East Carolina University
Appalachian State (PCW)
Pirates Stave Off Mountaineers, 29-24
September 05, 2009 | Football
Sept. 5, 2009
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Skip Holtz Post-Game Press Conference 
Van Eskridge Post-Game Comment | Dominique Lindsay Post-Game Comments | Scotty Robinson Post-Game Comments | C.J. Wilson Post-Game Comments
GREENVILLE, N.C. - It was the East Carolina defense that outlasted a feisty Appalachian State team that refused to go away, as the Pirates held on to win 29-24 in front of a sold out crowd of 43,279 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Saturday.
Scotty Robinson's sack of Mountaineer quarterback Travaris Cadet with thirty-two seconds to go stalled a ferocious comeback and ultimately secured the win for the Pirates.
East Carolina (1-0) won its second straight season opener, while Appalachian State (0-1) lost for the second straight year to a team sporting purple and gold. The Mountaineers suffered a 41-13 defeat in 2008 at the hands of LSU.
The first quarter in Greenville may have conjured up those memories for the visitors, as East Carolina scored early and often, with Brandon Jackson breaking through the middle for a 39 yard touchdown on the Pirates' first possession for an early 7-0 lead.
Dominique Lindsay's 41-yard run set up a Ben Hartman 26-yard field goal on ECU's second possession, and senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney found senior Reyn Willis along the right sideline for a 27-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession, giving ECU a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"When we came out I thought we were focused and we were into it," Head Coach Skip Holtz said after the game.
The Pirate defense definitely seemed focused and relentless in the first half, giving up only 63 yards and seven points. They also forced the Mountaineer offense to four consecutive three-and-outs.
"ECU's defense is as good as we saw all of last season," said Appalachian State Coach Jerry Moore. "In the first half, we could not generate any continuity and we went three-and-out too many times. That is a credit to them because they played well."
But the credit went to the Mountaineers defense in the second half. They held a seemingly different East Carolina team to less than 40 yards of offense in the third quarter and 13 yards in the fourth. Even the Pirate running game, which produced 159 yards in the first half, came to a screeching halt, only gaining 30 yards in the final two quarters.
"When you can't make any first downs in the third and fourth quarter, you're going to be in a dogfight," Holtz added, when asked about the East Carolina's second half offensive performance.
Meanwhile, the Appalachian State offense came to play in the second half, as Travaris Cadet replaced DeAndre Presley at quarterback and led the Mountaineers on touchdown drives of 55 and 38 yards, closing the gap to 29-21 with 8:41 left in the game.
A Pinkney interception on the ensuing Pirate possession led to a Jason Vitaris 43-yard field goal that made the score 29-24 with 3:24 remaining.
ECU fans clung to the edges of their seats as the Pirates went three-and-out following the field goal, giving the Mountaineers one last chance to score with 1:28 on the clock. Cadet led Appalachian State to its own 40-yard line before Robinson's sack with just 32 seconds remaining. An incomplete pass to CoCo Hillary on fourth down sealed the victory for the Pirates.
"We got into a bend but don't break situation," Holtz said. "I feel fortunate that we were able to come out of here with a win today."
Pinkney finished the game 12-for-27 with 131 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. He moved into fifth-place all-time on the completions chart with 356, passing Dan Gonzales.
ECU compiled 320 yards of total offense, with just 53 of those yards gained in the second half.
"I just want to give Appalachian State a lot of credit in the second half," Holtz continued. "They played with a lot of heart and played really hard and made it very difficult for us to get off the field. Right now it's great to win and be sitting here 1-0."
