East Carolina Is National Team of the Week

For Immediate Release

Following their second upset victory of the season, East Carolina was named the Southern Fans' National Team of the Week for the Sept. 6 weekend.

The Pirates defeated No. 8 West Virginia 24-3 in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday. This victory followed their 27-22 win over Virginia Tech on opening weekend. The win ended a seven-game losing streak to the Mountaineers; the win over VaTech ended a six-game skid. ECU also upset Boise State in the Hawaii bowl to close the 2007 season.

The East Carolina defense held star WVU QB Pat White to 72 passing yards and no rusher had more than 100 yards; ECU QB Patrick Pinkney was nearly perfect, going 22 of 28 for 236 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Other nominees for this week's Southern Fans' National Team of the Week:

Wake Forest
W 30-28 over Ole Miss
Sam Swank hit a 41-yard FG with three seconds left to give Wake Forest a two-point win over the Rebels in this early season ACC-SEC matchup.

Vanderbilt
W 24-17 over South Carolina
The offense, defense and special teams all contributed to help the Dores claim their first home win over a ranked team since 1992. Vanderbilt is unbeaten after the second week for only the third time in 32 years.

Penn State
W 45-14 over Oregon State
The Nittany Lions shoved aside the distraction created by the suspension of two defensive starters, then rolled over Oregon State, 45-14 on Saturday. Penn State easily handled the Beavers in the Big Ten-PAC-10 match-up.

The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week this season. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2008 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through Dec. 1.

2008 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 30: Alabama
• Weekend of Sept. 6: East Carolina