Week 2: West Virginia at East Carolina

Atlantic storm Hanna permitting, West Virginia and East Carolina have something special brewing in Greenville.

ECU is coming off one of Week 1's most impressive victories, a 27-22 decision over ranked Virginia Tech in Charlotte. WVU, meanwhile, is ranked No. 8 in both major polls.

Rain? Pirate coach Skip Holtz said he’s actually hoping for a bit. And if not...

"We’re going to turn the sprinklers on all week," he cracked. "We’re going to put about 27 inches of rain on that field. Whether we get it on Saturday or not, [we want] to try and slow that West Virginia offense down."

Hanna was projected to make landfall in Georgia on Friday and reach Greenville early Saturday.

"That’s the last thing on my mind," said WVU coach Bill Stewart. "That’s way above my pay grade. If we’re going to play and need a moat or some boats or whatever, let’s get it on."

The matchup is intriguing. White is known for his lightning speed, but threw five touchdown passes last Saturday against Villanova. Stewart has promised to cut loose White’s arm this season any time opponents load up the box. ECU’s secondary held Tech to 139 yards passing last week.

Of course, West Virginia’s forte is running. Tailback Noel Devine had just 47 yards rushing last week, but Stewart ordered offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen to eliminate all the installed motion against Villanova. The matchup is interesting because the Pirate defensive front held Virginia Tech to 104 rushing yards.

On the flip side, ECU’s two-pronged attack at QB has become one-pronged in favor of Patrick Pinkney, who completed 19-of-23 passes against the Hokies. West Virginia has defensive concerns with a rebuilt secondary and the possible loss of last season’s leading tackler Reed Williams, still out after off-season shoulder surgery.

Notes:

WVU defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Casteel may make some moves for this game. He was taking a look at moving standout strong-side linebacker Mortty Ivy to middle in place of Reed Williams. John Holmes would replace Ivy. He also was looking at Julian Miller to replace Zac Cooper at defensive end.

East Carolina’s rebirth has been steady under Skip Holtz. Before he arrived, the Pirates were 1-11 in 2003 and 2-9 in 2004. Since he hit Greenville, the team has gone 5-6, 7-6 and, last season, 8-5.

West Virginia is 17-2 all-time and has won the last seven games against ECU. Last season, Pat White threw for two scores and ran for two in a 48-7 Mountaineer victory in Morgantown.

Key Player (Mountaineers) — Mortty Ivy, LB

Whether the talented linebacker plays at the strong-side or middle position, he’ll have to help elevate the Mountaineer defense from its performance against Villanova.

Key Player (Pirates) — Pierre Bell, LB

East Carolina’s linebacker had 11 tackles against Virginia Tech, but the Hokies didn’t have a quarterback the caliber of West Virginia’s Pat White.

West Virginia by 10