INDIVIDUAL NOTES  Senior inside receiver Dwayne Harris tallied 121 all-purpose yards, bringing his total to 1,183 in the past seven games dating to 2009 - an average of 169.0 yards per contest. He has also added 10 during that span.  With his second-quarter receiving , Harris extended his streak to seven-straight games with a score and five consecutive with a TD reception.  Harris hauled in 10 passes for 119 yards, giving him at least one reception in 34-straight games, the second-longest streak at the FBS level, trailing only Colorado’s Scotty McKnight (39). Harris also has two or more catches in 27 consecutive contests.  Harris’ 10 receptions tied his career high and marked the third time in his career he has reached double-digit receptions in a game.  Harris, already the ECU career leader in receptions (190) and receiving yards (2,172), has scored 138 points in his career after today’s touchdown and is just 30 shy of entering the Pirates’ top 10 for all-time scoring.  Sophomore outside receiver Dayon Arrington and freshman defensive end Derrell Johnson made their first career starts.  Arrington established career highs in catches (two) and receiving yards (34) while also hauling in a personal-long 29-yard reception in the first quarter.  Junior inside receiver Michael Bowman made two receptions for one yard, bringing his total to 11 catches for 61 yards in his past four games against Arkansas, Tulsa, Memphis and Virginia Tech. He made only two catches for 20 yards in his career prior to the 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.  Bowman’s 29-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was his first since 2008, when he ran back 10 for a total of 235 yards.  Senior Jonathan Williams tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns today. Williams also had two rushing TDs against West Virginia Sept. 6, 2008. He also has a ground score in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.  Williams also set a career high with seven receptions. His 37 receiving yards were 13 shy of his personal best, set last week against Memphis. o In the past two games, Williams has totaled 13 receptions for 87 yards. In his first three seasons with the Pirates, Williams had made nine receptions for 30 yards. The 13 receptions in consecutive games are also the most by a running back for ECU since Chris Johnson totaled 12 in contests against West Virginia (9/24/2005/seven) and Southern Miss (10/1/2005/five).  Junior Dominique Davis accounted for one of the team’s three touchdowns. This season, Davis has accounted for 12 of the team’s 16 offensive TDs. Davis entered the day leading the country in points accounted for.  In Davis’ past two first quarters, he has completed 22-of-26 passes (84.6%) for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Davis threw a touchdown pass after entering the day leading the NCAA with eight passing scores.  Davis falls to 0-2 as a starter against Virginia Tech, having lost 30-12 to the Hokies at the 2008 ACC Championship in Tampa, Fla. In that contest, Davis threw for 263 yards and one touchdown while gaining 12 yards on the ground.  Davis’ 30 completions were one shy of the opponent single-game record at Lane Stadium.  Junior cornerback Emanuel Davis collected six tackles, bringing his average over the past 10 games to 6.9 stops per contest. o In three games against Virginia Tech, Davis has tallied 20 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. During last season’s meeting in Greenville, he made a personal-best nine tackles, a mark he later tied against Houston in the C- USA Championship game. o In Davis’ career, the Pirates are 8-2 when he records six or more tackles with the only losses coming against Virginia Tech.  Junior strong safety Bradley Jacobs forced his first and second career fumbles on a second-quarter reception by Jarrett Boykin and a third- quarter rush by Darren Evans.  Junior linebacker Matt Thompson recorded his first career sack in the fourth quarter, dropping Tyrod Taylor for an five-yard loss.  The 41-yard field goal made in the third quarter by junior Michael Barbour was a career long.  Freshman defensive lineman Jimmy Booth made his collegiate debut after redshirting in 2009 and missing the first two games of this season due to injury.  Freshman defensive lineman Matt Milner tossed Tyrod Taylor for a five-yard loss in the first quarter for Milner’s first career solo TFL.  Harris’ 10 receptions moved him past Mewelde Moore (Tulane/189/2000-03) and into 15th on the Conference USA all-time list.  Harris’ 121 all-purpose yards today moved him past Anthony Alridge (4,453 yards/Houston/2005-07) and Zek Parker (4,459 yards/Louisville/1998-2001) into 12th on the Conference USA all-time list. Harris now has 4,520 all-purpose yards in his career.

