East Carolina University
North Carolina A&T
Gameday: ECU Hosts N.C. A&T In Season Opener
August 30, 2018 | Football
| ECU Game 1: North Carolina A&T | |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 1 |
| Time: | 6:00 PM (EDT) |
| Location: | Greenville, N.C. (Bagwell Field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) |
| Tickets & Parking: | Game Tickets | Parking Information | Things To Look For On Gameday |
| Live Game Coverage: | Radio: WNCT 107.9FM | TuneIn Radio Online Television: ESPN3 |
| Internet Options: | Live Stats |
| Official Web Sites: | ECU | N.C. A&T | American Athletic Conference |
| Game Notes: | ECU (PDF) | N.C. A&T (PDF) | The American (PDF) |
| Season Statistics: | ECU (2017) | N.C.A&T (2018) |
| ECU Football Central: | Roster | Fact Book (PDF) | The American NCAA Football | College Scoreboard |
| Official Social Media Sites | |
| Facebook: | ECU | N.C. A&T | The American |
| Twitter: | ECU | N.C. A&T | The American |
| Twitter Hashtags: | #ECUPirates | #ECUGameday | #ECUFootball | #AmericanFB |
| Instagram: | ECU | The American |
GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU will open a new season under the direction of third-year head coach Scottie Montgomery when the Pirates battle Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member and defending Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) national champion North Carolina A&T in a non-conference matchup at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The contest against the Aggies will mark the ninth time in the last 10 years that ECU will open a season at home. The tilt will also represent the first of four non-league games on the Pirates' 2018 schedule, preceding meetings with North Carolina (Sept. 8/home), Virginia Tech (Sept. 15/road) and Old Dominion (Sept. 29/home).
ECU RECORDS AND STREAKS
- Qualified for 10 bowl appearances since 2000 (three of the last six, eight of the last 12 years) ...
- Has won 19 of the last 22 games when gaining 200 or more rushing yards ...
- Has accounted for 400 or more yards of total offense in 18 of the last 24 games ...
- Has thrown at least two touchdown passes in nine of the last 11 games ...
- Has won 31 of the last 33 games when leading at the half ...
- Has won five of the last six (and eight of the last 10) season openers ...
- Has won 11 of the last 13 home openers ...
- Has won seven of the last nine non-conference home games ...
- Has won 25 of 27 games against FCS opponents ...
THE SERIES
Saturday's contest will mark the first meeting (0-0) between North Carolina A&T and ECU in the sport of football.
NON-LEAGUE STATISTICAL COMPARISONS
In its four regular season non-conference contests last year, ECU averaged 21.0 points, 91.8 rushing yards, 289.8 passing yards and 381.5 total yards per game ... By comparison, the Pirates booked 26.9 ppg, 115.6 rypg, 332.0 pypg and 447.6 ypg averages in their eight conference tilts in 2017.
AGAINST THE FCS
The Pirates currently own an all-time 25-2 record against programs that currently compete or competed on the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) level when the game was played ... Among all of the Pirates' previous FCS opponents, Appalachian State (2-0), Georgia Southern (3-0), UCF (2-0), Southwest Texas State (1-0, now referred to as Texas State), have since made the transition to the FBS level.
SEASON OPENERS
The Pirates are 40-41-1 (.494) on opening day since ECU started its football program back in 1932.
WHAT'S BACK ... STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Offensively, the Pirates return 55 percent of their rushing yards (704 of 1,292), but just 0.5 percent of their passing yards (20 of 3,815) from a year ago ... On defense, ECU welcomes back over 52 percent of its tackles (457 of 877), but a more impressive 64 percent of its turnover production (seven of 11; 4/7 interceptions and 3/4 fumble recoveries) … From a scoring standpoint, players who accounted for 185 of ECU's 299 points last season are on the 2018 active roster (62 percent).
ECU AGAINST THE MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
ECU has compiled an all-time record of 1-0 (1.000) against current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) ... The Pirates routed North Carolina Central 52-7 in the 2014 season opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Aug. 30 ... The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 31-yard fumble return before ECU scored 52 unanswered points - thanks mostly to a 582-yard offensive output ... Shane Carden completed 26-of-37 passes for 283 yards and three TDs, while Justin Hardy became the Pirates' career receptions leader ... Hardy also tossed a 41-yard scoring pass to Zay Jones for ECU's first TD of the season.
PLAYING IN-STATE FOES
The Pirates will face in-state opponents during the first two weeks of the 2018 season, following the A&T tilt with a matchup vs. the Tar Heels on Sept. 8 ... In all, ECU is 55-61-1 (.474) when playing programs from the state of North Carolina (in order of victories): 18-3 vs. Western Carolina, 13-6 vs. NC State, 12-19 vs. Appalachian State, 5-5 vs. Duke, 4-12-1 vs. UNC, 2-6 vs. Wake Forest and 1-0 vs. North Carolina Central ... In addition to the Aggies, the Pirates have never faced in-state Division I (FBS or FCS) members Campbell, Charlotte, Elon or Gardner-Webb in the sport of football ... Through the 2028, ECU has current contracts in place to square off against at least one state of North Carolina program each year with the exception of 2020.
