GREENVILLE, N.C. – Teams looking to regroup following blowout losses to begin the season square off Saturday when FCS member Gardner-Webb visits East Carolina. Gardner-Webb gave up 322 yards on the ground in a 49-28 loss to Charlotte while the Pirates failed to score a touchdown in falling 34-6 to instate foe North Carolina State.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: No Line
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The first game for new coach Mike Houston got off to a promising start as East Carolina reached the red zone but quarterback Holton Ahlers fumbled when nearing the goal line and the Pirates, who have gone 10 straight quarters without a touchdown dating back to last season, never recovered. "This is not a losing football team," Ahlers, who has lost six of the seven games he has started for East Carolina, told the media. "We stopped ourselves. We know that and we are going to bounce back." Including the season finale last season, Ahlers has endured two tough games in which he has completed fewer than 50 percent of his total passes with two interceptions and has compiled 32 yards on 19 carries. The Bulldogs were productive on the ground in their opener led by Jayln Cagle and Dexter Brown but will need to get quarterback Jordan Smith, who threw for 60 yards, going to avoid being one dimensional.
ABOUT GARDNER-WEBB (0-1)
Coming off a season in which he ran for 474 yards and four touchdowns, Cagle seems destined to surpass those numbers as he churned out 84 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in the opener. Brown received a limited number of carries last season as a freshman, but proved explosive and that carried over to the opener as he ran three times for 50 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown. The defense wasn't all bad against Charlotte as strong safety Devin Mines made some plays in his first game as a senior, recording two tackles for loss and posting the first two-interception game of his career for the Bulldogs of Boiling Springs, N.C.
ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (0-1)
The Pirates streak of seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard receiver, which is three better than the next FBS teams, could be in jeopardy this season. Blake Proehl, son of former NFL receiver Ricky Proehl, and Deondre Farrier are the top returning receivers and together they amassed 701 yards receiving last season. Proehl led the team with five receptions for 45 yards in the opener while Audie Omotosho (one catch, 37 yards), Jsi Hatfield (five catches, 26 yards) and Farrier (two catches, 22 yards) also were factors in the passing game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. East Carolina has lost two straight games to teams from the FCS after winning 25 straight against such programs.
2. The Pirates are 50-32-1 in home openers, including 11 wins in the last 14 seasons.
3. The Bulldogs have posted a 1-15 mark against FBS teams with the lone victory against Akron in 2010.
PREDICTION: East Carolina 37, Gardner-Webb 20