East Carolina
Pirates
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2008
ECU Season
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2008 ECU Preview
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2007 ECU Season
2008 Preview
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 9-5
Aug. 30 Virginia Tech
W 27-22
Sept. 6 West Virginia W 24-3
Sept. 13 at Tulane W
28-24
Sept. 20 at NC State L 30-24 OT
Sept. 27 Houston L 41-24
Oct. 4 OPEN DATE
Oct. 11 at Virginia L 35-20
Oct. 18 Memphis W 30-10
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 2 at UCF W 13-10 OT
Nov. 8 Marshall W 19-16
OT
Nov. 15 at Southern Miss L 21-3
Nov. 22 at UAB W 17-13
Nov. 29 UTEP W 53-21
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP
Tulsa W 27-24
Liberty Bowl
Jan. 2 Kentucky L 25-17 |
|
2007 Preview
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2007 Record:
8-5
Sept. 1 at
Virginia Tech L 17-7
Sept. 8
North Carolina W 34-21
Sept. 15
Southern Miss
L 28-21
Sept. 22 at
West Virginia L 48-7
Sept. 29
at Houston W 37-35
Oct.
6
UCF
W 52-38
Oct.
13
at UTEP
W 45-42 OT
Oct.
20 NC
State L 34-20
Oct.
27
UAB
W 41-6
Nov.
3
at Memphis
W 56-40
Nov.
10 at
Marshall L 26-7
Nov.
24
Tulane
W 35-12
Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 23 Boise State W 41-38 |
2009
Recruiting Class
Five Best Prospects
|
1. Michael Dobson |
DB |
6-0 |
185 |
Mount Airy, NC |
|
2. Giavanni Ruffin |
RB |
6-1 |
210 |
Visalia, CA |
|
3. Will Simmons |
OL |
6-5 |
320 |
Ahoskie, NC |
|
5. Damonte Terry |
RB |
6-0 |
185 |
Laurinburg, NC |
|
4. Reese Wiggins |
WR |
5-10 |
180 |
Durham, NC |
Rest Of
The Class
|
Alex Andrus |
LB |
6-3 |
235 |
Coopersville, MI |
|
Jimmy Booth |
DT |
6-3 |
285 |
Greenville, NC |
|
Michael Brooks |
DT |
6-3 |
295 |
Yanceyville, NC |
|
Dante Burton |
TE |
6-2 |
215 |
Paterson, NJ |
|
Jordan Davis |
OL |
6-3 |
290 |
Fort Walton Beach, FL |
|
Max Hay |
OL |
6-7 |
310 |
Burlington, NJ |
|
Ty Holmes |
DB |
6-1 |
205 |
Lexington, NC |
|
Torrance Hunt |
DB |
5-7 |
150 |
Durham, NC |
|
Perry James |
DB |
6-0 |
180 |
Mocksville, NC |
|
Rio Johnson |
QB |
6-2 |
175 |
Tyrone, GA |
|
Justin Jones |
TE |
6-6 |
235 |
Conyers, GA |
|
Lamar McLendon |
LB |
6-1 |
210 |
Fayetteville, NC |
|
Matt Milner |
DE |
6-4 |
240 |
Raleigh, NC |
|
Zico Pasut |
TE |
6-3 |
235 |
Charlotte, NC |
|
Marke Powell |
LB |
6-3 |
200 |
Troy, NC |
|
Mike Price |
WR |
6-2 |
160 |
New Bern, NC |
|
Korey Reynolds |
LB |
6-3 |
245 |
Senatobia, MS |
|
Kyle Tudor |
DB |
6-3 |
195 |
Evans, GA |
Jan. 2
2009 Liberty Bowl
Kentucky 25 … East Carolina 19
In a strange game with three missed extra points, a few critical replay calls on
fumbles, and streaky offensive production, ECU took a 16-3 halftime lead helped
by a 28-yard Brandon Simmons touchdown run and a 80-yard Darryl Freeney scoring
play. And then UK took over right away out of the locker room with David Jones
taking the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and Kyrus Lanxter scoring
from 13 yards out to tie it. With the score tied at 19, after the two teams
traded field goals, Ventrell Jenkins picked up a fumble with just over three
minutes to play and took it 56 yards for a touchdown, complete with a
devastating stiff arm on ECU QB Patrick Pinkney. Review looked at the play, as
it looked like Jenkins’ knee was down, but the play was upheld. The extra point
was blocked, meaning ECU needed a touchdown and an extra point to win, but the
last drive failed to gain a yard.
