2008 East Carolina Pirates Football Preview

2008 East Carolina Pirates season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official East Carolina Pirates football preview as well as the 2008 East Carolina Pirates Football Schedule. Get Free football predictions against the sportsbooks college football betting line.

Coach: Skip Holtz (4th year at East Carolina)
Team Name: Pirates
2007 Overall Record: 8-5
Returning Starters: 16

The East Carolina Pirates (8-5 overall, 6-2 C-USA East) finished second in the East in 2007. The club earned a trip to the Hawaii Bowl. There they met and beat the Boise State Broncos 41-38.

The Pirates welcome back a topnotch offensive line that last season helped them score a school record 403 points and 52 touchdowns. RB Chris Johnson, who was the national leader in all-purpose yardage, is gone. Sophomore Jonathan Williams will take over and try to replace him. Two guys look to contend for quarterback with senior Patrick Pinkney (200 ATT, 121 COMP, 1,385 YDS, 11 TDs, 4 INT) looking to get the nod. Junior wideout Jamar Bryant (48 REC, 704 YDS, 6 TDs) returns as the leading receiver. Senior tight end Davon Drew is NFL material.

Overall, the defense looks good with nine starters returning. The turnover margin was a healthy plus-17 (fourth nationally), but the unit gave up an average of 30.4 PPG, ranking them 83rd in the nation. The secondary was a problem, earning a ranking of 114th nationally. But three of four starters return and that should help. Senior FS J.J. Millbrook made three picks last season. OLB Quentin Cotton heads a fine linebacking unit and the frontline is deep. Junior DE C.J. Wilson returns as the sack leader with seven.

Once again, like they did last year, the Pirates could go 8-4 in the regular season. But they could also earn a 10-2 mark. Five swing games, including three straight, dot their schedule. On September 20, the team visits N.C. State for their first tossup, and the following week, they host Houston in a contest that’s too close to call. Virginia on October 11 is the final game of that string. November 2 at ECF and November 15 at Southern Miss can both also go either way.

Coach Skip Holts (20-17 over three years) has done a good job with the Pirates. The club can put points on the board, that’s for certain. But they also allow opponents to do the same. East Carolina will not win their conference or even their division. But they will, once again, be bound for a mid-level bowl game.

Read up on the rest of the non BCS ncaa football teams below.