WITH THE LOSS  With the loss, ECU has … o Won six of the past eight, eight of the past 11 and 10 of the past 14 games o Won five (of 13) games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents since 2006 o Won six (of 21) games against BCS opponents since 2005  The loss puts the Pirates at 2-1. It is only the second time since 2002 ECU has had a winning record through the season’s first three contests. The other was in 2008 when East Carolina was 3-0 after defeating Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Tulane.  Virginia Tech holds an 11-5 lead in the all-time series with today’s victory. The Hokies have won eight of the past nine meetings with the only loss being a 27-22 setback in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 30, 2008.  The Pirates fall to 28-64-1 (.306) all time against current members of the ACC.

TEAM NOTES  Despite the loss, head coach Ruffin McNeill won two of his first three games on the sidelines with ECU, making him one of only six coaches in program history to start his Pirate career with a winning record through three contests and the first since Bill Lewis defeated Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Illinois State in 1989. o The other five: Bo Farley (1936), John Christenbury (1940), McNeill’s coach at East Carolina, (1974), (1985) and Steve Logan (1992), for whom McNeill served as the defensive line coach in 1992  The Pirates have faced 21 opponents (6-15) from automatic BCS qualifying conferences in the past six years, 18 in the regular season. o The six wins against BCS opponents are the seventh most nationally by a non-Bowl Championship Series program since 2005.  The Pirates begin nonconference play 0-1. The past two seasons while winning back-to-back Conference USA Championships, ECU has gone 3-5 in regular-season nonleague action.  With Dayon Arrington and Derrell Johnson making their first career starts, 14 Pirates, seven offensive and seven defensive, have made their initial starts in 2010.  East Carolina scored its 16th offensive touchdown of the season today. In 2009, the Pirates did not reach the 16-touchdown mark until the 7th game of the season.  The Pirates scored first during a road/neutral site contest for the 10th-straight time (all seven in 2009 and the final two in 2008). The last time ECU did not have the initial score was at in Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 22, 2008, when UAB’s Joe Webb had a three-yard TD run in the first quarter. o Overall, East Carolina has scored first in seven of the past eight games.  East Carolina entered the half with a 24-21 advantage to lead at the break for the third time this season.  Dominique Davis’ two fourth-quarter interceptions snapped East Carolina’s streak of nine-straight quarters without a turnover.  With its 5-5 redzone performance today, East Carolina improved to 13-13 this season when inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. A year ago, the Pirates ranked 41st nationally in redzone efficiency (84%). o The Pirates have also made the most of their 13 redzone trips, scoring 11 touchdowns. The team’s two field goals today were the first non-touchdown redzone trips of the season.  With its first, second and fourth-quarter, fourth-down conversions, the Pirates remain perfect on fourth down this season at 7-7. o In 2009, ECU was 7-13 on fourth down  At the end of the first quarter, ECU led Virginia Tech 10-7. This season, the Pirates have outscored their opponents 48-17 in the opening quarter.  The 21 first-half points scored by the Hokies were the most the ECU had surrendered in the opening half since the third game of the 2009 season, at North Carolina (21 also).  The four rushing scores by Virginia Tech were the most the Pirates had allowed since West Virginia had four ground TDs Sept. 22, 2007.  The Pirates recorded 250+ passing yards (251) and lost. It was the first time since Jan. 2, 2009, against Kentucky in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl that ECU had surpassed 250 aerial yards and lost, snapping a string of eight-straight victories.  The Pirates converted their one forced turnover into a field goal. In eight games since 2009, ECU has forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 14 scores with nine touchdowns. East Carolina has forced at least one turnover in 33 consecutive games.  With Justin Dixon’s sack in the third quarter, ECU has recorded at least one quarterback drop in 17 of the past 20 games.  The Pirates were held without an interception for the first time this season. ECU has picked off at least one pass in 22 of the past 29 games.  With its first-quarter field goal, ECU extends its streak to 158 games without suffering a shutout - a school record.

OTHER  Team Captains: Offense: Dominique Davis, Willie Smith; Defense: Emanuel Davis, Dustin Lineback; Special Teams: Rahkeem Morgan  Attendance: 66,233  Up Next: East Carolina has next week off before returning to action at in-state rival North Carolina Oct. 2. Kickoff time inside Kenan Stadium is still to be determined.