Summers: Blue-collar 'D' leads surge

October 31, 2011 - 3:35am

Jeremy Grove looked like he had just finished a double shift in a blast furnace or a coal mine on Saturday night, not like he had just played in a football game.

Summers: ECU home games now magnified

September 26, 2011 - 3:35am

The Big East is watching, and not in a casual way anymore.

Summers: Score doesn't reflect growth

September 5, 2011 - 3:35am

CHARLOTTE — If the NCAA had an Office of Turnovers to monitor the giveaways and takeaways during college football games across the country, it would have been on red alert Saturday night, all eyes glued to the game in Charlotte.

Nathan Summers: First season a success

January 3, 2011 - 4:34am

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If results are what really count in college football, Ruffin McNeill had a landmark first season.

Nathan Summers: Impressive debut

November 28, 2010 - 4:25am

East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland was likely never under more pressure than in late 2004, not long after his hire, when he faced the challenge of finding someone to rewrite the history of the ECU football team.

Summers: Pirate D can't be fixed quickly

November 22, 2010 - 4:35am

HOUSTON — Touchdowns in Conference USA are like ants at a picnic — there are never just one or two.

Summers: Painful, but valuable, lesson

November 8, 2010 - 3:35am

Two Saturdays ago in Orlando, Fla., East Carolina linebacker Dustin Lineback lamented the fact that he and his defensive teammates hadn't done a good job of carrying out the blueprint their coaches had devised for them against Central Florida.

Summers: Painful, but valuable, lesson

November 8, 2010 - 3:35am

Two Saturdays ago in Orlando, Fla., East Carolina linebacker Dustin Lineback lamented the fact that he and his defensive teammates hadn't done a good job of carrying out the blueprint their coaches had devised for them against Central Florida.

Nathan Summers: A C-USA rivalry

November 1, 2010 - 3:35am

ORLANDO, Fla. — In order for two sports teams to develop a rivalry, a few things must happen first.

Nathan Summers: A C-USA rivalry

November 1, 2010 - 3:35am

ORLANDO, Fla. — In order for two sports teams to develop a rivalry, a few things must happen first.

Nathan Summers: Reverting to 'old' style

October 25, 2010 - 3:20am

You can’t live in the past but you can’t ever leave it completely behind either.

Nathan Summers: McNeill's motto

October 11, 2010 - 3:35am

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — You don't have to give me credit for starting this when it catches on.

Summers: Harris loses helmet, not head

September 20, 2010 - 3:55am

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Dwayne Harris seems to lose his helmet every time he gets hit this season, but he never loses his head.

Nathan Summers: Blowing doors off

September 14, 2010 - 3:55am

When Ruffin McNeill is driving and Lincoln Riley is riding shotgun, get out of the left lane. Just two games into the season, East Carolina's head football coach and offensive coordinator have already surpassed the century mark, and all signs point to even more points in the future. The high-octane ECU offense ran Memphis off the road on Saturday afternoon and in doing so gave the Pirates a nice, even 100 points in their first two games.

Nathan Summers: Blowing doors off

September 14, 2010 - 3:55am

When Ruffin McNeill is driving and Lincoln Riley is riding shotgun, get out of the left lane. Just two games into the season, East Carolina's head football coach and offensive coordinator have already surpassed the century mark, and all signs point to even more points in the future. The high-octane ECU offense ran Memphis off the road on Saturday afternoon and in doing so gave the Pirates a nice, even 100 points in their first two games.

Nathan Summers: Stepping out of Holtz’s shadow

September 7, 2010 - 3:50am

Some great college football coaches have a way of embodying the character, energy and personality of more than 100 men, and simultaneously injecting their own personalities and character traits back into those men.