East Carolina–UCF football rivalry
{| class="infobox" style="width: 26em; font-size: 95%;"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 125%;" | '''East Carolina–UCF football rivalry'''
|-
{{#if: {{{image location<includeonly>|</includeonly>}}} |
{{!}} style="text-align: center;" colspan="2" {{!}} }}
|-
| '''Teams'''
| [[East Carolina Pirates football|East Carolina Pirates]]<br>[[UCF Knights football|UCF Knights]]
|-
| '''First game played'''
| September 21, 1991
|-
| '''Series win-loss record'''
| East Carolina leads 9–3
|-
| '''Largest margin of victory'''
| East Carolina 47, UCF 25<br>(September 21, 1991)
|-
| '''Highest scoring game'''
| East Carolina 52, UCF 38<br>(October 6, 2007)
|-
| '''Last game played'''
| October 14, 2012
|-
| '''Decided by a touchdown or less'''
| 4
|-
| '''Current winning streak'''
| UCF 1
|-
| colspan="2" align="center"| <hr>
|-
| align="center" style="width:13em" | [[File:ECU logo.gif|90px|East Carolina Pirates]]
| align="center" style="width:13em" | [[File:University of Central Florida UCF vertical text logo.svg|70px|UCF logo]]
|}
The '''East Carolina–UCF football rivalry''' is an American [[college football]] [[college rivalry|rivalry]] game played by the [[East Carolina Pirates football]] team of [[East Carolina University]] and the [[UCF Knights football]] team of the [[University of Central Florida]]. The teams first met in 1991, but for the majority of the rivalry both teams were members of [[Conference USA]] between 2005 and 2012.
East Carolina holds the advantage in the overall win-loss record in the rivalry series, 9–3. The series has been marked by periods of alternating winning streaks. East Carolina won four of the first five games, but UCF has won two of the last three. Four of the games in the series have been decided by seven points or fewer, while three were decided by more than twenty points.<ref name=cfdwseriesrecord>College Football Data Warehouse, [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/conferenceusa/central_florida/opponents_records.php?teamid=982 East Carolina vs. UCF]. Retrieved December 11, 2012.</ref>
==Series history==
[[File:UAB at ECU football game 2009-11-21.JPG|200px|thumb|right|[[Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium]], East Carolina's home field since 1963]]
[[File:Bright House Networks Stadium from Student Section, Sept. 15.jpg|200px|thumb|right|[[Bright House Networks Stadium]], UCF's home field since 2007]]
From its one-sided domination by East Carolina in its first few years, the East Carolina–UCF football rivalry evolved into one of the most evenly matched and hardest fought in Conference USA. The games often affected the standings in the conference's eastern divisions, and evenly more frequently affected whether a team qualified for a [[Football Bowl Subdivision|bowl game]]. The Pirates have been considered one of UCF's main rival's due to the number of meetings and the comparable size of the programs. ECU joined [[NCAA_Division_I-A#Football_Bowl_Subdivision|Division I-A]] (FBS) in 1978, while UCF did so in 1996. The Pirates joined C-USA in 1997, and the Knights followed from the [[Mid-American Conference|MAC]] in 2005.
The similarities and histories between the two programs fuel the fire in this rivalry. The first game in the series was played on September 21, 1991 between coach [[Bill Lewis (American football coach)|Bill Lewis]]'s Pirates and coach [[Gene McDowell]]'s Knights in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Florida]]. The Pirates won the first four games of the series, in 1991, 1993–94 and 1996.<ref name=cfdwseriesrecord/> Beginning in 2005, both teams started playing annually as members of C-USA. In [[2005 UCF Golden Knights football team|2005]] the Knights gained their first football victory over East Carolina, a 30–20 victory in [[Greenville, North Carolina]]. After the win, the Knights would lose the next four contests. Since 2010, the Knights have won two of the past three match-ups, losing to the Pirates in Greenville in 2011.<ref name=cfdwseriesrecord/>
In several of the recent years, the match between UCF and East Carolina has determined the winner of the Eastern Division. In 2007, UCF's only conference loss came at the hands of the Pirates. In 2008, the Pirates returned the favor and won in overtime to secure the C-USA East title. A UCF loss at East Carolina also determined them as the Eastern Division champions in 2009, while a UCF win at home was the difference in 2010. In 2012, a UCF win over East Carolina was the deciding factor once again in deciding the East division.
