2009 East Carolina Pirates football team

2009 East Carolina Pirates football
C-USA champion C-USA East Division champion Liberty Bowl champion
C-USA Championship Game, W 38–32 vs. Houston
Liberty Bowl, L 17–20 ^OT vs. Arkansas
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East
2009 record	9–5 (7–1 C-USA)
Head coach	Skip Holtz
Offensive coordinator	Todd Fitch Steve Shankweiler
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Greg Hudson
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (Capacity: 43,000)

2009 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
East Carolina x$		7	–	1		9	–	5
UCF		6	–	2		8	–	5
Southern Miss		5	–	3		7	–	6
Marshall		4	–	4		7	–	6
UAB		4	–	4		5	–	7
Memphis		1	–	7		2	–	10
West Division
Houston xy		6	–	2		10	–	4
SMU x		6	–	2		8	–	5
Tulsa		3	–	5		5	–	7
UTEP		3	–	5		4	–	8
Rice		2	–	6		2	–	10
Tulane		1	–	7		3	–	9
Championship: East Carolina 38, #18 Houston 32
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The team was coached by Skip Holtz, who was in his fifth and final year with the program. The 2009 Pirates were defending their first ever Conference USA Football Championship.

The Pirates finished the season 9–5, 7–1 in CUSA play, winning the East Division in their final regular season game against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 25-20, and won their second consecutive CUSA Championship Game 38–32 against the Houston Cougars in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The Pirates were invited to their second consecutive Liberty Bowl where they were defeated by Arkansas 20–17 in overtime.

Before the season

Recruiting

2009 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Jimmy Booth DT	Greenville, North Carolina	J.H. Rose High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	288 lb (131 kg)		Jul 22, 2008
Jimmy Booth DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Michael Brooks DT	Yanceyville, North Carolina	Bartlett-Yancey High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	5.1	Apr 28, 2008
Michael Brooks DT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Jordan Davis OL	Fort Walton Beach, Florida	Choctawhatchee High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.15	Feb 4, 2009
Jordan Davis OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Michael Dobson S	Mount Airy, North Carolina	Mount Airy High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.4	Aug 19, 2008
Michael Dobson S	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Max Hay OT	Burlington, New Jersey	Burlington City High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	310 lb (140 kg)		Sep 15, 2008
Max Hay OT	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Ty Holmes S	Lexington, North Carolina	Lexington High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	213 lb (97 kg)		Jun 25, 2008
Ty Holmes S	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Torrance Hunt CB	Durham, North Carolina	Charles E. Jordan Senior High School	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	4.4	Jun 16, 2008
Torrance Hunt CB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Perry James CB	Mocksville, North Carolina	Davie High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Dec 20, 2008
Perry James CB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Rio Johnson QB	Tyrone, Georgia	Sandy Creek High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.72	Jun 18, 2008
Rio Johnson QB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74
Justin Jones TE	Conyers, Georgia	Heritage High School	6 ft 6.5 in (1.99 m)	234.5 lb (106.4 kg)	4.8	Jan 30, 2009
Justin Jones TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Lamar McLendon OLB	Fayetteville, North Carolina	Seventy-First Senior High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)		May 22, 2008
Lamar McLendon OLB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Matt Milner DE	Raleigh, North Carolina	Cardinal Gibbins High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	4.6	Sep 7, 2008
Matt Milner DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Zico Pasut TE	Charlotte, North Carolina	Ardrey Kell High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	4.65	Sep 11, 2008
Zico Pasut TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73
Marke Powell LB	Troy, North Carolina	West Montgomery High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	198 lb (90 kg)		Feb 4, 2009
Marke Powell LB	Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Mike Price WR	New Bern, North Carolina	New Bern High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)		Jul 17, 2008
Mike Price WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Korey Reynolds TE	Senatobia, Mississippi	Northwest Mississippi Community College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	240 lb (110 kg)		Jan 27, 2009
Korey Reynolds TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Giavanni Ruffin RB	Visalia, California	College of the Sequoias	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.4	Jan 10, 2009
Giavanni Ruffin RB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40
Will Simmons OL	Ahoskie, North Carolina	Hertford County High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)		Jul 11, 2008
Will Simmons OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 69
DaMonte Terry RB	Laurinburg, North Carolina	Scotland County High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	4.5	Jul 3, 2008
DaMonte Terry RB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74
Reese Wiggins WR	Durham, North Carolina	Southern Durham High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	4.66	Dec 18, 2008
Reese Wiggins WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 82 Rivals: 94
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "East Carolina 2009 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04. "Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04. "2009 Player commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-02-04.

