It was a familiar sight and sound this football season in Greenville.
A college football team makes much different noises when it walks off the field following a win than it does a loss. For one thing, a winning team generally leaves to an ovation, at least at home. In that setting, players are raucous and rowdy, drinking in as much of the positive atmosphere as possible on their stroll to the locker room.
For the third consecutive time in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday evening, home-standing East Carolina made the walk of shame instead. There was a familiar hush over the mostly empty grandstands that never got full this season.