GREENVILLE — Mike Houston’s arrival has delivered as expected.

It’s early. No games have been played.

But there’s little debate that this once-thriving tobacco county, now a vibrant medical hub, is football-thirsty as ever. When being huddled around East Carolina’s gridiron is the place to be, Greenville is a happening place. Houston is in the process of returning it to form.

The past three years were tough. High hopes came with former Duke assistant Scottie Montgomery, a product of the well established and highly credentialed David Cutcliffe.

But aside from some solid recruiting in the 252 area code — and everybody up here knows, from the days of Stasavich to Dye to Logan to now, there has always been a harvest to be had — Scottie Mo just couldn’t find traction. Three seasons of 3-9 led to his ouster.

Tickets were easy to get a year ago, even when Carolina came to town. That’s not only practically unheard of, it was downright sad.

Houston came in with swagger and a plan. Literal Pirate mentality? Something like that.

He’s a proven head coaching commodity. He took Lenoir-Rhyne to the Division II national championship game, won the Southern Conference and a game at South Carolina while at The Citadel, and led James Madison to the FCS national championship in his first year there. The Dukes were runner-up in 2017, the year they won in Greenville by three touchdowns.

All of this over eight seasons.

Practices here move fast, too.

On Saturday as a second August scrimmage concluded, the defense was getting the better edge and the players on both sides of the ball were motivated and challenged. Their words and actions between plays, after two hours under a muggy cloud cover, assured their urgency.

“The scrimmage went back and forth with some good flow,” Houston said. “One side would make a play, then the other side would respond. It’s very hard to do that when you are playing against yourself, but the offense and defense did a good job of it today. That shows development and maturity within the program that we didn’t see back in the spring.”

A few hours later, they welcomed their loyals to the Meet the Pirates extravaganza. The line was long, hundreds deep, for tours of the new Towne Bank Tower.

There were smiles, a few oohs and ahs, and the players posed for pictures, signed autographs and talked with optimism.

Excitement is back.

This won’t be easy. Houston knew as much when he took the gig. But he wanted it and ECU wanted it, enough so that the transaction led to one university, Charlotte, being put on hold for five days with its offer for his services while one coach, Montgomery, got the boot two days before the Pirates played N.C. State in their regular season finale.

Not surprisingly, that didn’t go well. The Wolfpack won 58-3. They line up again Aug. 31 at high noon in Raleigh.

What has happened since should provide a significant leveling of that score. Few if any have yet to say the victor will change, but “surprise” was taken out of this rivalry’s dictionary about 40 years ago.

“There were times after we got here and we were trying to learn the players, upgrade the facilities, recruit, put the staff together and the rest of it that it was almost overwhelming,” Houston said. “Looking back now, we’ve come a long way. We’ve seen a transformation of our players in the locker room and on the field, more maturity and development. We are not a finished product yet, but we are light years from where we were in the spring.”

Not to mention a cold first Saturday afternoon in December. It was a 55-point spread that day, darker than the gray skies and the worst licking since Lou Holtz’s second Wolfpack squad dropped a 57-8 dagger into the purple and gold in September 1973.

A lot has changed these last nine months, though it is early and no games have been played.

The new Pirate is bringing his delivery. Optimism has sailed into to Greenville.

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Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Deondre Farrier breaks through defenders with a reception late in Saturday’s second scrimmage at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_alan-column-secondary-082019.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Deondre Farrier breaks through defenders with a reception late in Saturday’s second scrimmage at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Mike Houston talks to his team following a scrimmage Saturday, praising them for the good and offering encouragement and correctives for the things still not crisp. The Pirates on Aug. 31 open the season at N.C. State, the very place and team against which ECU ended last season with a 58-3 setback.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_alan-column-main-082019.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Mike Houston talks to his team following a scrimmage Saturday, praising them for the good and offering encouragement and correctives for the things still not crisp. The Pirates on Aug. 31 open the season at N.C. State, the very place and team against which ECU ended last season with a 58-3 setback.
New head coach Mike Houston brings the swagger, the plan and the optimism

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.