GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the East Carolina football team (1-0) travels to Florida tomorrow, it will be seeking something more than just a win against the Gators (1-0).

Redemption is deep rooted in players’ minds after a 28-20 loss to the Gators in the Birmingham Bowl last January. The game was within the Pirates’ grasp, but a last-minute interception by Vernon Hargreaves III in the end zone sealed the game and an ECU loss.

For ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill, there is no redemption factor, he is just seeking another victory. However, he understands his players’ desire to avenge last year’s loss.

“What we talk about is nothing last year counts, whether it was tackles, touchdowns or whatever you did. This is a whole new team,” McNeill said. “Of course, the guys who played in the game will know. What we try to do is focus on staying dedicated to our team concept, embracing our roles and doing things to help the team.”

ECU heads to Florida after escaping FCS opponent Towson 28-20 last Saturday. Senior running back Chris Hairston had a career-day out of the backfield, as he rushed for 154 yards and four touchdowns against the Tigers.

The Pirates will also look to quarterback Blake Kemp to keep the offense moving as he did against Towson, while showing impressive decision making in his first Division-I game.

On the defensive side of the football, senior Zeek Bigger will hope to lead the way after tying for the team-lead in tackles with Jordan Williams at 10 in the season-opening victory. The inside linebacker has had the game circled on the schedule since the start of the season.

“This is one of the biggest games, getting to play the SEC team almost every other year like South Carolina and we let it slip through our palms,” Bigger said. “Last year in the bowl game, we let that one slip through our palms. I want to be able to show people that we’re as good as the ‘Power Five’ or whatever you want to call them.”

For Florida, the potential two-headed monster at quarterback is afoot in the form of Treon Harris and Will Grier. Harris, a sophomore, took the majority of snaps against the Aggies and threw for 215 yards on 19 attempts and two touchdowns. Harris also rushed for 23 yards on five attempts in the game. Grier proved to be just as much of a threat, as he threw for 166 yards and added two more touchdowns.

The redshirt freshman, who was once recruited by ECU, also showed off his running ability, rushing for 43 yards in the game, including a 38-yard rush and a four-yard touchdown run.

“The quarterbacks have a lot of speed and they’re a well-coached team,” McNeill said during Monday’s press conference. “I think Treon is mobile and Will is mobile as well. We offered Will out of high school, so we know he’s a good player.”

This week, the Pirates have been preparing for a different atmosphere than they have experienced in a few years. Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or “The Swamp” is consistently one of the toughest places to play in the country, and with the potential of almost 90,000 spectators, noise will be something ECU will have to adapt to.

During practice this week, McNeill and the coaching staff pumped the sound of fans cheering over the loudspeakers at the practice facility.

“We do it every week. Every Thursday, each team has to (practice) under a lot of noise,” McNeill said. “We’ve played in other hostile environments. We played at South Carolina and Virginia Tech last year. Those are some pretty rowdy crowds. We know what ‘The Swamp’ is about, but that’s an uncontrollable.”

The Pirates and Gators will kick off Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Gainesville. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.