Alright, let's tone down the LET'S GO HOKIES cheers for just a second here. No doubt a lot of us still want to dance buck naked in the streets after VT finally shook some of the "Big Game" stigma away from them at last. But we all know that ECU and the confounded "Air Raid" is coming to Blacksburg and ECU really likes to turn the intensity up against us. I would dare classify ECU in the "Try-to-ruin-VT's-season-for-no-other-reason-than-to-ruin-it-then-turn-around-and-lose-to-a-lower-class-team-club" that includes UNC, Syracuse, NC State, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Pittsburgh.
SERIES OVERVIEW
Now let's call this game what it really is besides "trap game." This is a rivalry game. If not officially it should be considering VT has played ECU 17 times out of the last 37 years. That's right, ECU is probably one of our more longer running series we have outside of Big East and ACC foes. However we do hold the edge in the series 13-5.
Editor's Note: Our very own 1Iron disagrees. He says the Purple Pirates aren't our rivals. You can read his take here.
The first meeting between the schools was on September 15th 1956 in Bluefield, West Virginia of all places. Go figure on that one. VT took the first win of the series 37-2. After that game the two schools didn't meet again for 31 years until the Frank Beamer era. That's right folks, VT/ECU is Frank's baby. In Beamer's first year as VT head coach he scheduled ECU and lost his first meeting 32-23 to the Pirates in Blacksburg. VT was competitive but lost in the end as ECU got out with a "W".
VT would play ECU every year from 1987 to 1994, covering a lot of the early Beamer Era. VT would go 4-4 in that span with most of the losses coming pre-Maurice Deshazo and Independence Bowl (The Beginning of the Beamer Bowl Era). VT and ECU then played in 1996, 1998, and 2000. VT won all those meetings.
Then came THE AGREEMENT as Jim Weaver and Frank Beamer made a deal with ECU to play them in a 12 game series. The first game of this series was in 2007 when VT defeated ECU 17-7 in Lane Stadium in what was a true must win following the April 16th tragedy earlier that year. During this stretch of games, VT has only lost one game. That game was the infamous Bank of America Stadium game in Charlotte in 2008 when Beamer refused to play Tyrod Taylor while Sean Glennon was getting killed by the ECU defensive line. That game ranks as one of the biggest upsets in ECU history to this day as VT was ranked 17th at the time.
Surprisingly enough, ECU has only been to Lane Stadium twice during this stretch: the aforementioned 2007 game and in 2010 following the equally infamous JMU game. The last two meetings have been at Greenville (2011,2013). In fact if you wanted to go further, ECU has been to VT 8 out of the 18 times the two schools have met, with VT going to Greenville 8 times as well with 2 neutral site games (Charlotte, Bluefield)
VT is 6-2 at home vs ECU with 5 wins coming in the Beamer era. Their last loss at home to ECU was November 16, 1991 when ECU was ranked 14th and was 8-1 on the season. In that game, VT was starting Rodd Wooten at QB for the injured Will Furrer. The Hokies lost a close game 24-17.
When playing in Greenville, VT is 6-2 as well, with their last loss in Greenville coming September 12, 1992. VT lost a heartbreaker in the last seconds 30-27. Maurice Deshazo was the QB and was just starting out as the Tech signal-caller.
VT has had only one loss to ECU in an eleven game stretch that goes back to 1993, with that loss coming in the Charlotte game in 2008.
Currently VT is on a four game win streak against the Pirates. Winning the 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013 games.
MEMORABLE GAMES
September 7, 2000. (10)VT 45- ECU 28 @ECU
I had to pick more than just one here. The first is in 2000 when the Hokies Played in Greenville as the number 10 team in the country. Michael Vick was the Quarterback, but also was not as effective as he usually was. ECU did a good job of containing him for most of the game. But the Defense and special teams stole the show as Corey Bird returned a blocked a punt for a nine yard TD in the first quarter, and the Defense held ECU scoreless in the first half as VT went up 31-0. I also have to mention a certain running back by the name of Lee Suggs who ground out 122 yards and a TD as well to give VT the final edge over ECU 45-28, with most of ECU's points coming late as clean-up-the-score-TD's by Future NFL QB David Garrard.
November 5, 2009. (22)VT 16- ECU 3 @ECU
This game was a must win for the Hokies, they had just suffered a two game losing streak to the upset club as GT and UNC had upended them in consecutive weeks. Plus they had to think about the previous year when ECU beat them in Charlotte and the ECU fans thought they'd do it again to a downtrodden VT team. But Tech responded on the road as the Hokie defense held ECU out of the endzone for the entire game. Ryan Williams did what Ryan WIlliams does and pounded out 187 yards rushing to give VT a much needed win in Greenville.
Virginia Tech no doubt will get a fight from East Carolina. It's just going to happen. But if VT plays like they did Saturday, then I doubt there will see a repeat of 2008 again (I was there, it sucked, 'nuff said). Still it's ECU and they like to try to get us every year so lets just get ready for a barn burner Saturday, as they say,"There's no rest for the weary."