Player of the Game:
Kentucky DT Myron Pryor made seven tackles, a sack,
and forced the fumble that led to the game-winning score.
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Pat Pinkney, 18-36,
296 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Simmons, 10-44, 1 TD. Receiving: Davon Drew,
5-120
Kentucky - Passing: Mike Hartline, 19-31, 204 yds, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: Tony Dixon, 28-89.
Receiving: Kyrus Lanxter, 5-46, 1 TD
Inside The Box Score ...
5 Thoughts on the Liberty Bowl …Total yards: ECU 397 – UK 310 … Third down
conversions: UK 7-of-17 – ECU 3-of-15 … PATs: UK 1-of-3 – ECU 1-of-2 … ECU LB
Nick Johnson led the defenders with 13 tackles … ECU’s Linval Joseph made seven
tackles with three tackles for loss and a sack … UK had eight tackles for loss
and three sacks, with LB Braxton Kelley making eight
tackles, a sack, and 2.5 tackles for loss … ECU’s Darryl Freeney caught
five passes for 112 yards and a score.
Dec. 6
2008 Conference USA
Championship
East Carolina 27 … Tulsa 24
East Carolina forced seven turnovers with Van Eskridge snuffing out Tulsa’s
final drive with a pick to end a miserable day for David Johnson. The Golden
Hurricane quarterback threw five interceptions, with one on the first play of
the day and one on his last throw, and East Carolina took advantage. Travis
Simmons took one errant pass 72 yards for a touchdown to help ECU take a 14-0
lead, but Tulsa came back with two one-yard touchdown runs from Tarrion Adams
and a 37-yard Jarod Tracy field goal for a three-point lead. Norman Whitley tore
off a 69-yard touchdown run and Ben Hartman hit two field goals as the Pirates
took the lead for good, breaking a 24-24 tie, with a 12-play, 53-yard drive
capped off with a 36-yarder with under two minutes to play.
Player of the game: East Carolina DB Van
Eskridge made nine tackles and two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 23-42, 195
yds, 1 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 28-120, 2 TD. Receiving: Slick Shelley,
6-48
East Carolina - Passing: Pat Pinkney, 10-24, 122 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 14-104, 1 TD. Receiving: Davon Drew, 3-28
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It might not have been
pretty, and QB Patrick Pinkney might have had a rough offensive day, but East
Carolina pulled off the Conference USA title with a tremendous defensive
performance and a takeaway after takeaway after takeaway. The Pirate offensive
line got physical when it had to in the fourth quarter, while the defensive
front did a nice job of generating consistent pressure to force David Johnson’s
mistakes. Off to the Liberty Bowl, this has been a special season for the
program, and now a bowl win is a must or else all the positives at the beginning
of the year, and this win over Tulsa, will be diminished.
Nov. 22
East Carolina 17 … UAB
13
Helped by a face mask penalty to keep the final scoring drive alive, East
Carolina clinched the East title with a two-yard touchdown run from Brandon
Simmons with 2:20 to play. ECU turned the ball over five times, but UAB was only
able to generate a three-yard Joe Webb touchdown run and two Swayze Waters field
goals. The Pirates got a 10-yard Davon Drew touchdown catch in the first
quarter, but saw drive after drive stall until late.