The 2012 season marked UCF's last as a member of Conference USA, as it will join the [[Big East Conference]] for all-sports in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://today.ucf.edu/its-official-ucf-to-join-big-east-conference/ |title=It's Official! UCF Joins BIG EAST Conference |publisher=University of Central Florida |date=2011-12-07 |accessdate=2012-11-30}}</ref> The Pirates will follow the Knights to the Big East in 2014 as football-playing member, likely reigniting the rivalry.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2012/11/27/tulane-east-carolina-big-east/1729541/ |title=Big East to add Tulane, East Carolina |work=USA Today |date=2012-11-27 |accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref> The series conclusion as C-USA members ended in 2012, with a 40–20 victory by the Knights. However, the Pirates retain a 9–3 advantage in the series.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tulane, ECU to Join Big East in '14, Leaving C-USA |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/tulane-join-big-east-2014-leaving-usa-17818798#.ULhRXeSyjng |publisher=ABC News |date=2012-11-27 |accessdate=2012-11-30}}</ref>
==Game results==
{| class="wikitable" width="20%"
! colspan=2|Legend
|-
|
{{Colorbox|#4F0076}} East Carolina victory<br />
{{Colorbox|#CC9900}} UCF victory<br />
|}
{{Col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center"
! width=115 | Date
! width=95 | Location
! width=90 | Winner
! width=40 | Score<ref name=cfdwseriesrecord/>
|-align=center style="background:#4F0076; color:#FFE600;"
| September 21, 1991 || Orlando, FL ||'''East Carolina'''|| 47–25
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| September 18, 1993 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 41–17
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| November 12, 1994 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 23–20
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| September 28, 1996 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 28–7
|-align=center style="background: #CC9900; color: #000000;"
| October 29, 2005|| Greenville, NC ||'''UCF'''|| 30–20
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| November 4, 2006 || Orlando, FL ||'''East Carolina'''|| 23–10
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| October 6, 2007 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 52–38
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| November 2, 2008 || Orlando, FL ||'''East Carolina'''|| 13–10
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| September 26, 2009 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 19–14
|-align=center style="background: #CC9900; color: #000000;"
| October 30, 2010 || Orlando, FL ||'''UCF'''|| 49–35
|-align=center style="background: #4F0076; color: #FFE600;"
| November 19, 2011 || Greenville, NC ||'''East Carolina'''|| 38–31
|-align=center style="background: #CC9900; color: #000000;"
| October 4, 2012 || Orlando, FL ||'''UCF'''|| 40–20
|}
{{Col-end}}
==Notable games==
Most rivalries are marked by frequent close games, unexpected upsets, and memorable moments; the evenly-matched East Carolina–UCF rivalry has provided many. Four of the games in the series have been decided by seven points or fewer, while three were decided by more than twenty points. In terms of all-time winning percentage, only a few points separate the Pirates (.520) and the Knights (.523).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/misc/div_ia_winning_pct.php |title=Division I-A All-Time Winning Percentage |work=College Football Data Warehouse |accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref> A few of the most notable games of the rivalry are described below.
===2007: Turnovers===
After going into the half leading 28–17, UCF took a surprising downturn in the second half. In the third quarter alone, the Knights turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions by Kyle Israel, one interception from [[Michael Greco (American football)|Michael Greco]], and two lost fumbles between Israel and running back [[Kevin Smith (running back)|Kevin Smith]]. The Pirates converted three of the turnovers into scores, and with a kick return outscored UCF 28–3 in the third to earn a 52–38 win.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=272790151 |title=East Carolina 52, UCF 38 |publisher=ESPN |date=20087-10-06 |accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref> The 52 points were the most for East Carolina since a 2002 victory over [[Houston Cougars football|Houston]].
The loss was the only conference contest dropped all season, with the Knights going on to their first [[Conference USA Football Championship Game|conference championship]] in program history with a 44–25 victory over [[Tulsa Golden Hurricane football|Tulsa]] in the [[2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game|championship game]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/genrel/081707aaa.html | publisher=University of Central Florida Athletics Association | title=George O'Leary Makes His Mark at UCF: Part 8 of 8 - The History of UCF Football | date=2007-08-17 | accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref> Smith, with 147–yards in the game, would become UCF's first consensus [[All-American]], and finished in eighth place with 55 total points and three first-place votes for the [[Heisman Trophy]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120907aaa.html | publisher=University of Central Florida Athletics Association | title=UCF's Smith Secures Consensus All-America Honor | date=2007-12-09 | accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6700005/ | publisher=MSNBC | title=Expanded Heisman Trophy voting results | date=2007-12 | accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref>
===2008: Overtime===
Both teams entered the 2008 game on different tracks. The Knights were the defending conference champions, but held a 2–6 record compared to the Pirates 5–3 record. After getting within one-score, East Carolina tailback Norman Whitley tied the game at 10 with a rushing touchdown with 5:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. On the first play of overtime, Pirates freshman cornerback Emanuel Davis intercepted UCF quarterback Michael Greco. East Carolina would win the game on a 39–yard field goal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=283072116 |title=Hartman nails 39-yarder as E. Carolina beats UCF in OT |publisher=ESPN |date=2008-11-02 |accessdate=2012-12-11}}</ref> The Pirates would win their first C-USA Championship in 2008, and they would repeat in 2009. The Pirates would finish the season 9–5, while the Knights finished 4–8.
==See also==
{{Portal|American football|College football|Florida|North Carolina}}
* [[2010–12 NCAA conference realignment]]
* [[Big East Conference]]
* [[Conference USA]]
* [[East Carolina–NC State rivalry]]
* [[East Carolina Pirates]]
* [[Mid-American Conference]]
* [[Marshall–UCF football rivalry]]
* [[UCF–USF football rivalry]]
* [[UCF Knights]]
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=29em}}
==External links==
{{East Carolina Pirates football navbox}}
{{UCF Knights football navbox}}
[[Category:East Carolina Pirates football]]
[[Category:College football rivalries in the United States]]
[[Category:UCF Knights football]]