Brandon Fractious saw his opportunity and made the most of it. With an injured turf toe still nagging Chris Johnson, Fractious got his first career start and ran for 102 yards on 19 carries as ECU ran its way to a convincing 31-21 win over ACC opponent Virginia.
Coming off an open date with more people missing practice than the previous week is not how Skip Holtz wanted to begin his week of preparation for ECU's date with Virginia on Saturday. A flu bug swept through the ECU football team over the weekend, keeping 11 players out of practice Sunday night and a handful of players still out with nagging injuries.
ECU vs. Virginia keys to the game: ECU Run the ball: With the injuries in the backfield, getting the running game going against a good Virginia front seven will be difficult, but it's a must. The Pirates inconsistent running has caused quarterback James Pinkney to take some shots in the backfield.
The women's soccer team is looking forward to returning home. Coming off a four game road trip where they went 1-1-2, ECU (5-5-2, 0-1-1 Conference USA) looks for their first conference win as Marshall travels to Bunting Field. The Pirates have never lost to the Thundering Herd with the only game coming last year in Huntington, W.