With Second AAC Loss, Where Does East Carolina Go from Here?

The East Carolina Pirates’ early season form had many pegging them for an American Athletic Conference championship and an invitation to an Access Bowl this year. But after consecutive losses to Temple and Cincinnati, the questions are being asked about what went wrong, and where the team goes now.

I’ll tell you where: The Pirates will gather themselves, try to iron out the wrinkles, and get ready for Tulane next week.

Five fumbles cost them against Temple—otherwise the offense was fine and the defense was outstanding. Against Cincinnati, the defense was putrid, and some untimely fumbles at the start and the end of the game cost them. Ironing these problems out are crucial, but the Pirates have three games left to focus on.

Now is not the time for quitting. While the road is a lot rockier with an extra loss, it’s far from impossible. Right now, three teams—Memphis, Cincinnati and UCF—sit with one loss on their league record. Houston and ECU both have two. Each team has at least two games left, so there is the possibility of someone slipping up again.

Memphis has the easiest route. With homes games against lower tier teams South Florida and UConn left to go, the Tigers look like a shoo-in for at least a share of the conference crown. However, the Tigers have looked less than impressive at times this season, and Connecticut has already sprung an upset on UCF.

Speaking of the Knights, their next two games are winnable. SMU comes to town next week, and the Mustangs have been just awful. The following week UCF travels to its in-state neighbor, South Florida. The Bulls aren’t in the same league, but they have some players, and they will have upset on their minds. The following week, the Knights have to come to Greenville in a potentially all-or-nothing contest.

Cincinnati has a tricky route ahead. It has been playing well over the last few weeks, and no doubt will be on a high with its victory over East Carolina, but have to keep its wits about it down the stretch. Next up is a visit from UConn, who isn’t amazing, but need I remind you that it knocked off the Knights a couple if weeks ago? Then comes a trip to pesky Temple, which took down East Carolina in a turnover-fueled victory, and the Bearcats are hardly safe with the ball. Houston follows, and may also be pushing for a share of the conference crown. The Cougars also have a penchant for forcing turnovers.

Speaking of Houston, it is trailing the pack with two losses, but can still in theory get into the conference talk at the end of the season. Tulsa comes to town the week after, then the Cougars go to SMU, both of which should be winnable, but the season-ending contest with Cincinnati could define the conference standings.

Finally, back to East Carolina. The Pirates have talent, but they need to hold onto the football. The Bearcats shredded the ECU secondary, but the remaining three opponents don’t have that kind of firepower. Tulane comes to Greenville next, and while its defense is tough, its offense has really struggled. Then Pirates visit Tulsa, and while the Golden Hurricane have a solid (but not spectacular) offense, their defense has been incredibly leaky. Lastly, another potential conference decider against UCF awaits in the regular season finale.

So, to get back to the original question: Where do the Pirates go from here? Back to winning ways.

Win the next three games convincingly, root for Houston against Cincy, and hope the pressure gets to a Memphis team not used to being in pole position. Stranger things have happened in conference races.