THE GAME
East Carolina will close out its 2009 non-conference schedule
when it welcomes No. 22 Virginia Tech to a sold-out
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Thursday. The battle against the
Hokies also represents the third of three matchups against
Bowl Championship Series (BCS) members in ‘09 for the
Pirates, who dropped meetings against West Virginia and North Carolina earlier this
season. In addition to extending a six-game home winning streak, ECU will also try to
push its nine-game record to 6-3 for the second consecutive season – an accomplishment
last reached during the 2000 and 2001 campaigns under Steve Logan.
EAST CAROLINA RECORDS AND STREAKS
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Ten winning or .500 seasons in the last 15 years (three straight) …
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Nine bowl appearances since 1990; five since 2000 (three straight) …
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Has won three of its last four against nationally-ranked opponents …
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Has won three of its last four home games against ACC members …
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Has won five of 11 games against ACC opponents in the Skip Holtz Era …
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Has won four of six home games against BCS opponents in the Skip Holtz era …
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Has won six of 18 games against BCS opponents in the Skip Holtz era …
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Has won 16 of the last 17 games when holding its opponent to 24 points or less …
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Has held opponents to 63.0 rushing yards per contest in its last three games …
FAST FACTS
Record –
Division;
5-3 (.625); C-USA Record/East Division Standing – 4-1 (.800)/1st EastLast 5 Games – 4-1; Last 10 Games – 6-4; Last 15 Games – 10-5;
Streaks –
Pirates face off against Virginia Tech. ECU’s contest against the Hokies will be the
Pirates’ 753rd since the start of football in 1932 (383-357-12/.517).
Overall, East Carolina will play the 60th game of the Skip Holtz era when the
SCHEMES
Virginia Tech utilizes a multiple offensive attack while employing a 4-3 defensive alignment.
ECU will line up in a multiple offense and use a multiple look when defending.
THE COACHES
SKIP HOLTZ
while overall, he is in his 10th year as a collegiate head coach with a 68-48 (.586)
record. When he became ECU’s 19th all-time head football coach Dec. 3, 2004, Holtz
officially finished a six-year stint on the South Carolina staff.
Prior to leading the Pirates to three-straight bowl appearances and earning
Conference USA Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2008, Holtz helped guide the Gamecocks
to back-to-back Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State (2001-2002). From 1994 to
1998, Holtz steered the Connecticut program to unprecedented success as its head
coach and layed the foundation for the school’s move to the Division I-A (FBS) level.
UConn was a consistent member of the I-AA (FCS) Top 25 polls during his last four
seasons, which included a school-record 10-win, playoff campaign in 1998. Prior to his
success at Connecticut, Holtz spent four seasons at alma mater Notre Dame and served
as the Fighting Irish’s offensive coordinator in 1992 and 1993 – a period which resulted
in a 21-2-1 record and top-10 national rankings in total offense and scoring offense.
(Notre Dame ‘86) is 34-25 (.576) in his fifth season at East Carolina,
FRANK BEAMER
at Virginia Tech and sports a 182-92-2 (.663) record. Overall, he is in his 29th
year as a collegiate head coach with a 224-115-4 (.659) mark. Prior to his move to VT,
Beamer posted a 42-23-2 ledger as Murray (Ky.) State’s head coach from 1981 to
1986. Beamer has guided the Hokies to 16 consecutive bowl appearances and six
conference (Big East, Atlantic Coast) championships.
(Virginia Tech ‘69) is in his 23rd season heading the football program
Nice article on Michael Via in the Roanoke paper….
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/vtfootball/wb/224880