Posted: September 4th, 2008 - by: Jeremy Curtis

WVU Heads for the Pirates’ Den: ECU vs. WVU Preview

HURRICANE HANNA UPDATE:  2:20pm: Police issue football parking advisory

11am: If you’re going to the game here is some important info about traffic and parking etc. Stay tuned for breaking Hanna/Game day news.

No. 8 WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (1-0)
AT EAST CAROLINA PIRATES (1-0)

4:30 P.M., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008, AT DOWDY-FICKLEN STADIUM (GREENVILLE, N.C.)

TV: ESPN

WEEK ONE RESULTS: WVU DEFEATED VILLANOVA, 48-21, IN MORGANTOWN, W.VA. ECU DEFEATED NO. 17 VIRGINIA TECH, 27-22, IN CHARLOTTE, N.C.

WVU ALL-TIME RECORD AGAINST ECU: 17-2.

LAST YEAR’S GAME AGAINST ECU: WVU 48 ECU 7.

THE LAST TIME WVU PLAYED AT ECU: 9/23/06. No. 4 WVU 27, ECU 10.

COACHES: WVU– Bill Stewart (2-0). Mountaineers fans know Stewart as the interim head coach who guided WVU to its 48-28 surprise win over Oklahoma, in the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
ECU– Skip Holtz (21-17). Holtz is in his fourth season with the Pirates. Holtz guided ECU to a Shearton Hawaii Bowl win over No. 24 Boise State last year. He is the son of college football legend Lou Holtz.

IMPACT PLAYERS: WVU– Quarterback Patrick White. In the Mountaineers first game of 2008, White showed off his passing ability against Villanova, completing 25 of 33 passes, for 208 yards and five touchdowns. White also ran nine times for 63 yards in the game. Running back Noel Devine. Devine will likely become a household name by the end of the year. He didn’t score a touchdown in WVU’s first win of the 2008 season, but exploded onto the college football scene last year, during a win at Maryland, when he rushed for 136 yards on just five carries. WVU has also found a new weapon in slot receiver Jock Sanders and wide receiver Alric Arnett. The two Mountaineer pass catchers are quick in the open field and caught two touchdown passes from White in the win against Villanova.

ECU– Quarterback Patrick Pinkney. Pinkney completed 19 of 23 passes, for 211 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech. He ran for 24 yards and a touchdown against the Hokies. The Pirates have a capable tandem of tailbacks in Brandon Simmons and Jonathan Williams. The two combined for 102 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech. T.J. Lee, a wide receiver, came up huge for the Pirates on special teams, when he blocked and returned a Virginia Tech punt for a touchdown, late in the fourth quarter. Lee’s play wound up winning the game for ECU.

KEYS TO THE GAME: In order for WVU to escape ECU this year, they will need another outstanding performance from White. Devine will need to get involved early in the game to establish WVU’s running attack. The Mountaineer receivers will have to continue to get open and make big plays, as they did against Villanova. The WVU defense may likely bend, but not break against the Pirates. The secondary has to have a better game or else Pinkney will pick them apart and keep the Mountaineer offense on the sideline.

For ECU, the Pirates will also look to their quarterback, Pinkney, for a huge day. ECU shouldn’t have too much trouble putting enough points on the board to win the game. However, anytime a team goes up against WVU, the defense takes center stage, having the troubling task of containing one of the nation’s fastest offenses. The Pirates’ defense need come to play or else the Mountaineers will blow right by them, just as they did last year.

X-FACTORS: Hurricane/tropical storm Hanna will probably play a factor into the game. Both teams displayed superior special teams play in their week one wins and a similar performance may help determine the winner in this game. Sanders is a terrific slot receiver for WVU and may play a huge role if the Mountaineers will win their first road game of the season. Back in 2006, the game wasn’t really over until receiver Darius Reynaud caught a short pass in the flat and took it 60 yards for a touchdown.  Home-field advantage and bad weather may benefit ECU during the game. The Pirates will be looking to avenge their 41-point loss against the Mountaineers last season and come into the game with a boat-load of confidence, having knocked off Virginia Tech, in week one.

BOTTOM LINE: ECU is going for its third consecutive win over a nationally ranked team, but they will fall just short. White has played in bad weather before and has been in tons of big games. His leadership and will to win will earn WVU its second win of the season. This first road game, along with the Thursday night game next week at Colorado, will reveal a lot about Stewart’s Mountaineers.

Predicted score: Mountaineers 31, Pirates 24.

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