AT DOWDY-FICKLEN STADIUM
ECU's all-time record at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is 186-98 (.655) ... The Pirates opened the facility on Sept. 21, 1963 with a 20-10 win over Brian Piccolo and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in front of 17,000 fans and celebrated the stadium's 50th anniversary in 2013 ... Before a 2-5 record last year and 3-3 marks in both 2015 and 2016, ECU was 5-1 in 2014, 2013 and 2012 (15-3) and won a combined 10 of 12 home matchups in 2009 (6-1) and 2008 (4-1) ... Overall, ECU is in search of its 40th winning campaign at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this fall.
THE PIRATE NATION - NEARLY 8.5 MILLION STRONG
ECU has always been able to claim plenty of hometown support, even more so when playing at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium during the fall - establishing itself as a conference attendance leader on a near annual basis ... In all, a total of 8,465,456 fans have seen the Pirates in action since 1963 ... Since the completion of a 7,000-seat expansion project in 2010 (to push capacity to 50,000), the Pirates have drawn 2,194,170 fans ... ECU surpassed the 2 million post-expansion "milestone" last Sept. 16 when 43,776 watched the Pirates battle Virginia Tech.
ATTENDANCE LEADERS
ECU topped all American Athletic Conference members in regular season attendance in 2014, 2016 and 2017 ... Overall, ECU ranked 58th nationally in average attendance (36,727) and 76th in capacity percentage (73.45) in 2017 ... A closer look at Top 5 AAC draws in 2017 (regular season): 1. ECU (36,727), 2. UCF (36,082), 3. Navy (34,756), 4. Memphis (33,307), 5. Houston (32,583) ... ECU has drawn at least 40,000 fans to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 22 of its last 29 home games dating back to 2013, which included the 2017 opener vs. James Madison (40,169) and the Sept. 16 clash vs. Virginia Tech (43,776).
ANALYZING THE 2018 OVERALL SCHEDULE
ECU's 2018 opponents posted a combined 88-60 (.595) record in 2017, which ranks as the toughest schedule in the American Conference and 11th in FBS (based on win percentage) ... The Pirates four non-conference foes were 29-20 (.592), while the eight AAC squads tallied a collective 59-40 (.596 mark) ... Four programs had 10 or more wins, including UCF (13), North Carolina A&T (12), USF (10) and Memphis (10) ... Some other notables:
SEVEN BOWL TEAMS ... in addition to North Carolina A&T (Celebration) and Virginia Tech (Camping World), AAC programs USF (Birmingham), Temple (Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla), Houston (Hawai'i), UCF (Chick-fi l-A Peach) and Memphis (AutoZone Liberty) each made FBS postseason appearances last season.
HOSTING CHAMPIONS ... the Pirates will host two defending conference champions who enjoyed undefeated seasons - A&T (MEAC) and UCF (AAC) ... The Aggies also captured the HBCU nat'l championship by downing Grambling State 21-14 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, while UCF capped its perfect campaign with a 34-27 victory over Auburn in the Chick-fi l-A Peach Bowl, which was played at the same Atlanta facility.
IN THE FINAL POLLS ... four of ECU's 2018 FBS opponents were ranked in college football's two major polls (Associated Press/Amway Coaches) to end the 2017 season - UCF (6/7), USF (21/21), Virginia Tech (24/25) and Memphis (25/24) ... The Knights (12th), Tigers (20th) and Hokies (22nd) were also included on the last College Football Playoff rankings ... North Carolina A&T stood sixth and seventh in the final two major FCS polls.
PLAYER(S)-OF-THE-YEAR VISITS ... all four 2017 American Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year selections are on the docket to play in Greenville this season - UCF QB McKenzie Milton (offense), Houston DE Ed Oliver (defense), Memphis RB/KR Tony Pollard (special teams) and Memphis DB T.J. Carter (rookie).
SHUTOUT-FREE ... 254 AND COUNTING
ECU will enter the N.C. A&T contest with an active streak of 254 games of not suffering a shutout -a school record (previous mark was 110 set from '71 to '81) ... The last time the Pirates were blanked was on Oct. 4, 1997 (56-0 at Syracuse) ... On the flipside, ECU has not recorded a defensive shutout since blanking Duke 38-0 on Sept. 2, 2000 in Durham, N.C. - a span of 223 games.