Purple/Gold Spring Game

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	10	0	0	10
ECU	10	0	14	7	31

The annual Purple/Gold Spring Game was held in the spring during the PirateFest and Pigskin Pigout weekend activities on April 18 in downtown Greenville, NC and put the "Pirates" team led by Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Josh Jordan against the "ECU" team led by Senior Quarterback Patrick Pinkney.^[1] The ECU team defeated the Pirates team 31-10.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	12:00 PM	No. 1 FCS Appalachian State*	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	MASN/WITN-TV	W 29–24	43,279^[3]
September 12	3:30 PM	at West Virginia*	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN360	L 20–35	59,216^[4]
September 19	12:00 PM	at No. 19 North Carolina*	Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN2	L 17–31	58,000^[5]
September 26	3:30 PM	UCF	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	BHSN/WITN-TV	W 19–14	43,210^[6]
October 3	12:00 PM	at Marshall	Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV	CBSCS	W 21–17	26,814^[7]
October 10	8:00 PM	at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, TX	MASN/WITN-TV	L 21–28	13,626^[8]
October 17	3:30 PM	Rice	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	MASN	W 49–13	43,023^[9]
October 27	8:00 PM	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN	ESPN2	W 38–19	4,117^[10]
November 5	7:30 PM	No. 24 Virginia Tech*	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	ESPN	L 3–16	43,569^[11]
November 15	8:15 PM	at Tulsa	H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK	ESPN	W 44–17	17,453^[12]
November 21	3:30 PM	UAB	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	MASN/WITN-TV	W 37–21	43,056^[13]
November 28	1:30 PM	Southern Miss	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC	CBSCS	W 25–20	43,006^[14]
December 5	12:00 PM	No. 18 Houston	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC (C-USA Championship)	ESPN2	W 38–32	33,048^[15]
January 2	5:30 PM	vs. Arkansas	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN (AutoZone Liberty Bowl)	ESPN	L 17–20 ^OT	62,742^[16]
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

Staff

Position	Name	Years at ECU	Alma Mater
Head Coach:	Skip Holtz	5th	Notre Dame '86
Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Coach:	Todd Fitch	3rd	Ohio Wesleyan '86
Defensive Coordinator Linebacker Coach:	Greg Hudson	4th	Notre Dame '90
Offensive Coordinator Offensive Linemen Coach:	Steve Shankweiler	5th(15th overall)	Davidson '74
Assistant Head Coach/ Defensive Backs Coach	Rick Smith	5th	Florida State '71
Director of Strength & Conditioning	Michael Golden	4th	Central Connecticut State '92
Defensive End Coach/ Special Teams	Vernon Hargreaves	3rd	Connecticut '86
Wide Receiver Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator	Donnie Kirkpatrick	5th	Lenoir-Rhyne '82
Tight Ends Coach:	Phil Petty	5th	South Carolina '01
Director of HS Football Relations	Harold Robinson	6th	East Carolina '72
Defensive Tackle Coach	Thomas Roggeman	5th	Notre Dame '85
Running Backs Coach	Junior Smith	5th	East Carolina '97
Director of Operations	Clifford Snow	5th	Central Connecticut State '83
Director of Football Administration	Reed Case	1st	Ohio ‘95
Administrative Assistant to Coach Holtz	Ryan Mills	6th	North Carolina '02
Administrative Assistant	Ann Coyle	3rd	East Carolina '06
Offensive Staff Assistant Coach	Dwayne Ledford	2nd	East Carolina '00
Defensive Staff Assistant Coach	Chris Bland	1st	Elon '08

Rankings

Ranking Movement^[17]
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. ██ Selected for BCS National Championship Game.
Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
AP	36^[17]	41	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	37	26	--
Coaches	46^[17]	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	28	42
Harris	Not released				--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	28
BCS	Not released							--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Game notes

Appalachian State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Mountaineers	0	7	0	17	24
Pirates	17	10	2	0	29

The Pirates renewed their rivalry with their former Southern Conference opponent for the first time since 1979. The Mountaineers led the all-time series 19-10, but the two schools had only played once since the split of Division I college football, with the Pirates defeating the Mountaineers 38-21 in 1979. This marked the first time since 2001 that the Pirates have played a school from the Football Championship Subdivision. After being dominated in the first half, Appalachian State staged a comeback but fell short after a sack and a blocked pass with seconds left in the 4th Quarter. ECU would hold on to win 29-24, improving their record against the Mountaineers to 11-19.

West Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	10	10	0	0	20
Mountaineers	7	14	7	7	35

The Pirates went to Morgantown, WV to take on the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl Champion West Virginia Mountaineers, who remained undefeated at home in this series and led the all-time record 17-3. Last year, East Carolina blew out West Virginia 24-3 in Greenville. After going up 10-0 early in the first half, the Pirates would enter the second half trailing by 1, but the Mountaineers would pull ahead to win 35-20, improving their record to 18-3.

North Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	7	7	0	3	17
Tar Heels	7	14	3	7	31

The Pirates travel to Chapel Hill, NC to face their in-state rival North Carolina. In 2007, the Pirates beat the Tar Heels with a last second field goal to win the game 34-31. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series, 8-2-1.

UCF

	1	2	3	4	Total
Knights	7	0	0	7	14
Pirates	3	7	3	6	19

Marshall

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	7	7	7	0	21
Thundering Herd	0	7	10	0	17

The Pirates head back to West Virginia to face the Thundering Herd of Marshall. The Pirates won last year 19-16 in Greenville, NC after one overtime and lead the all-time series 7-3. In 2007, the Herd spoiled the Pirates' hopes in Huntington for a spot in the Conference USA championship.

