Early in Tuesday’s practice, East Carolina defensive coordinator Rick Smith said he was worried about the Pirates’ impending trip to Gainesville, Fla., to attempt to wrestle a win away from the Florida Gators.
By Wednesday night, however, Smith was inspired by what he saw, spinning stories about his uncle conquering seemingly impossible odds at the famous Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
“Half of them got killed and the other half of them got on top of that mountain and raised the flag up, and the theme of the story is, who do you want in your foxhole?