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ECU

ECU football schedule includes 7 teams that made bowls

Mar 11, 2009

A nationally televised Thursday night home contest against Virginia Tech and road games at North Carolina and West Virginia are just three of seven games in which the Pirates will face bowl participants, according to the 2009 schedule released Wednesday by Conference USA.

East Carolina will open the season with back-to-back meetings against the Mountaineers, facing three-time Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) champion Appalachian State at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Sept. 5 before traveling to Morgantown for a meeting against West Virginia a week later.

The season opener will renew an in-state football rivalry that covers 77 years and will mark ECU's first matchup against a FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA, opponent since 2001. Although the series spans 29 games, the Pirates and Mountaineers haven't met since East Carolina posted a 38-21 road victory in 1979.

ECU will follow by squaring off against West Virginia for the eighth-straight season, attempting to put together consecutive victories for the first time in series history and snap a 12-game winless streak at Milan Puskar Stadium.

East Carolina will remain on the road to battle the first of two ACC opponents when it plays at North Carolina Sept. 19. The Tar Heels will host the Pirates at Kenan Stadium for the first time since 2001 after more recent contests at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 2003 and 2007 – the latter resulting in a 34-31 ECU triumph.

“As we have done over the last four years, we’ll continue to put a premium on challenging our program to play at the highest possible level,” coach Skip Holtz said in a statement. “The opportunity for us to consistently compete on a national stage against championship contenders from the ACC and Big East enables us to move forward in the big picture and remain focused on meeting and perhaps exceeding goals we set each season.

“It is also clearly evident that Conference USA offers much parity, and because it has developed into one of the most competitive leagues in the country, we certainly have our work cut out for us."


2009 ECU football schedule

Sept. 5 - Appalachian State

Sept. 12 - at West Virginia

Sept. 19 - at North Carolina

Sept. 26 - *UCF

Oct. 3 - *at Marshall

Oct. 10 - *at SMU

Oct. 17 - *Rice

Oct. 27 - *at Memphis (ESPN/Tue.)

Nov. 5 - Virginia Tech (ESPN/Thurs.)

Nov. 15 - *at Tulsa (ESPN/Sun.)

Nov. 21 - *UAB

Nov. 28 - *Southern Miss

Dec. 5 - C-USA Championship Game (ESPN)

*Conference USA game