SMU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	7	7	7	21
Mustangs	0	7	14	7	28

Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	3	7	3	0	13
Pirates	14	14	0	21	49

Memphis

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	14	7	14	3	38
Tigers	3	7	3	6	19

Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hokies	6	7	0	3	16
Pirates	0	3	0	0	3

For the first time since 2000, the 2009 Orange Bowl Champion Hokies make the trip to Greenville, NC. Last year, the Hokies and Pirates squared off in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, with the Pirates winning 27-22 after a Pontiac Game Changing Performance nominated blocked punt was returned by T.J. Lee. The Hokies lead the all time series 9-5.

Tulsa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	3	17	3	21	44
Golden Hurricane	0	7	10	0	17

In a rematch of the 2008 Conference USA Football Championship, the Pirates travel to Tulsa, OK to face the Golden Hurricane. Last year, the Pirates defeated the Golden Hurricane 27-24. Tulsa leads the all-time series 5-3.

UAB

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	3	0	3	15	21
Pirates	14	9	7	7	37

The Pirates face the Blazers at home

The Pirates faced the UAB Blazers at home in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. In 2008 the Pirates defeated the Blazers in Birmingham, AL for the first time in this series' history. The two schools are tied in the all-time series 4-4.

Southern Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	7	0	7	6	20
Pirates	3	14	0	8	25

The Pirates will be hosting the rival Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. Of the 34 games played in this series, the Pirates have only won 8. Last year, the Golden Eagles beat the Pirates 21-3 in Hattiesburg, MS.

2009 Conference USA Championship

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	12	0	13	32
Pirates	7	7	10	14	38

2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Razorbacks	0	0	17	0	3	20
Pirates	0	10	7	0	0	17

Postseason

NFL Draft Picks

Linval Joseph - Round 2: 14th (46th Overall) - New York Giants
Matt Dodge - Round 7: 14th (221st Overall) - New York Giants
C.J. Wilson - Round 7: 23rd (230th Overall) - Green Bay Packers

Awards

Conference USA Special Teams Player-of-the-Year: Dwayne Harris, Jr. KR

Honors

Weekly Honors

Oct. 19 Conference USA Special Teams Player-of-the-Week - Dwayne Harris, Jr. KR
Nov. 16 Conference USA Defensive Player-of-the-Week - Emanuel Davis, So. DB
Nov. 23 Conference USA Special Teams Player-of-the-Week - Dwayne Harris, Jr. KR
Nov. 30 Conference USA Special Teams Player-of-the-Week - Ben Hartman, Sr. K

Teams

ESPN The Magazine University CoSIDA Academic All-America team - Sean Allen, Sr. OL
Sporting News Second-Team All America - Matt Dodge, Sr. P
Rivals.com Third-Team All America - Matt Dodge, Sr. P
Sports Illustrated Second-Team All-America - Matt Dodge, Sr. P
CollegeFootballNews Second-Team All-America - Matt Dodge, Sr. P
Phil Steele Magazine Fourth-Team All America - Matt Dodge, Sr. P

1st Team All C-USA
Sean Allen, Sr. OL Emanuel Davis, So. DB Matt Dodge, Sr. P Van Eskridge, Sr. DB Dwayne Harris, Jr. WR Linval Joseph, Jr. DL C.J. Wilson, Sr. DL

2nd Team All C-USA
Terence Campbell, Sr. OL Dwayne Harris, Jr. KR Ben Hartman, Sr. K Nick Johnson, Sr. LB

C-USA Team Honorable Mentions
Jeremy Chambliss, Sr. LB Dominique Lindsay, Sr. RB Levin Neal, Sr. DB Scotty Robinson, Sr. DL Jay Ross, Sr. DL D.J. Scott, Jr. OL Travis Simmons, Jr. DB William Smith, So. LS Willie Smith, Jr. OL

C-USA All Freshman Team
Michael Brooks - DL

C-USA All Academic Team
Sean Allen - Sr. C Patrick Pinkney - Sr. QB

Notes

↑ "26th Annual Great Pirate Purple/Gold Pigskin Pig-Out Party". East Carolina University. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
↑ "ECU Tops Pirates In Spring Game, 31-10". East Carolina University. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
↑ "Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "UCF Knights vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "Rice Owls vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. Memphis Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "Virginia Tech Hokies vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "East Carolina Pirates vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "UAB Blazers vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "Houston Cougars vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
↑ "Arkansas Razorbacks vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
1 2 3 It is possible to receive votes in certain polls but not be officially ranked in the Top 25. Rankings of 26 and greater indicate the team has received votes, but not enough to be featured in the Top 25.
↑ "Future East Carolina Pirates Schedules". College Football Palace. January 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2009.

East Carolina Pirates football

Venues	Guy Smith Stadium (?–1948) College Stadium (1949–1962) Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium (1963–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Marshall NC State Victory Barrel UCF

Culture & lore	PeeDee the Pirate The Marching Pirates

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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