ECU Knocks Off No. 17 Virginia Tech, 28-21

Saturday, September 13

Blacksburg, Va.

12:00 PM

East Carolina University

2-1

Virginia Tech

2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

East Carolina

Virginia Tech

September 13, 2014 | Football

Box Score

Final Stats

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Game Highlights

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

Mike Grizzard
ECUPirates.com

BLACKSBURG, Va. - After a week of fighting the gnawing feeling of letting a ranked team off the hook, East Carolina's football team made certain it wouldn't be revisiting those emotions again.

But it took some last-minute magic to savor a hard-fought, satisfying victory.

Quarterback Shane Carden's one-yard scamper around left end with just 16 seconds to play gave the Pirates a 28-21 win over No. 17 Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Lane Stadium. The win was ECU's first in the Hokies' stadium since a 24-17 win during the 1991 season, and came on the heels of a 33-23 loss at nationally-ranked South Carolina in a game that the Pirates dominated early.

Although he said his team immediately turned its attention to a Va. Tech team that had upset Ohio State in Columbus the previous week, ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill acknowledged the disappointment of missing a chance to upend the Gamecocks lingered.

"It was an emotional week, tough loss," McNeill said. "We rebounded well, very resilient. To be able to come back and have a great week of work and come into another hostile environment and pull out a win, I'm very proud of them."

The win was a product of a blazing start by the Pirates that translated into a 21-0 first-quarter lead, a stout and aggressive defense that bottled up Va. Tech most of the day, and the poise to answer after the Hokies stormed back to tie it at 21-all with just 1:20 to play.

ECU piled up 502 total yards to 389 yards for Virginia Tech. The Pirates' 370 yards in the first half were the most allowed by the Hokies in any half since 2004.

Carden, the Pirates' record-setting signal-caller, completed 23 of 47 passes with three touchdowns, becoming the school's all-time leader in completions and touchdown passes (63). His 427 yards passing on Saturday ranked as the third-most ever against a Va. Tech defense and he repeatedly burned the Hokies deep, hitting six passes for at least 22 yards.

"As good as we were last week playing the deep ball, we were equally as bad this week," Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. "We had a good plan. We just couldn't make a play on a deep ball all day. They had a freakish play in their first drive that got things going, then they made a couple big plays, but from that point until their last drive we played our tail off."

Senior receiver Cam Worthy was Carden's primary target in stretching the field and accumulated a highlight reel of catches with six receptions for a career-high 224 yards, including grabs of 29 and 30 yards on the game-winning drive.

"Cam played big and made clutch catches," McNeill said.

ECU's defense also came up big most of the afternoon, forcing four three-and-out series to start the game and keeping quarterback Michael Brewer, making just his third start, on the run. With nose tackle Terry Williams and linebackers Zeek Bigger and Maurice Falls causing chaos in the middle, the Hokies managed just 75 yards in their first 30 plays. Josh Hawkins also came up with two first-half interceptions.

"Our defense did a great, great job against their offense," McNeill added. "And I thought our offense made plays when they had to. Shane had another game of being the captain and leading us."

The Pirates staggered the Hokies and their home crowd early with Carden connecting on a couple of long-range passes to set up two touchdowns and a 14-0 lead.

Carden's 35-yard strike to a leaping Jimmy Williams moved ECU to Va. Tech's 35 on the second play from scrimmage. The Pirates faced third down at the 27, but unlike last week when they settled for two early field goals at South Carolina, they found the end zone. A fortunate bounce and alert Bryce Williams turned a deflected pass into a 22-yard gain and a first down at the 5. After a one-yard run by Breon Allen, Carden lofted a four-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Williams for a 7-0 lead.

The Pirates were quickly back in attack mode after the defense stuffed the Hokies in three plays. Again Carden burned the Tech defense on the second play of the series, hooking up with Cam Worthy for 47 yards to the 23. On third down, Carden zipped a 15-yard pass to Trevon Brown on a post pattern for a 14-0 lead. The drive took just 57 seconds to cover 70 yards.

ECU, which limited Va. Tech to six yards and no first downs in its first four possessions, boosted the lead to 21-0 with 2:44 left in the first quarter. A pass interference penalty and 23-yard pass to Trevon Brown on a slip screen moved the Pirates to the Tech 3-yard line. The completion to Brown vaulted Carden to first in school history in completions with 728.

The touchdown came on a 2-yard pass Isaiah Jones, who lunged over the goal line as he was being tackled.

"It's important every game for us to start fast and sustain it," McNeill said. "This team is able to do that. It was important to get in the end zone early."

The Hokies picked up their initial first down with 1:59 to go in the quarter, but still could not dent the ECU defense.

The Pirates then misfired on multiple opportunities to build on their lead. A 19-yard dash by Allen for an apparent score was wiped out by a holding penalty, then ECU turned it over on downs after an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 from the 11.

The first of Hawkins' two interceptions had ECU threatening again, but Carden was hit from behind on a 10-yard scamper and fumbled inside the 5. The Hokies recovered at the one, but Hawkins picked off Brewer again two plays later and returned to the Va. Tech four-yard line. However, a penalty for blocking in the back moved the ball back to the 21.

Three plays gained just one yard, and Warren Harvey pushed a 37-yard field goal to the right of the upright.

Tech then mounted its first serious threat, fueled by a 40-yard pass to Bucky Hodges, but Joey Slye missed a 52-yard field goal.

The Hokies finally got on the board on their next possession, moving 73 yards in eight plays. What looked to be a 50-yard scoring pass to Sam Rogers was reviewed and overturned, placing the ball at the 34 where Rogers stepped out of bounds. The touchdown came from 21 yards on a one-handed diving grab by Isaiah Ford. That play also was reviewed but upheld.

ECU ripped off two big plays before the end of the half - a 24-yard run by Allen and a 43-yard Hail Mary pass to the seven - but ran out of time.

With Tech turning up the pressure on Carden and the secondary getting physical, the Pirates' offense bogged down much of the second half.

The Hokies cut it to 21-14 with 6:31 to play on 15-yard pass from Brewer to a wide-open Ford in the right front of the end zone.

Va. Tech got the ball back but opted to punt with 3:40 to play. ECU was unable to pick up a first down and punted, and the Hokies took over at the 47. On second down from the 18, Phillips got open and snagged a pass from Brewer to tie it.

But with 1:20 left, the poised Carden made sure there was no overtime and no thinking about another chance slipping away.

"I'm proud of him," McNeill said of his quarterback. "He is a direct example of what we believe in. We both believe in the commitment to the team. You could see it in the locker room after the game. No matter what awards he's up for, he never loses sight of the team concept."