East Carolina–UCF football rivalry

East Carolina–UCF football rivalry

First contested	September 21, 1991 East Carolina 47, UCF 25
Number of meetings	16
Most recent meeting	October 20, 2018 UCF 37, East Carolina 10
Next meeting	October 19, 2019
All-time series	East Carolina leads, 10–7
Largest victory	UCF, 63–21 (2017)
Longest win streak	East Carolina, 4 (1991–1996, 2006–2009)
Current streak	UCF, 3 (2016–present)

The East Carolina–UCF football rivalry is an American college football 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 the same conference – first Conference USA (2005–2012), and now the American Athletic Conference (2014–present).

East Carolina holds the advantage in the overall win-loss record in the rivalry series, 10–7. The series has been marked by periods of alternating winning streaks. East Carolina won four of the first five games, but UCF has won four of the last five. Five of the games in the series have been decided by seven points or fewer, while three were decided by more than twenty points.

Series history

File:UAB at ECU football game 2009-11-21.JPG

Since 1963, East Carolina has played at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium. The stadium was named in part after Ron Dowdy, an Orlando businessman and major contributor to both programs.

File:Bright House Networks Stadium from Student Section, Sept. 15.jpg

Spectrum Stadium, UCF's home field since 2007

First Games (1991–1996)

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. East Carolina joined 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's Pirates and coach Gene McDowell's Knights in Orlando, Florida. The Pirates won the first four games of the series, in 1991, 1993–94 and 1996.

Conference foes (2005–present)

Beginning in 2005, both teams started playing annually as members of C-USA. In 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. 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 during the two teams time in Conference USA (C-USA). The games often affected the standings in the conference's eastern divisions, and evenly more frequently affected whether a team qualified for a bowl game.

The contest between UCF and East Carolina determined the winner of the C-USA Eastern Division numerous times. 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 and 2012.

Conference realignment changed the rivalry once again, when UCF was admitted to the Big East Conference (later realigned as the American Athletic Conference), an Automatic Qualifying conference, for the 2013 season. In 2012, it was announced that the Pirates would follow the Knights to The American in 2014 as an all-sports member. In 2012, the series conclusion with both schools as members of C-USA, the Knights earned a 40–20 victory over the Pirates.

In May 2014, The American announced that as of the 2015 season, both schools will be a member of the East Division.

The 2014 meeting, which was the regular season finale for both teams, notably was a deciding game for the 2014 AAC conference championship. A 51-yard hail mary pass on the final play of the game gave UCF a shocking 32-30 victory, and clinched the Knights a share of the 2014 conference championship.

Game results

Since 1991, the Pirates and Knights have played twelve times. East Carolina leads the series 10–7. The game has been played in two cities and three stadiums: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, and the Citrus Bowl and Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida. East Carolina leads the series in Greenville (6–4) and in Orlando (4–3).

East Carolina victories

UCF victories

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	September 21, 1991	Orlando, FL	East Carolina	47–25
2	September 18, 1993	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	41–17
3	November 12, 1994	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	23–20
4	September 28, 1996	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	28–7
5	October 29, 2005	Greenville, NC	UCF	30–20
6	November 4, 2006	Orlando, FL	East Carolina	23–10
7	October 6, 2007	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	52–38
8	November 2, 2008	Orlando, FL	East Carolina	13–10OT
9	September 26, 2009	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	19–14
10	October 30, 2010	Orlando, FL	UCF	49–35
11	November 19, 2011	Greenville, NC	East Carolina	38–31
12	October 4, 2012	Orlando, FL	UCF	40–20
13	December 4, 2014	Greenville, NC	UCF	32–30
14	November 19, 2015	Orlando, FL	East Carolina	44–7
15	October 1, 2016	Greenville, NC	UCF	47–29
16	October 14, 2017	Orlando, FL	#22 UCF	63–21
17	October 20, 2018	Greenville, NC	#10 UCF	37–10
Series: East Carolina leads 10–7

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games
• 2005 NCAA conference realignment
• 2010–13 Big East Conference realignment