Player of the game:
East Carolina completed 19-of-25 passes for 222 yards
and a touchdown with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: UAB - Passing: Joe Webb, 11-25, 116 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: Joe Webb, 15-75, 1 TD. Receiving: Mark Ferrell, 3-39
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 19-25, 222 yds, 1
TD, 2 INT
Rushing: J.R. Rogers, 10-54. Receiving: Davon Drew, 7-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... ECU might have
clinched the East title with the win over UAB, but it wasn’t pretty by any
stretch. The running game was non-existent, there were five turnovers, and the
pass protection was nearly non-existent at times. Even so, the team got through
the bad game and came up with the win it needed, and now the pressure is off.
Going into the title game, it would be nice if there was a blowout win over UTEP
to close out the regular season. The offense just needs to know it can be
explosive again.
Nov. 15
Southern Miss 21 …
East Carolina 3
Justin Wilson picked off two passes including one to snuff out a late drive, and
DeAndre Brown scored on a 97-yard pass play as USM kept East Carolina from
clinching the East. The Pirates scored first on a second quarter 32-yard Ben
Hartman field goal, but that was it as the offense came up with just 255 yards
of total offense including 66 on the ground. USM came up with a decent pass rush
throughout and got a big day on the ground from Damion Fletcher, who ran for a
four-yard score.
Player of the game:
Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 23 times for 121
yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney,
20-34, 189 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 14-71. Receiving: Dwayne Harris, 6-28
Southern Miss - Passing: Austin Davis, 18-30, 239 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 23-121, 1 TD. Receiving: DeAndre Brown,
8-124, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... East Carolina still
has the East title there for the taking even after the clunker against Southern
Miss, but the offense needs to find something it can count on. Beating UAB
shouldn’t be a problem and getting past UTEP won’t be too hard, but the Pirates
need to start executing better and they have to start getting more from all
phases of the O. The passing game didn’t get anything going deep while the
offensive line had a tough time with the USM defensive front that has been
mediocre all season long. The eight penalties didn’t help.
Nov. 8
East Carolina 19 …
Marshall 16 OT
Ben Hartman missed a 43-yard field goal with three seconds to play, but he made
up for it by nailing a 27-yarder in overtime to give East Carolina the win.
Tyler Warner missed a 42-yarder for Marshall in OT. Hartman had also connected
on field goals from 31, 51 and 21 yards away, while Patrick Pinkney connected
with Davon Drew for a five-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. Marshall
got two Cody Slate touchdown catches from seven and 34 yards out, but the extra
point was botched on the first one and it would later prove costly.
Player of the game:
East Carolina QB Patrick Pinkney completed 26-of-37
passes for 287 yards and a touchdown and ran for 13 yards.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Mark Cann, 13-29, 137 yds,
2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Darius Marshall, 20-123. Receiving: Cody Slate, 5-62, 2
TD
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 26-37, 287 yds,
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 23-68. Receiving: Dwayne Harris, 5-39
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... East Carolina might
be skating by in overtimes lately, but the team is coming up with wins even
though things aren’t going smoothly. The offense isn’t getting into the end zone
with way too many drives ending up with three points instead of seven, and
that’s allowing mediocre teams like Marshall and UCF to stay around. On the plus
side, Patrick Pinkney woke up with one of his better games in weeks. He was
decisive throwing the ball and kept things moving, even if he had a hard time
getting the O in the end zone. Next up are road trios to Southern Miss and UAB.
Nov. 1
East Carolina 13 … UCF
10 OT
East Carolina PK Ben Hartman hit a 39-yard field goal in overtime after Emanuel
Davis picked off Michael Greco on UCF’s overtime chance. Each team had chances
late after key turnovers, but neither could convert. UCF took a 10-0 lead midway
through the third quarter helped by a 54-yard score from Jamar Newsome, who took
a short pass the distance, but ECU scores 13 unanswered points. Hartman hit a
27-yard field goal in the third and Norman Whitley ran for a two-yard touchdown
with under two minutes to play.
