last six (3-3) games against nationally-ranked opponents ...
- Has won three of four (3-1) neutral site games in Charlotte ...
- Has dropped six-straight regular season non-conference road games ...
- Has dropped four of its last six (2-4) games against SEC opponents ...
The Pirates Against The Gamecocks
South Carolina leads 10-5 ... The Pirates have enjoyed the upper hand lately, however, winning three of the last four and five of the last seven matchups beginning with a 31-20 triumph in 1991 ... The two programs last met Sept. 18, 1999 at Williams-Brice Stadium where East Carolina posted a 21-3 victory, but the Pirates' stay in Columbia lasted an additional week because of the flooding associated with Hurricane Floyd in the Greenville area .... ECU was extended workout privileges on the South Carolina campus in preparation for its next game against Miami (Fla.) ... The Gamecocks have won eight of 12 contests in Columbia and taken two of three in Greenville ... This year's contest represents the opener of a five-game scheduling agreement announced in 2007.
Visiting The Queen City ... Part V
East Carolina's matchup against South Carolina at Bank of America Stadium will mark the Pirates' fifth trip (3-1) to Charlotte for a neutral site contest ... A closer look at earlier battles against N.C. State, West Virginia and Virginia Tech:
East Carolina 50, N.C. State 29 (Nov. 30, 1996 @ Ericsson Stadium)
Fullback Scott Harley scored three touchdowns and rushed for a school-record 351 yards on 42 carries to send the Pirates past the Wolfpack ... Attendance: 66,347 (largest college football attendance ever in N.C. at time).
East Carolina 30, West Virginia 23 (Sept. 4, 1999 @ Ericsson Stadium)
David Garrard's one-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds remaining capped a 57-yard drive to lift ECU to a victory over West Virginia ... Attendance: 47,860.
N.C. State 52, East Carolina 14 (Nov. 27, 2004 @ Bank of America Stadium)
Jay Davis threw three touchdown passes while the N.C. State defense allowed only 140 yards in a convincing win over ECU in coach John Thompson's final game ... Attendance: 41,244.
East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22 (Aug. 30, 2008 @ Bank of America Stadium)
T.J. Lee's block of a Brent Bowden punt and subsequent 27-yard return for the touchdown with just 1:52 remaining helped the Pirates shock the No. 17 Hokies ... Attendance: 72,169.
Overall, On The Road
Since joining C-USA in 1997, East Carolina has recorded a 39-54 (.419) mark when playing away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium ... Prior to a 2-5 mark in 2010 (losses at Virginia Tech, North Carolina, UCF and Rice, victories at USM and UAB, and a neutral site setback to Maryland in the Military Bowl), the Pirates were 3-4 in 2009 and 5-4 in 2008 ... Outside of C-USA action, ECU has dropped nine straight (last win came in `08 vs. Virginia Tech in a familiar setting - Bank of America Stadium).
East Carolina Against The Southeastern Conference
East Carolina has compiled an all-time record of 5-21 (.192) against current members of the Southeastern Conference ... In addition to the Pirates' 5-10 ledger against South Carolina, ECU is 0-3 vs. Auburn, 0-2 vs. Kentucky, 0-1 vs. Alabama, 0-1 vs. Arkansas, 0-1 vs. Florida, 0-1 vs. Georgia, 0-1 vs. LSU and 0-1 vs. Tennessee ... The Pirates have dropped four of their last six games against SEC opponents - winning two of three vs. South Carolina (W/1996, L/1997 and W/1999), while dropping a 23-22 decision at Alabama in 1998 and suffering 25-19 and 20-17 (OT) setbacks to Kentucky and Arkansas, respectively, in consecutive Liberty Bowl appearances (`08 and `09).
Palmetto State Pirates
A total of eight South Carolina natives on East Carolina's 2011 roster could enjoy a reunion of sorts Saturday when East Carolina squares off against the Gamecocks ... A closer look:
| Name | Hometown | High School | 2011 Status |
| OWR Antonio Cannon (TFr.) | Central | Daniel | Possible redshirt |
| OL Isaac Harris (TFr.) | Irmo | Dutch Fork | Possible redshirt |
| DB Glen Hilliard (TFr.) | Anderson | T.L. Hanna | Injured/out for season |
| OL Taylor Hudson (RFr.) | Greenville | Mauldin | Top reserve LG |
| CB Leonard Paulk (Jr.) | Columbia | Richland Northeast | Starting CB |
| DE Lee Pegues (So.) | Bennettsville | Marlboro County | Top reserve DE |
| IWR Torian Richardson (RFr.) | Green | Byrnes | Reserve IWR |
| IWR Donte Sumpter (TFr.) | Myrtle Beach | Myrtle Beach | Possible redshirt |
East Carolina-South Carolina Connections
PLAYER: Leonard Paulk - a projected opening day starter at the boundary cornerback position whose brother Rodney is a senior linebacker in the Gamecock program.
STAFF: Donnie Kirkpatrick - current inside receivers coach whose daughter Molly is a member of South Carolina's spirit squad, who will "cheering" against the Pirates on the sideline. Kirkpatrick also served as the Gamecocks' quarterbacks coach for four seasons from 1989 to 1992.
OF NOTE: Steve Spurrier made a visit to ECU in 2004 when Noah Brindise was the Pirates' OC.
New Ground Gainers Needed
East Carolina tallied 1,546 rushing yards rushing a year ago, but only 233 (15.1 percent) of those were compiled by 2011 backfield returners ... Excluding quarterbacks, the Pirates have just 85 yards returning (5.5 percent).
On The Other (Passing) Hand
Due in large part to senior Dominique Davis' success last season, the Pirates return all but two completed passes (406-408/99.5%) and four attempts (628-632/99.4%) in 2011.
Can't Replace Experience Up Front
ECU lost four of five starters on its offensive line after the 2010 season ... Only sophomore left tackle Grant Harner (12) returns to a line that has the third-fewest career starts nationally ... A closer look:
| No. | School | Career OL Starts |
| 1. | Arizona | 1 |
| 2. | UTEP | 7 |
| 3. | East Carolina | 15 |
| Auburn | 15 | |
| 5. | New Mexico | 20 |
Stability Is Key
McNeill's staff is just one of 14 across the nation which did not experience any turnover during the off-season ... In addition to the Pirates, other "stable" staffs include Arkansas, Army, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Missouri, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas A&M and Virginia.
2011 Personnel Reset
In addition to unveiling a new scheme on defense (3-4), McNeill and his staff will complete an off-season that included the restocking of six offensive openings - four on the line - and five defensive slots ... East Carolina returns nearly 63 percent of its lettermen and 50 percent of its positional starters (5/offense, 6/defense) from a 6-7 bowl participant squad in 2010 ... Only 42 members of the Pirates' 2011 roster are upperclassmen (37.5 percent) - 16 seniors, 26 juniors.
Ten First-Time Starters?
There could be as many as 10 first-time starters in East Carolina's lineup against South Carolina Saturday - six on the offensive side of the ball (IWR Danny Webster, OT Jordan Davis, OG Adhem Elsawi, OG Will Simmons, RB Reggie Bullock and IWR Justin Hardy) and four on defense (OLB Chris Baker, ILB Daniel Drake, ILB Jeremy Grove and CB Leonard Paulk).
