THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, September 19, 1995            TAG: 9509190171
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: GREENVILLE, N.C.                   LENGTH: Short :   38 lines

THE PIRATES HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE A 30-0 BOWL BEATING BY ILLINOIS HAS GRATED FOR 9 LONG MONTHS.

The last time the East Carolina Pirates saw the Fighting Illini of Illinois, it was in the shadow of the Liberty Bowl scoreboard. The final score on that dreary New Year's Eve - Illinois 30, ECU 0.

Some 12,000 ECU fans made the trek to Memphis last December, only to see the Pirates humiliated. The margin was already 30 points in the third quarter when Illinois inserted its subs.

In the nine months since, the disappointment has burned in the stomachs of the Pirates like acid.

``Embarrassing,'' wide receiver Jason Nichols said. ``It was embarrassing.''

Now comes their chance for revenge. Illinois, a 9-7 winner over nationally ranked Arizona last weekend, hosts ECU on Saturday, and the Pirates are primed.

``You never want to look ahead,'' linebacker Mark Libiano said after the Pirates' 30-17 victory over Central Michigan. ``But we've been looking forward to this game for a long time. We're gonna be ready.''

Nichols said the Pirates, youthful and inexperienced last season, are now much wiser. Witness their come-from-behind, 27-24 victory at Syracuse on Sept. 9.

``Last year we were a young team and didn't know what to expect,'' he said. ``We didn't expect to win.

``Now we do. We expected to win at Syracuse, even we were were behind (21-0). We expect to win (at Illinois), too.'' by CNB