Player of the game:
East Carolina RB Norman Whitley ran 28 times for 135
yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: UCF - Passing: Michael Greco, 9-21, 142 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Greco, 17-53. Receiving: Kamar Aiken, 4-29
East Carolina - Passing: Pat Pinkney, 6-14, 84 yds
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 28-135, 1 TD. Receiving: Davon Drew, 6-86
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This is a far cry
from the East Carolina team that was so good to start the season, but even
though the offense didn’t go anywhere, and the passing game continues to be
abysmal, the team is still atop the East standings and in the driver’s seat to
play for the Conference USA title. The defense is playing extremely well, the
UCF offense didn’t get a chance to breathe, but to keep up down the road, Pat
Pinkney, Rob Kass and the passing game have to be far better.
Oct. 18
East Carolina 30 …
Memphis 10
Both starting quarterbacks were out early with Rob Kass replacing an ineffective
Patrick Pinkney to hit Brandon Simmons for a 42-yard touchdown and Dwayne Harris
for a 28-yard score. Memphis, who lost QB Arkelon Hall to a broken thumb early
on, took a 10-7 lead into halftime on a 20-yard Vinny Zaccario field goal, but
ECU went on a 23-0 run in the second half. ECU outgained Memphis 381 yards to
184.
Player of the game:
East Carolina QB Rob Kass came off the bench and
completed 9-of-17 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Brett Toney, 11-15, 65 yds
Rushing: Curtis Steele, 14-43, 1 TD. Receiving: Earnest Williams,
4-31
East Carolina - Passing: Rob Kass, 9-17, 167 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jon Williams, 15-108, 1 TD. Receiving: Dwayne Harris,
6-86, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Memphis offense
quickly went into the tank against East Carolina after losing starting
quarterback Arkelon Hall, and the defense couldn’t pick up the slack in the
second half. Brett Toney wasn’t asked to throw the ball deep, and he didn’t, and
while he completed 11-of-15 passes, he didn’t get the offense moving. LB Greg
Jackson had a nice day making 11 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss, but the line
struggled to get into the backfield.
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Patrick Pinkney had been
struggling for a while and was overdue to get a break. Starting out 3-for-7
against Memphis made that happen, and while Rob Kass didn’t make the earth move,
he was effective at leading the way to the win. Getting a 68-yard touchdown run
from Jon Williams helped. The defense did its part against the punchless Tigers,
especially in the second half. The team is struggling a bit overall with its
consistency, but as long as it’s winning, everything is fine.
Oct. 11
Virginia 35 … East
Carolina 20
Virginia overcame two early interceptions and a 6-0 deficit to score 28 straight
points on Cedric Peerman touchdown runs from 79 and 60 yards, a five-yard Mikell
Simpson scoring run, and a 30-yard Kevin Ogletree touchdown catch. East Carolina
managed to come back in the second half to pull within eight, but John Phillips
caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Virginia came up with six sacks to East Carolina’s one..
Player of the game:
Virginia RB Cedric Peerman ran 16 times for 173 yards
and two touchdowns, and he led the team with eight catches for 26 yards
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Pat Pinkney, 12-28,
196 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jon Williams, 19-95, 1 TD. Receiving: Dwayne Harris,
6-128
Virginia - Passing: Marc Verica, 25-32, 216 yds, 1 TD, 2
INT
Rushing: Cedric Peerman, 16-173, 2 TD. Receiving: Cedric Peerman,
8-26
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This is hardly the
same team that started out the season playing so well on defense. The line is
struggling to make plays in the backfield, while the offense isn’t getting much
out of the running game. Against Virginia, the Pirates struggled to keep things
moving mainly because Patrick Pinkney was under pressure all game long. Against
Memphis next week, job one will be pass protection.
Sept. 27
Houston
41 … East Carolina 24
Houston busted open a close game with an 84-yard touchdown catch from Kierrie
Johnson in the fourth quarter, and two minutes later, got a five-yard Bryce Bell
touchdown run after a turnover. The Cougars cranked out 621 yards of total
offense while the defense stuffed the ECU attack, holding it to just 275 yards.
