East Carolina is running out of chances to knock off the big boys on its schedule.
In recent years, the chip-on-their-shoulder Pirates made headlines by upsetting West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia Tech -- and that program-validating stretch of games in 2007 and '08 wound up making Coach Skip Holtz's team a target this year.
The Mountaineers and Tar Heels already exacted their revenge two months ago, so this week Holtz is hoping for a strong showing against the 22nd-ranked Hokies to avoid an 0-3 finish against teams from the six major BCS conferences.
He's certain that Virginia Tech remembers the decidedly un-Beamerlike way they lost to the Pirates last year. But that cuts both ways: He's also counting on his team to draw confidence from their performance in that one.
"The last couple of years, as this game has gone on, I think it is starting to turn into more of a rivalry game for both teams," Holtz said yesterday. "I've always said in a rivalry game, both teams have to have a chance to win, and that hadn't been the case until last year. That's thrown some fuel on the fire to what we're going through right now."
Calling Virginia Tech a pattern for his East Carolina program, Holtz predicted that Greenville will "come alive a little bit" for the Pirates' first Thursday night home game since 2001 and their first visit from the Hokies since Michael Vick came to town in 2000.
"They're kind of the blueprint for where we would like to go, how we would like to build this program," Holtz said. "Twenty years ago, we were on very level playing fields (and) there was a great rivalry between the two schools. You look where (Tech coach Frank) Beamer has taken that program and the things he's done with it, that's where we want to go."
The Pirates (5-3) are aiming for their first victory against a ranked team since they knocked off then-No. 8 West Virginia last September. That came a week after the season-opening upset of then-No. 17 Virginia Tech and marked the last of three consecutive victories over teams in the AP Top 25 that thrust them into the national spotlight.
The Pirates hope to show that there wasn't anything fluky about last year's win. The Pirates returned a blocked punt for the decisive touchdown with 1:52 remaining.
These Hokies (5-3) are reeling after consecutive losses dropped them from No. 4 in the nation, so Holtz expects nothing less than their best shot. Especially after what happened last year.
"In leading up to the game and excitement and the energy, you kind of get pumped up and you kind of get excited with everything -- until you put on the film," Holtz said. "Then you realize that we're actually going to have to put the ball on the tee and kick it off and play this football game."
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