A lot is on the line for the East Carolina football team on Thursday night when the Pirates square off with principal conference rival Temple in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The two American Athletic Conference East Division opponents will, for the second straight season, vie for a share of control of their side of the league, a contest won decisively in the rain last year in Philadelphia by the Owls.
But don’t expect sixth-year ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill to spend the week dramatizing the long-term impact of the showdown between the Pirates (4-3, 2-1 AAC) and front-running Temple (6-0, 3-0).