Good morning. A football game inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium would feel pretty empty without the sounds of the band that march in the athletes so head coach Mike Houston had to show his love and support.

What else are we mixing into today's Brew?

1️⃣ The battle to be the No. 1… punter
🏈 Meet Pirate football players tomorrow
​🏴‍☠️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Gettin’ A Kick Out Of It. Competition is tight this season with there being a battle for starting spots in every position—and Archer Trafford is one of those players who is going up against returning starting punter Luke Larsen.

Archer Trafford is a graduate transfer specialist from Mississippi State who appeared in 10 games and had a total of 16 punts for an average of 42.4 yards with a long of 60 yards.

Luke Larsen is returning for his third year at ECU and has been listed as the school's top punter for the second straight year. He’s played in 19 career games and tallied 62 punts for 2,523 yards, with five being 50 yards or more.

Who will win the battle for punter? We’ll know soon enough.

🏈 Read more about Archer Trafford’s journey to ECU here.

🔼 See You Soon. Make sure you write this down—tomorrow you have plans. Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is opening up at 11:30am ET for a meet-and-greet with your favorite Pirates. And with just 15 days left until the regular season starts, this may be your last shot at talking to your favorite players!

🤔 PIRATES TRIVIA

Blow out the candles. Former ECU men’s golfer Harold Varner III turned 33 years old and decided that instead of gifts… he wanted to donate money to the HV3 fund.

A Hall of Fame gesture from a Hall of Fame golfer. No, literally. He was inducted into the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame recently.

Today’s question—what year was Varner inducted?

Think you got it? Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

For more information on how you can support ECU Student Athletes through Team Boneyard, please email Doug Gomes at [email protected] or visit the Team Boneyard website.

⏪ ICYMI

We like our Brew hot n’ fresh. But we’re not opposed to you reheating your cup. Here’s some news you may have missed recently…

🏴‍☠️ All Laughs. Now that soccer season is in full swing, take some time to sit down and learn about Rachael Wilsynski and Jazmin Ferguson as they answer some random questions on Couch Talk.

🏴‍☠️ Future Goals. As swimming & diving continues to give you the behind-the-scenes on all the players, Frida Zuniga Guzman has been the only teammate (so far!) to want to stick with sports after graduation. Her goal of returning to Mexico to improve sports within the country is a cultural change just waiting to happen. Can’t wait to see what your future holds, Frida!

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Pirate Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 COMING SOON

Saturday 9/2

🏈 Football at Michigan @ 12:00pm ET (Season Opener)

Saturday 9/9

🏈 Football vs Marshall @ 4:00pm ET (Home Opener)

Tickets Available

🎟️ Grab your home and away football tickets today!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 2022!

🏴‍☠️ Have a great Friday, y’all.