ECU: McNeill Era begins with a bang

GREENVILLE — Coach Ruffin McNeill was leading the charge as the ECU Pirates stormed out onto the field prior to Sunday‘s season-opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The first-year Pirates’ coach, who graduated from ECU in 1980, raised his arms in an attempt to fire up the 50,010 in attendance. The McNeill Era opened with a bang, as junior quarterback Dominique Davis launched a 33-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-8 freshman Justin Jones on the final play to give the Pirates a miraculous 51-49 victory over Tulsa. “We knew the situation and the clock,” McNeill said. “The thought process was to just drive it 70 yards and score. We felt like we had enough time with one timeout left. I was happy with the offense because that’s the way we practice those situations.” Davis took the snap with five seconds remaining, rolled to his right and threw it up for grabs. Fortunately, the Pirates had the tallest player on the field waiting in the end zone. The Pirates practice the play they call “Big B...