BACK TO WORK ... IT'S BEEN 279 DAYS
ECU will end a 279-day layoff when it meets the Aggies Saturday, last playing Nov. 25, 2017 – a 70-13 loss to Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
The Pirates return only 53.9 percent of its lettermen from a year ago, which ranks as the lowest percentage among all FBS programs ... Additionally, ECU's season-opening depth chart includes only four senior returning starters (WR Trevon Brown, OT Garrett McGhinn, RB Anthony Scott and CB Corey Seargent), which stands as the second-fewest nationally (LSU and Western Michigan each only have three).
FIRST-TIME STARTERS?
There could be as many as seven (7) first-time ECU starters in the Pirates' lineup against North Carolina A&T Saturday - four on the offensive side of the ball (RG Branden Pena, QB Reid Herring, TE D'Angelo McKinnie, WR Blake Proehl) and three more on defense (DE Nate Harvey, LB Bruce Bivens, FS Nolan Johnson) ... ECU stood fifth nationally among all FBS programs in 2017 with 24 first-time starters.
LOSING THEIR (RED) SHIRTS
A total of 15 players have had their redshirts removed and experienced action as true freshmen during the Scottie Montgomery era at ECU – nine in 2016 (DE Kendall Futrell, CB Colby Gore, OG Cortez Herrin, RB Hussein Howe, QB Gardner Minshew, DE Jalen Price, DS Anthony Ratliff , OT D'Ante Smith and DE Alex Turner) and six in 2017 (TE Ben Norris, RB Darius Pinnix, OL John Spellacy, WR Mydreon Vines, LB Bruce Bivens, DB Davondre "Tank" Robinson) ... The count will likely rise significantly with the NCAA's new redshirt rule implemented earlier this year (i.e. allowance of four game appearances) ... QB Holton Ahlers, NB Myles Berry, TE Johnny Bogle, DE Dorian Hardy, FS Nolan Johnson, TE D'Angelo McKinnie, WR Juwan Moody and OG Peyton Winstead are all included on the Pirates' season-opening depth chart.
FALL CAMP SCRIMMAGE RECAPS
Scrimmage 1 (Aug. 11) – ECU's offense compiled 704 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns ... Defensively, the Pirate defense forced three turnovers and racked up 12 tackles for lost yardage ... Reid Herring completed 16-of-26 passes for a game-high 265 yards and three scores (Terrell Green/16-yarder, Trevon Brown/12 and Deondre Farrier/55) ... Hussein Howe led all rushers with 23 yards on eight carries, while Green topped all pass catchers with three grabs for 101 yards ... Aaron Ramseur was ECU's top tackler with eight stops (and a forced fumble), Nolan Johnson added six tackles and Nate Harvey contributed four sacks.
Scrimmage 2 (Aug. 18) – The situational contest featured 353 yards (272 passing, 81 rushing) ... Herring was 10-of-22 for 190 yards and two TDs - finding Blake Proehl and Farrier on 25 and nine-yard tosses, respectively, during the redzone drill ... Kingsley Ifedi, who also completed six-of-11 passes for 67 yards, led all Pirates in rushing with 26 yards on three totes ... Ray Tillman and Michael Witherspoon tallied four stops each to guide the ECU defense.
A GOOD, EVEN-NUMBERED SIGN
ECU has advanced to postseason play (i.e. bowl appearance) in five of the last six even-numbered years - 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014.
NEW ROLE FOR TONY PETERSEN?
Projected starting ECU quarterback Reid Herring will be offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen's first "intra-developed" signal-caller in the last four years ... Peterson had the unique distinction of directly working with graduate transfer QBs in the previous seasons, both at Louisiana Tech (Cody Sokol, Jeff Driskel) and with the Pirates (Philip Nelson, Thomas Sirk).
RECENT DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE FOR BLACKWELL
First-year ECU Defensive Coordinator David Blackwell built quite a formidable unit during his recent tenure in the same role at Jacksonville (Ala.) State ... During a four-year span from 2014 to 2017, JSU collectively ranked first nationally at the FCS level in defensive completion percentage (50.2), second in pass effi ciency defense (105.5) and rushing yards allowed per carry (3.0), third in total defense (284.1 ypg) and yards per pass attempt (5.93), sixth in rushing defense (104.4 ypg), eighth in scoring defense (18.8 ppg) and ninth in sacks (133) during a time frame covering 51 total games ... Blackwell was a finalist for FCS Defensive Coordinator-of-the-Year honors in both 2015 and 2016.
TOP PASSING UNIT IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Since joining the AAC in 2014, the Pirates lead the league in passing yards per game over a combined four-year period despite utilizing five starting quarterbacks, three offensive coordinators and two head coaches: 1. ECU (327.4), 2. Memphis (295.9), 3. Cincinnati (285.9), 4. Tulsa (260.7) and 5. Houston (259.2) ... In addition, the Pirates also top the league in completions (1,389) and attempts (2,207), while standing second in TD passes (104) since competing in the AAC over the last four seasons ... Despite missing the AAC's inaugural season (2013), ECU has still accounted for a conference-high 14 400-yard passing games (Cincinnati is second with nine).
