By By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
MEMPHIS — East Carolina quarterback Patrick Pinkney isn’t sure whether Friday’s Autozone Liberty Bowl will mark the end of his collegiate playing career or not.
Although he received his diploma last month, the second-year starter is still hopeful that the NCAA will grant him an extra year of eligibility since the 22-year old Fayetteville native was sidelined for both the 2004 and 2005 seasons with shoulder injuries.
While Pinkney awaits his fate, 11 other members of the Pirates’ two-deep depth chart know they’ll be walking on to the field for the final time when the Pirates take on Kentucky at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis on Friday.
While Bell has been looking forward to Friday’s game for a very long time, some guys like Zack Slate have tried not to think about walking out of the tunnel for the final time.
Slate, Bell, Leon Best, J.J. Millbrook, Wilson Raynor, Stanley Bryant, Fred Hicks, J.R. Kraemer, Brandon Simmons, Jason Simmons and Davon Drew will all play their final game at East Carolina on Saturday.