Jamar Bryant News

Getting to the Conference USA championship game is a feat in itself. Getting the game to come to you - logistically, beneficially and historically speaking - is an entirely different matter, East Carolina Skip Holtz said.

Part of Skip Holtz's job will be relatively easy this week. While the fifth-year East Carolina coach will have his hands full formulating a game plan against a tough opponent that has had his team's number, motivating his players will not be a challenge.

If, as East Carolina coach Skip Holtz preaches, the final weeks of the regular season amount to a single-elimination tournament, then the semifinals are here.

UPDATE FROM TULSA: According to WITN's Brian Meador, Pirates Jamar Bryant and Josh Smith did not make the trip, both are out with shoulder injuries.

East Carolina senior tight end/fullback Rob Kass is out for the season after suffering a knee injury during the Pirates' 16-3 loss to Virginia Tech on Thursday, ECU coach Skip Holtz said.

The Marshall defense will have its hands full with No. 17 on Saturday. The man donning that number, East Carolina wide receiver Dwayne Harris, is football's quintessential all-purpose player: he catches passes, runs the ball and return kicks.

Big plays proved to be the difference as UNC pulled away from ECU this past Saturday, winning by a score of 31-17. The loss dropped the Pirates to 1-2 overall and the Heels improved to 3-0. The Tar Heel offense had little trouble moving the ball, racking up 433 total yards to the Pirates' 247, despite only running two more plays than ECU.

T.J. Yates is finally getting acquainted with his wide receivers. The junior quarterback - who lost his top three receivers from 2008 to the NFL Draft - went 19 of 24 for 227 yards and two touchdowns as No.

The last time I watched an intrastate football game with the intent to write a column was 14-years ago North Carolina at N.C. State.

Dekota Marshall was never offered. Neither was Rob Kass nor Van Eskridge nor Alex Taylor.

North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin, pumped up after the Heels beat East Carolina 33-17, pointed up to the student section as he made his way to the entrance tunnel.

East Carolina's Dwayne Harris is pulled down by North Carolina's Quenton Coples , Kennedy Tinsley and Charles Brown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept.

T.J. Yates hits Erik Highsmith in the left corner of the end zone for 16-yard score.

Every Thursday, check TarHeelBlue.com for the latest edition of the Game Guide, which provides all the information you need to get ready for gameday.

Football, by its savage nature, is peppered with moments of subtle, largely unseen gore.

West Virginia is looking for answers to its special teams follies and other simple mistakes entering the toughest stretch of its nonconference schedule.

ORGANTOWN, W.Va., Sept. 11 -- West Virginia University issued the following news release: Liberty may be the first opponent listed on West Virginia 's 2009 football schedule, but the season really begins this Saturday with East Carolina .

At least to a certain extent, Bill Stewart tends to disagree with the old coaching saw that says teams improve the most between their first and second games.

If you don't know what happened to Brandon Hogan and Keith Tandy a year ago at East Carolina, well, you just haven't been paying attention.

Last year's record: 9-5 Coach: Skip Holtz Last bowl appearance: 2009 Liberty, lost to Kentucky 25-19. Strengths: Quarterback, senior leadership on offense and defense, experienced offensive line.