By Daniel Hunt

For The Washington Daily News

 

Saturday Aug. 30:

North Carolina Central – For the third consecutive season, ECU hosts an FCS opponent to start its campaign. But unlike Appalachian State and Old Dominion, who are currently transitioning to life in the FBS after being powerhouse FCS teams, the N.C. Central Eagles should merely be a punching bag for the Pirates in their season opener at home. The Eagles finished 5-7 in 2013 competing in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference.

 

Saturday Sept. 6:

at South Carolina – What a difference a week makes in terms of competition level. The Pirates are surely happy that Jadeveon Clowney and Connor Shaw won’t be in uniform in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 6, but in steps Dylan Thompson at quarterback. Filling in for an injured Shaw in the 2012 matchup, the sophomore at the time shredded the Pirate secondary to the tune of 330 yards and three touchdowns. The Gamecocks took that game easily, 48-10. At the time, ECU was starting Rio Johnson at quarterback and wouldn’t find its identity with Shane Carden under center until a few games later. Given how prolific ECU’s offensive attack has become since then, it would be surprising to see the Pirates lose this 2014 matchup by 38 points, but it would be more shocking to see them come away from Columbia with an upset win.

 

Saturday Sept. 13:

at Virginia Tech – Of the Pirates three early-season out-of-conference tests, this may be the most winnable. Sure, Hokie defensive coordinator Bud Foster is three-for-three in shutting down ECU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, but the Hokies are losing a lot of talent on defense in 2014, including sure-to-be NFL first-round cornerback Kyle Fuller. Virginia Tech’s quarterback race is still up in the air after losing Logan Thomas to graduation. And the problem of finding go-to receivers that has plagued the Hokies in recent years was one of the team’s primary issues in 2013. There are plenty of holes to fill on this Virginia Tech team, so ECU, fortunate to play them early, can possibly sneak away with a win before the Hokies find their identity. But one thing is for certain: leaving Lane Stadium with a win is never an easy task. As is the case most times these teams link up, expect a low-scoring affair.

 

Saturday Sept. 20:

North Carolina – Speaking of low-scoring games, the Tar Heels will likely need to keep the scoring to a minimum if they want to avenge the 55-31 beat down that the Pirates put on them in Chapel Hill last season. Shane Carden recorded 376 passing yards to go with three touchdowns. He also rushed for three more TDs in what was a coming out party of sorts for the junior. Compounding North Carolina’s struggles was ECU’s relentless pass rush. The Pirates recorded three sacks and caused multiple holding calls, as the Tar Heels were penalized nine times for 97 yards on the day. With all that in mind, UNC was a different team in the second half of the season. The Tar Heels went 6-1 to close out 2013 after eventually finding their quarterback Marquise Williams. The junior is in competition with sophomore Kanler Coker and redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky, but whoever comes out on top of that battle will have plenty of talent in the receiving core. The Tar Heels return seven starters on each side of the ball and have a more talented overall roster than ECU on paper. After what transpired, UNC will likely be playing with the same type of chip that ECU brought into its house last season, but ECU won’t be without motivation. After all, UNC running back A.J. Blue remarked that Tar Heel players overlooked the Pirates because, “Nobody expects to lose to ECU”. This game may be the loudest in Dowdy-Ficklen history.