The Pirates got an 11-yard interception return for a touchdown from Emanuel
Davis and a four-yard Brandon Simmons touchdown run, but Houston never trailed.
ECU converted just one of 13 third down chances and the two teams combined for
seven turnovers.
Player of the game: Houston QB Case Keenum finished 36-of-44 for 399
yards, three touchdowns and an interception, running nine times for 23 yards.
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 36-44,
399 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 22-132, 2 TDs. Receiving: Patrick Edwards,
11-146, 1 TD
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 10-20, 100 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Simmons, 19-86, 1 TD. Receiving: Dwayne Harris, 5-52
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
How could ECU not be emotionally fired up for a huge Conference USA
battle? Houston has the potential to win the title, yet the Pirates were
sluggish, struggled to keep the chains moving, and didn’t look like it was
anywhere near the same team that was so good to start the season. All is not
lost, there’s an off-week before facing a bad Virginia, but to get back on
track, Patrick Pinkney has to be as efficient as he was over the first three
games and the defensive pressure has to be turned back up a few notches. Houston
was able to roll for 621 yards. The Cougar offense is good, but ECU should’ve
been far, far better.
Sept.
20
NC State
30 ... East Carolina 24 OT
In a wild finish, NC State got a five-yard touchdown catch from
George Bryan, which was originally ruled incomplete, and then
reversed after a lengthy review. In overtime, State's Shane McKeen
forced a Patrick Pinkney fumble, and the Wolfpack offense took
advantage almost immediately with a 10-yard Andre Brown scoring run
to win the game. Brown caught a four-yard touchdown pass from
Russell Wilson, who threw three touchdown passes on the day. East
Carolina traded scores, but never led, getting a 39-yard scoring
play off a short catch from Jarvis Williams in the third and a
42-yard Norman Whitely touchdown dash in the third from the offense,
and started out the scoring with a 23-yard Van Eskridge interception
return for a score in the first.
Player of the game:
NC
State QB Russell Wilson completed 21-of-31 passes for 210 yards and
three touchdowns, while running 12 times for 26 yards.
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Patrick
Pinkney, 19-32, 210 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Norman Whitley, 9-83. Receiving: Dwayne
Harris, 10-88
NC State - Passing: Russell Wilson, 21-31, 210 yds,
3 TDs
Rushing: Andre Brown, 12-73, 1 TD. Receiving:
Jamelle Eugene, 7-50
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Much will be made of
Skip Holtz and why he shouldn't have gone for it on fourth and goal
from the one in the fourth quarter when up by four against NC State,
but it was a statement call that backfired ... it was also a good
call. Had ECU powered it in, it likely would've meant game over, and
despite missing, the Wolfpack went 3-and-out and ECU got the ball
back in good field position which then led to a field goal.
Basically, ECU delayed the field goal by about seven minutes and
weren't hurt by the mistake. The real problem was the
ineffectiveness on third downs, converting just four-of-12 chances.
Sept. 13
East Carolina 28 … Tulane 24
Jamar Bryant gave East Carolina the lead with a 24-yard touchdown
catch with 1:41 to play, but it took a Pierre Bell interception in
the final minute to seal the win. The two teams traded scores all
day long, with Tulane getting the lead for the first time in the
fourth quarter after a one-yard Andre Allison touchdown run and a
28-yard Ross Thevenot field goal. ECU started off the scoring with a
blocked field goal for a touchdown from linebacker Quentin Cotton,
and got a 51-yard touchdown catch from Norman Whitley and a
three-yard Brandon Simmons scoring run as part of a wild third
quarter. Tulane got two short Anderson scoring dashes and a 4-yard
Jeremy Williams touchdown catch, but couldn’t rally in the end.