1K RECEIVER IN SIX-STRAIGHT YEARS: NO. 1 IN FBS
ECU has featured at least one 1,000-yard receiver in six-straight seasons, which is tops nationally at the FBS level ... Boise State, Houston, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all stand second with a 1K pass catcher in three-straight years … ECU 1,000-yard receivers include: 2012 Justin Hardy (1,105), 2013 Hardy (1,284), 2014 Hardy (1,494) and 2014 Cam Worthy (1,016), 2015 Zay Jones (1,099), 2016 Jones (1,746) and 2017 Trevon Brown (1,069) ... Brown is just one of eleven 1,000 yard receivers nationally who return this year (and the only one in the American Conference).
DECADE RECEIVING LEADERS
In the last decade (since 2008), ECU has produced nine 1,000-yard receivers, which also leads the FBS level along with SMU … ECU has the top two receivers in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history by career receptions in Zay Jones (399 from 2013-16) and Justin Hardy (387 from 2011-2014) ... In terms of FBS single-season reception leaders, the Pirates are just one of two programs (Nevada) to have three entries in the Top 25 listings - 1. Jones (158/2016), 20. Hardy (121/2014), 25. Hardy (114/2013).
TRIPLE-DIGITS O'PLENTY - 10 OF LAST 12 GAMES
Four ECU pass catchers turned in a combined 10 100-yard receiving outings last season – Trevon Brown (2-103 vs. WVU, 4-107 vs. VT, 11-141 vs. UH, 9-270 vs. CIN, 7-128 vs. MEM), Davon Grayson (11-223 vs. UConn, 5-101 vs. USF, 10-164 vs. BYU), Jimmy Williams (110 vs. TEM) and Quay Johnson (14-115 vs. UH) ... Brown's pair of 95-yarders vs. WVU & Cincinnati tied for the longest FBS pass plays in 2017.
SIMILAR TIMELINE FOR REID HERRING & SHANE CARDEN
Reid Herring is likely to become the first "homegrown" ECU quarterback to make his first career start since school record-holder Shane Carden opened the Southern Miss contest on Sept. 15, 2012 (a 24-14 Pirate victory) ... Herring, like Carden, will be a sophomore who did not earn a letter as a redshirt freshman ... Following Carden's successful tenure as ECU's field general, the Pirates utilized all transfers at the QB position - Blake Kemp (2015), James Summers (2015), Philip Nelson (2016), Gardner Minshew (2016, 2017) and Thomas Sirk (2017) - a three-year span that unfortunately produced an overall record of 11-25 and the program's longest bowl drought since 2002-2005.
JUST ONE PASS ATTEMPT....
ECU's entire quarterbacking unit has combined on just one pass attempt entering the 2018 season ... Only Minnesota and FAU will enter the new campaign with less (0).
... BUT MAKING IT COUNT
Reid Herring's only attempt last year was notable one - hitting Trevon Brown with a 20-yard TD strike against Cincinnati ... While he was only one of 22 players nationally in 2017 to tally a score on just one attempt, he was the only quarterback to do so ... That said, Herring was the only QB in the country last year to have every attempt result in a touchdown ... Herring will also enter the '18 campaign with a career efficiency rating of 598.00.
A STARTERS' LOG ...
NB Devon Sutton (10 games) and OT Garrett McGhin (8) own the program's longest starting streaks on their respective side of the ball entering the N.C. A&T contest.
P6 .... #AMERICANPOW6R
Similar to the 2016 and 2017 campaigns, ECU will continue to wear P6 helmet stickers, recognizing Commissioner Mike Aresco's long-standing message that the American Athletic Conference is a Power 6 Conference based on the league's competitive results and commitments made at all the conference's institutions.
ECU OF NOTE ...
The Pirates have recorded a scoring throw in 74 of their last 81 games (run of 11-straight) ... ECU hopes to avoid repeating the bad starts it had in 2017 after surrendering 21 first quarter points on five occasions (West Virginia, USF, UCF, Houston and Memphis) ... Furthermore, the Pirates also allowed 49 first-half points twice (Mountaineers, Tigers) ... Under Scottie Montgomery (2016-17), ECU ranks 7th nationally in most 4th down conversions (38) and 5th in most 4th down conversion attempts (64) ... The Pirates have dropped 27-straight games when scoring 20 or less points (19-14 vs. UCF in '09/last win) ... ECU has not had a punt return for a TD in 167 games (5,033 days or since Nov. 20, 2004 vs. Memphis) - the sixth-longest current drought in FBS (only Rice, UNLV, New Mexico, Kent State and Tulane have gone longer without a "successful" punt return).
