Spring Break
Thursday night games create publicity, causes conflicts
Jared Jackson, Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Sports
There's something special about an ESPN Thursday night game. Just flip on the television every week and behold the college football spectacle for yourself.
Or you could make the trek to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this coming Thursday and see the action unfold in person as the Worldwide Leader in Sports brings its traveling road show to Greenville for the first time since ECU dropped a 39-34 decision to Louisville in 2001.
The Pirates also played Virginia Tech on a Thursday night in Dowdy-Ficklen in 2000 when ECU was dropped 45-28.
ECU will boast an all-time record of 3-6 when playing on Thursday but has won three of the past five.
The Hokies are no stranger to Thursday night games in sporting a 15-5 in the pre-weekend prime time slot. However, VT did drop a close contest in Blacksburg last week to North Carolina, 20-17.
Of course, playing on a Thursday night is an honor considering the fact that it will be the only college football game on television, but the event has its pros and cons.
Think about how many times you will see an ECU or VT promo that highlights each respective university's strengths and accomplishments in an effort to attract not only athletic recruits but also academic ones as well.
But as with anything, playing the game on a weekday means that it also comes with disadvantages.
"All weeknight games that are televised nationally by ESPN provide prime time exposure for the universities who play the games," ECU athletics director Terry Holland said. "But weeknight games are (also) disruptive to academic schedules as well as inconvenient for a large percentage of the fans who buy tickets to games expecting them to be on Saturdays."
However, the game will bestow ECU on a national stage that will be watched by tens of thousands around the nation, which has the Pirates' head coach Skip Holtz excited.
"There is an awful lot of buildup and excitement for this game, venue and atmosphere," Holtz said. "I think Greenville will come alive a little bit Thursday. We're really excited to not only play Virginia Tech, but to play the team at home, on Thursday night, in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with a national-television audience."
Or you could make the trek to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this coming Thursday and see the action unfold in person as the Worldwide Leader in Sports brings its traveling road show to Greenville for the first time since ECU dropped a 39-34 decision to Louisville in 2001.
The Pirates also played Virginia Tech on a Thursday night in Dowdy-Ficklen in 2000 when ECU was dropped 45-28.
ECU will boast an all-time record of 3-6 when playing on Thursday but has won three of the past five.
The Hokies are no stranger to Thursday night games in sporting a 15-5 in the pre-weekend prime time slot. However, VT did drop a close contest in Blacksburg last week to North Carolina, 20-17.
Of course, playing on a Thursday night is an honor considering the fact that it will be the only college football game on television, but the event has its pros and cons.
Think about how many times you will see an ECU or VT promo that highlights each respective university's strengths and accomplishments in an effort to attract not only athletic recruits but also academic ones as well.
But as with anything, playing the game on a weekday means that it also comes with disadvantages.
"All weeknight games that are televised nationally by ESPN provide prime time exposure for the universities who play the games," ECU athletics director Terry Holland said. "But weeknight games are (also) disruptive to academic schedules as well as inconvenient for a large percentage of the fans who buy tickets to games expecting them to be on Saturdays."
However, the game will bestow ECU on a national stage that will be watched by tens of thousands around the nation, which has the Pirates' head coach Skip Holtz excited.
"There is an awful lot of buildup and excitement for this game, venue and atmosphere," Holtz said. "I think Greenville will come alive a little bit Thursday. We're really excited to not only play Virginia Tech, but to play the team at home, on Thursday night, in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with a national-television audience."
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