A two-game losing streak knocked East Carolina out of the Top 25, but it hasn't robbed head coach Skip Holtz of his sense of humor.

After the Pirates gave up 621 yards in a 41-24 loss to Houston on Sept. 27, Holtz said he had trouble hearing a woman speaking to him outside the locker room. "Excuse me, no offense, but I can't hear you," Holtz told the Raleigh News & Observer.

"There was no defense either," the lady shot back, according to Holtz.

Some of his players admitted that they did not bring the same level of intensity into the game against the Cougars as they showed in back-to-back victories against Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

"A lot of guys were more into the West Virginia game than the Houston game," junior wide receiver Dwayne Harris told the Greenville Daily Reflector. "We were just more enthusiastic about the (West Virginia) game, and against Houston, we just came out here and didn't execute the plays."

East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22: T.J. Lee blocked a punt, picked it up on the bounce and returned it 27 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:52 left for a season-opening upset of the 17th-ranked Hokies in Charlotte. Patrick Pinkney completed 19-of-23 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a 3-yard run.

SEASON RECAP

East Carolina 24, West Virginia 3: Pat Pinkney and the Pirates outplayed Pat White and the visiting Mountaineers for their third consecutive upset of a Top 25 opponent. Pinkney was 22-of-28 for 236 yards and a touchdown and Jonathan Williams had a pair of short touchdown runs, while the defense held the Mountaineers to 251 total yards, tallied three sacks and forced two turnovers and five punts.

East Carolina 28, Tulane 24: Patrick Pinkney capped a clutch nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jamar Bryant with 1:41 remaining to thwart the Green Wave's upset bid in New Orleans. The No. 14 Pirates improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1999 despite turning the ball over four times and rushing for just 56 yards.

N.C. State 30, East Carolina 24 (OT): An overturned ruling from the replay booth gave the Wolfpack a game-tying 5-yard touchdown pass with 1:12 remaining in regulation and ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney fumbled on the first overtime possession. Three plays later, Andre Brown scored on a 10-yard run to upset the 15th-ranked Pirates.

Houston 41, East Carolina 24: The Cougars outgained the No. 23 Pirates 621-275 and snapped an 18-game losing streak against ranked opponents stretching back to 1996. East Carolina turned the ball over three times and converted just 1-of-13 third-down chances. Patrick Pinkney passed for 100 yards and a touchdown and Brandon Simmons rushed for 86 yards and a score to lead the ECU offense.

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