BCS hopes likely over for East Carolina

Sep 21, 2008 - 12:26 AM By Bob Birge PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

East Carolina had hoped to follow in the footsteps of Utah, Boise State and Hawaii by becoming the first Conference USA team to earn a berth in a BCS bowl game.

Those hopes gained momentum after East Carolina posted back-to-back wins over ranked opponents in Virginia Tech and West Virginia, but they now seem like a pipe dream.

The Pirates' BCS aspirations likely ended Saturday with a 30-24 overtime loss to North Carolina State.

"We'll move forward and watch the film, and we'll learn a lot from this game and a lot about us," East Carolina coach Skip Holtz said. "We lost to a good football team, an ACC team."

It now seems the 17th-ranked Pirates (3-1), who could fall from the national rankings, will have to satisfy themselves with pursuing a Conference USA title. No team from a non-BCS conference has played in a BCS bowl game with a loss.

Even the victory over West Virginia looks less impressive now after the Mountaineers suffered their second straight loss with a 17-14 overtime defeat at Colorado on Thursday.

After routing West Virginia, 24-3, on September 6, East Carolina fans stormed the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. That celebration now seems a bit premature.

After Saturday's game, Holtz told his players the same thing he said after the win over West Virginia - get over it.

"Just like I tell them after a win, they have 24 hours to enjoy it and then they have to move on," Holtz said. "It hurts, but I told them they have 24 hours to get the hurt and pain out."

That might be easier said than done, as the Pirates suffered a heart-breaking defeat in which they were just over a minute away from another victory.

The loss might be even more painful since the Pirates were beaten by a native of Greenville - the town where the East Carolina campus is located.

North Carolina State's Andre Brown won it with a 10-yard TD run after Patrick Pinkney fumbled on East Carolina's first possession of overtime, denying the Pirates their first 4-0 start since 1999.

North Carolina State entered with no touchdowns this season against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision, yet it gained 384 yards against the Pirates.

"They had to make some big plays to stop us and they did," said Holtz, whose team will try to bounce back next week against conference opponent Houston.