Player of the game: East Carolina LB Quentin Cotton had a couple
of tackles, a sack, an interception, and a 44-yard blocked field
goal return for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: Patrick
Pinkney, 22-32, 260 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Simmons, 9-27, 1 TD. Receiving:
Dwayne Harris, 6-72
Tulane - Passing: Kevin Moore, 21-37, 236 yds, 1
TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 33-82, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Jeremy Williams, 8-138, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Was
East Carolina looking past Tulane or was this game more indicative
of the real Pirates team? ECU only converted 3-of-10 on third down,
couldn’t run the ball worth a lick, running for 1.9 yards per carry,
and turned it over four times. A win is a win, but the big,
crippling loss was on defense with star LB Quentin Cotton getting
knocked out with a knee injury. This is a very good ECU team, but to
really be top 15, it’s going to have to turn it up a few notches
offensively again.
Sept. 6
East Carolina 24 ... West
Virginia 3
East Carolina thoroughly dominated West Virginia holding the
Mountaineers to 179 rushing yards and just three points. The Pirates
held on to the ball for 35:41 and was never threatened after a
five-yard Jon Williams touchdown run in the first and a 42-yard Ben
Ryan field goal in the second. The Mountaineers managed a 26-yard
Pat McAfee field goal late in the first half, but the Pirate defense
took over and the offense came through with a 13-yard Alex Taylor
touchdown catch and a one-yard Jon Williams run.
Player of the game:
East Carolina QB Patrick Pinkney completed 22-of-28 passes for 236 yards and a
touchdown
Stat Leaders: West Virginia -
Passing:
Pat White, 11-18, 72 yds
Rushing: Pat White, 20-97. Receiving: Jock Sanders, 3-20
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 22-28, 236 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Jon Williams 17-69, 2 TD. Receiving:
Dwayne Harris, 8-68
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If last week's win
over Virginia Tech got everyone excited about East Carolina football
then this week's stomping of West Virginia will get the BCS buster
talk really rolling. The defense has been terrific over the first
two weeks, while the passing game, thanks to the ultra-efficient
Patrick Pinkney, has been nearly perfect. ECU was physical,
energetic, and tough. There were nine penalties for 60 yards, but
that was it. Everything else worked for the Pirates who should now
be favored in every game for the rest of the regular season.
Aug. 30
East Carolina 27 ...
Virginia Tech 22
East Carolina pulled off the stunner on the special teams as T.J.
Lee took a blocked punt 27 yards for a touchdown with under two
minutes to play. Virginia Tech appeared to have the game in hand
with the momentum going its way after Stephan Virgil returned a
blocked extra point for a two-point conversion late in the third
quarter for a 16-13, Hokie lead, and Darren Evans ran for a
three-yard score for a 22-13 advantage held late into the fourth.
But ECU went on a nine play, 73-yard march finishing with a
three-yard Patrick Pinkney touchdown run, the defense held, and then
the Pirate special teams came through. Tech had a 14-0 lead late
into first half on a Virgil 30-yard fumble return for a score and a
six-yard Kenny Lewis touchdown run, but Sean Glennon threw a
touchdown pass in Hokie territory leading to a one-yard Jon Williams
touchdown run with 16 seconds to play in the half. ECU outgained ECU
369 yards to 243.
Player of the game:
East Carolina QB Patrick Pinkney completed 19 of 23 passes for 211
yards and a touchdown, and ran 11 times for 24 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Virginia Tech -
Passing:
Sean Glennon, 14-23, 139 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Kenny Lewis, 11-62, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Smith, 3-32
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney,
19-23, 211 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Simmons, 17-54. Receiving: Davon Drew, 5-65
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The upset of
Virginia Tech in Charlotte was a program-defining win for Skip Holtz
and the Pirates, and the first time ever a Conference USA team has
won back-to-back games over ranked opponents. A hard-fought win over
the defending ACC champs is just the type of game that can propel
this veteran team to one of the league's favorites for the
Conference USA title, and the season can take an even bigger turn if
they can beat West Virginia next week. LB Pierre Bell and the rest
of the defense were the stories, picking off a couple of passes and
holding the Hokies to only 12 first downs and 243 total yards.