GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Maybe Skip Holtz, from a family of coaching kidders, wasn't joshing the other day when he vowed he would turn on Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium's sprinklers and leave "27 inches of water" on the grass field to bog down West Virginia today, Hurricane Hanna or no.

"Bring an umbrella," the East Carolina coach cautioned. "Even if it doesn't rain."

As if Holtz's pesky Pirates aren't tricky enough for No. 8 West Virginia, they enter today's game, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on ESPN, riding the wave of a 27-22 victory against then-No. 17 Virginia Tech. They know waves, too: 15 starters are from hurricane-familiar North Carolina, and five more hail from out-of-state Atlantic beach areas.

So if it's wet and windy today, these Pirates should feel right at home in rough swells.

"I wasn't here for Floyd; I missed that," said redshirt-senior defensive end Zack Slate, from Melbourne, Fla. "But that's where I'm from. That's what I do, hurricanes."

Slate was part of a unit ravaged by 397 yards rushing and 599 yards of offense last year in a 48-7 loss, a wide scoring gap uncharacteristic of this series. He was around for the closer 27-10 and 20-15 Mountaineers triumphs the previous two years.

"We want to take it to them this year," Slate said. "We kind of sat back last year a little bit."

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart vows his offense will throw in rain, sleet or snow. Yet mudders might prevail on a field that drains well in everyday conditions. Who wins on a slow track? Holtz has a better question: "Are we ready to compete with a top 10 team like West Virginia? We'll play and find out."

Weather wonders aside, a sold-out stadium and high-energy environment awaits. This in a venue about which West Virginia linebacker Mortty Ivy said: "Their fans down there are crazy. I've never really been in an atmosphere like that place."

Matchup: West Virginia (1-0) vs. East Carolina (1-0), 4:30 p.m. today (subject to change), Greenville, N.C. Mountaineers favored by 7¹/₂.

TV/Radio: ESPN, ESPN360.com; WWVA-AM (1170) and Mountaineer Sports Network.

East Carolina: Has beaten back-to-back ranked teams, a school first: No. 24 Boise State, No. 17 Virginia Tech. ... QB Patrick Pinkney (pictured) went 19 of 23 for 211 yards and accounted for two touchdowns in 27-22 upset of Virginia Tech.

West Virginia: Gateway's Mortty Ivy might move to middle linebacker if Reed Williams (shoulders) cannot play long or at all, and John Holmes would replace Ivy on the outside. ... Quarterback Patrick White threw for then-career-high 216 yards and accounted for all three touchdowns last time at East Carolina.

Hidden stat: Mountaineers rushed for 127 and 153 yards in two of past three Pirates meetings, half their per-game average each of those seasons.Game