By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — It’s time to shuffle up and deal.
Both East Carolina and Southern Miss have anteed up and laid a season’s worth of chips on the table, now it’s time to see which Conference USA East team will go on to represent the division in the conference title game.
The stakes will be high for both teams when they take the field today at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium at 1:30 p.m. The Pirates (7-4, 6-1) are looking to become the first-ever team to repeat as Conference USA champions. Something they can attempt to do at home on Dec. 5, if they can hold off a tough Golden Eagles (7-4, 5-2) team that has pieced together 16 straight winning seasons.
Southern Miss has not won a conference title since 2003, but under second-year coach Larry Fedora, USM is looking to get back to prominence.
There are a couple of oddities at work between these to teams.
The Pirates seem to have some kind of bugaboo when playing the Golden Eagles, as USM is 26-8 all-time versus East Carolina.
Home cooking has done nothing for the Pirates either as they are 2-15 against USM when playing in Greenville. The last time they won at home game against the Eagles was on Oct. 1, 1994, when ECU legged out a 31-10 victory. Since the 2000 season, the Pirates are 2-7 versus their nemesis.
 It’s not all gloom-and-doom for East Carolina though, while Southern Miss typically has been able to come into Greenville, take it’s shoes off and get comfortable in the Pirates’ house, this season could be different.
The Eagles have been terrible away from home this year as all four of there losses have come away from “The Rock.” Southern Miss did not pick up its first road victory until Nov. 14 when it squeezed past Marshall with a 27-20 victory.
One of these teams will have to defy the latest trends: Either Southern Miss gets over its road woes, or the Pirates figure how to beat the Eagles at home.
For East Carolina to emerge victorious it first must slow down senior running back Damion Fletcher, who has become the best running back in the school’s history.
Fletcher has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, and became the school’s all-time rushing leader last season. Fletcher’s 5,164 career rushing yards is highest total among active players in the FBS.
In 10 games this season, the 5-10, 177-pound speedster is averaging 4.6 yards per carry en route to 877 yards.
Fletcher combines with 6-1, 188-pound power back Tory Harrison to form a dangerous backfield.
“We all know what Fletcher can do and what he has done in this league,” ECU coach Skip Holtz said. “He has been sharing time with Harrison who is a bigger, stronger, more physical runner, where Fletcher is more about the flash.”
The Eagles’ offense suffered a setback when sophomore quarterback Austin Davis sustained a season-ending ankle injury in the sixth game of the year, a 25-23 road loss to Louisville.
Davis had a promising freshman campaign in which he broke several school records and had started the first 18 games of his career.
Taking over at the QB spot is 6-1, 188-pound junior Martevious Young, who brings speed and a powerful arm to the table.
Young has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,328 yards, 12 touchdowns and only one interception.
“He is talented and experienced, you’re looking at a guy who was the starter until Davis came in and took over the reigns,” Holtz said. “Young has done a great job. I think what he gives you that Davis does not is a quarterback that can run. He is their third-leading rusher on the team and he has played in only five games.”
Stopping the run will be East Carolina’s first priority, but it will be very careful not to over-commit as USM has one of the best receivers in the league in DeAndre Brown.
The 6-6, 231-pound sophomore is a star in the making and was named to several freshmen all-American teams last season. This year, Brown has played in nine games and his 36 receptions and 575 yards are both team-highs.
Southern Miss is sturdy up front where it boasts four senior offensive linemen. That group is led by preseason all-conference selection LG Ryan Herbert (6-5, 310).
The Golden Eagles have soared on offense and are averaging 34.2 points per game, which is second in the conference.
Thanks to the emergence of sophomore wideout Darryl Freeney, the health of running back Dominique Lindsay and some consistency from quarterback Patrick Pinkney, the Pirates’ offense looks dangerous and is posting 27.1 points per contest (seventh best in the conference).
Pinkney had one of his best games of the season last Saturday during the Pirates 37-21 win over UAB, where he was 20-25 for 250 yards and three TDs.
East Carolina got great play from its wideouts as Freeney caught seven passes for 118 yards and score, while Dwayne Harris nabbed eight passes for 108 yards and two TDs.
That effort upped Harris’ career reception total to 146, second on the school’s all-time list. Harris can overcome Jason Nicholls’ total of 152 today if catches seven passes or more.
The passing game will play a vital role in ECU’s success, as the Eagles bring forth one of the best rushing defenses in the conference.
Southern Miss has held opponents to a conference-second best 116 rushing yards per game, right above ECU’s 128.
Led by all-conference preseason selections in NT Anthony Gray and FS Eddie Hicks, the USM defense is one of the best in the conference.
Junior LB Korey Williams leads the team in tackles with 103, while LB Ronnie Thornton has 99.
The Eagles vary their alignment on defense through the use of hybrid DE/OLB Cardarro Law (6-2, 245). In run situations and formations USM likes to present a 4-3 look, while in passing situations they can pull Law off the line and present a 3-4 alignment.
Led by Law’s 7.5 sacks, the Eagles are second in the conference with 33 QB take downs.
The game within the game could be the matchup between USM’s front seven and a Pirates’ offensive line that has allowed a Conference USA best 10 sacks.
Today’s game could mark the last time on the field for 28 East Carolina seniors, most notably Pinkney, Lindsay, ILB Nick Johnson, DE C.J. Wilson and safety Van Eskridge.
The 2009 senior class is only the eighth class to reach 31 wins, and has a chance to tie the school record of 34 if it can win today, earn a victory in the C-USA title game and close out the season with a bowl win.