By Staff
ECU Sports Information
GREENVILLE – Home contests against regional Atlantic Coast
Conference members North Carolina and N.C. State and a pair of road games at nationally-ranked bowl qualifiers Virginia Tech and West Virginia, highlight East Carolina’s 2007 complete football schedule released Monday by Conference USA.
After the Pirates open the campaign Sept. 1 by renewing a 12-game series with Virginia Tech which began in 1956, the Tar Heels will make their second-straight visit to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Sept. 8. ECU will face off against West Virginia for the sixth consecutive season Sept. 22 before the Wolfpack travel east nearly a month later on Oct. 20.
The meeting against the Hokies, who wrapped up the 2006 season with a No. 18 national rank and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, will be the first since a 45-28 Virginia Tech win at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Sept. 7, 2000. ECU and North Carolina will clash for the 11th time in history a week later in a battle which will also represent the Pirates’ home opener.
East Carolina’s matchup at West Virginia, which stood No. 10 in both final polls and owned a 38-35 victory over Georgia Tech in the Toyota Gator Bowl, will continue an 18-game series which was initiated in 1970.
The trip to Greenville will be N.C. State’s first since 1999 and will extend a series with East Carolina that dates back to 1970. Although the Wolfpack lead the all-time ledger 14-10, ECU has captured five of the last seven meetings since 1987, which includes a 21-16 triumph last November in Raleigh.
In addition to playing 11 consecutive weekends before enjoying an open date Nov. 17, the Pirates will face all four of last season’s bowl qualifiers on their schedule in the first five weeks of the season.
Meetings against Virginia Tech, Southern Miss (GMAC), West Virginia and Houston (Autozone Liberty) will complete ECU’s September slate.
“We certainly won’t have the luxury of easing into it in September but it does represent a great opportunity for our program. Obviously, I think everyone associated with the Pirate Nation is excited to open at Virginia Tech, play North Carolina and N.C. State at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and make the trip to West Virginia but when you add that our first two Conference USA games of the year are against the two teams that played in the league title game a year ago, it will be tough task, no doubt. We won’t have a lot of time to get ready to go.”Sandwiched between the North Carolina and West Virginia tilts, East Carolina will host the Golden Eagles Sept. 15 in its Conference USA opener before making a visit to defending league champion Houston Sept. 29. The 2007 season will mark the start of a new two-year rotation in
C-USA’s out-of-division scheduling arrangement as the Pirates will face the Cougars, UTEP and Tulane over the next pair of campaigns after wrapping up a two-year commitment with contests against Rice, SMU and Tulsa in 2005 and 2006.
East Carolina will play three of its four October games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium when it hosts UCF Oct. 3, N.C. State and UAB Oct. 27. The Pirates will make the long trek to El Paso, Texas for a first-ever meeting against the Miners at the Sun Bowl Oct. 13 prior to returning home and facing the Wolfpack a week later.
After road dates at Memphis (Nov. 3) and Marshall (Nov. 10), and an off week, ECU will close out regular season play by welcoming Tulane to Greenville Nov. 24. The Pirates have won six of the eight all-time meetings against the Green Wave, which includes a 27-25 home victory in 2004 that marks the last matchup between the two programs.
2007 EAST CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
September 1, at Virginia Tech
September 8, NORTH CAROLINA
September 15, *SOUTHERN MISS
September 22, at West Virginia
September 29, *at Houston
October 6, *UCF
October 13, *at UTEP
October 20, N.C. STATE
October 27, *UAB
November 3, *at Memphis
November 10, *at Marshall
November 24, *TULANE
Home games in ALL CAPS; *Conference USA game; game times will be established upon future television scheduling