2011 Opponent Recap: East Carolina

ECU RECORD: 0-1 (L 56-37 against University of South Carolina)

VT RECORD: 1-0 (W 66-13 against Appalachian State)

SCORE: (11) VT – 17 ECU – 10

GAME SUMMARY: Frank Beamer’s 200^th victory at Virginia Tech was a tilt in which yards were hard to come by. Tech’s Lunch-Pail defense lived up to its reputation, holding ECU’s potent offense to a mere 112 total yards, and sacking Pirate quarterback Dominique Davis five times. ECU’s defense returned the favor; a week after giving up 56 points to the Gamecocks, the Pirates forced two turnovers, held Logan Thomas to under 100 yards passing, and did not allow David Wilson to score a touchdown. The Hokies themselves played a prominent role in their offense struggles, committing twelve penalties. In the second half, the Hokie defense did not allow any ECU drive to gain more than twenty yards, and Josh Oglesby capped 78- and 89-yard drives with rushing touchdowns.

LOCK IT IN THE LUNCHPAIL: Although ECU may not sound like a marquee match-up outside of Tech’s program, one can make an argument for the Pirates being a legitimate rival considering geographic proximity and the hard-fought nature of the series in the past half decade. There were tough Tech victories in ’07 and ’09, a 17-point Tech rally in ’10, and ECU’s 27-22 victory in Charlotte to kick off the 2008 season. Put more succinctly, no Hokie fan overlooked this game. Any concerns over Logan Thomas’ quarterbacking ability that may have been put to rest after the Appalachian State game were renewed, as he struggled to move the offense (40% passing, 91 yards, and an interception). Again, David Wilson was the focal point offensively with 175 total yards. Considering the two performances thus far in the season, it seemed apparent the Hokies would only go as far as Wilson’s legs would take them. It was reassuring, though, to see Josh Oglesby demonstrate he could take over a game if necessary. Luckily, the defense put on a ’05-’06 vintage performance. As a testament to how far the unit had matured, the defense surrendered 250 fewer yards than it did to the Air Raid in 2010. While the defense looked stout, fans were left with more questions than answers about the offense.

ECU SEASON RECORD: 5-7 (4-4 Conference USA), 3^rd C-USA East.

SEASON SUMMARY: The Air Raid offense was once again the offensive philosophy in Greenville, with the Pirates laying claim to the 20^th ranked passing offense in the NCAA, averaging 287 yards per game. Everyone chipped-in, as evidenced by eight different receivers with at least twenty or more catches, lead by FR Justin Hardy (658 YD 6 TD) and SR Lance Lewis (600 YD 8 TD). ECU played a difficult schedule, having faced four teams in the final rankings, with three of those games in the first six weeks (SC, VT, Houston). Ruffin McNeil’s crew was able to put together a three-game win streak in October, highlighted by a wild 38-35 victory over the Midshipmen in Annapolis. Heading into the final week of the season, ECU still clung to hopes of the bowl berth, but lost to Marshall 34-27 in overtime. The Pirates turned the ball over four times in the contest.

OFFENSIVE MVP: QB Dominique Davis. 68 % - 3225 PYD – 30 TTD.

As stated before, Davis was the maestro of this offense, and had one of the best games EVER by a college QB when he went 40-45 for 372 yards in the win against Navy. He also threw four touchdowns against South Carolina.

DEFENSIVE MVP: LB Jeremy Grove. 122 TCK – 1 SK.

Grove, a freshman, led the team in tackles by a wide margin an added 3.5 tackles for loss. Recorded 15 tackles in the victory against UAB, and was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year.

POSTSEASON: ECU is not bowl eligible, but that's not stopping the ECU athletic department from selling $50 tickets to the 'Virtual Bowl." I shit you not.