​GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — East Carolina football held their second and final scrimmage of fall camp inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday, as the season opener at Alabama is just two weeks away.Pirates head coach Blake Harrell declined to name a starting quarterback, but praised the progress of both Mitch Griffis and Emory Williams in the ongoing QB battle. Harrell also enjoyed the steps taken on both sides of the ball by the Pirates, and spoke about what he is most looking forward to this year.”What am I looking forward to most this year? To me, it’s being back in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium,” Harrell said Saturday. “I like being back in there with our fan base and especially the way the end of the year, kind of the vibe we had, the energy we had at the end of the year. We played Memphis here and just that “tarps off” moment, and I think that was contagious for our whole fan base. It helped us. You know, I think we have…we’re going in the right direction. We have a really good team but we can pull it even more.”We just want to compete and showcase,” linebacker Julien Davis added. “We can compete with anybody, you know, just put the ball down and let’s play ball and let’s see whose shoes are tight up, whose belt is buckled and whose homes are strapped up. So that’s what I’m excited to see from myself and my teammates.””We put in so much time and effort, energy, blood, sweat, tears, like just from January to now,” wide receiver Jeremiah Melvin said. “Like, you know, for this season, for this football season. And I feel like, you know, you feel it approaching day in and day out. You try to remain focused each and every day. But I’m super excited and I can’t wait.”The Pirates will open the season at Alabama on Saturday, September 5th at noon. The Crimson Tide are ranked 13th in the preseason AP Poll, and 11th in the AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll. Tune into your Official Station of the Pirates, WNCT-TV, for all your ECU football coverage leading up to kickoff and throughout the season.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.