Saturday, October 29
Greenville, N.C.
12:00 P.M.
East Carolina University
3-5 , 1-3
41
vs
3
UCONN
3-6 , 1-5
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Connecticut
0
3
0
0
3
East Carolina
7
7
17
10
41
ECU Snaps Skid With 41-3 Win Over UConn
October 29, 2016 | Football
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GREENVILLE, N.C. – Wide receiver Zay Jones continued his ascent in the NCAA record book as East Carolina dominated every phase of play to cruise past Connecticut, 41-3, in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
In snapping a five-game losing streak, the Pirates (3-5, 1-3 American) manhandled the Huskies (3-6, 1-5 American) while running their string of Homecoming victories to 11 on Bagwell Field.
ECU handcuffed the Huskie attack, holding it to 295 yards and a lone field goal. It was the lowest point total since a 24-3 win over No. 8 West Virginia in Greenville in the second game of the 2008 season.
"Let's start with the defense, because that's what I thought was the difference in this football game" said head coach Scottie Montgomery in his post-game interview. "We had the mentality of not giving up anything.
"Anytime you hold the opponent to 300 yards or less, you've done the job."
The Pirate offense stacked up 430 yards on 87 plays on its way to its second highest point total of the season. And the special teams rebounded from a hiccup on the opening kickoff to out-play UConn in every facet of the game.
Senior quarterback Philip Nelson connected on 29 of 41 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns while also hauling in a scoring pass. The Pirates did not commit a turnover for the first time all season, while forcing three on the day.
Before he exited the field after the Pirates scored to make it 38-3 on the first play of the fourth period, Jones piled up 19 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown. The totals were just shy of his career-highs of 22 catches and 190 yards rung up in a 20-15 loss to South Carolina on September 17. Jones pulled in a 3-yard scoring pass from Nelson to push the ECU lead to 31-3 before helping set up the last Pirate touchdown with an 18-yard first-down catch to the UConn 33.
Senior running back James Summers paced the ECU running attack with 84 yards on 19 carries, which included a one-yard touchdown plunge over the left side of the line to make it 24-3 in the third period.
Senior Davis Plowman booted field goals of 39 and 25 yards to begin and end the scoring in the second half.
East Carolina scored on five consecutive possessions from the end of the first half to the first play of the final quarter and converted on all five of its redzone chances. The Pirates have now cashed in on 10 consecutive chances in the red zone over the past three contests.
A pair of fourth-down conversions fueled both Pirate touchdown drives as they forged a 14-3 halftime edge behind a 12-catch, 108-yard performance by Jones. The Austin, Texas native reached the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the season on ECU's first drive and threw his first career touchdown pass in the final minute of the half, as the Pirates scored touchdowns both times they entered the redzone against UConn, which entered the game ranked 12th in the NCAA/FBS in redzone defense.
The early tone was set when Jones hauled in five passes for 47 yards and three first downs as the Pirates drove 68 yards in 13 plays on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead on a fourth-down pass from Nelson to Summers. On a fourth-and-two, Summers slipped into the right flat to gather in Nelson's touch pass and waltz in for the 4-yard tally.
The initial score was launched after sophomore defensive lineman Justin Brown and junior free safety Travon Simmons led a host of Pirates to stuff UConn junior Bryant Shirreffs' quarterback sneak attempt over the right guard on a fourth-and-a-foot at the ECU 32 on the first possession of the game. Junior running back Arkeel Newsome brought back the opening kickoff 48 yards to the Pirate 45 before an illegal formation penalty against the ECU kickoff squad set the Huskies up at the home team's 40. But the Pirate defense gave up just eight yards on four plays to flip the script.
The Huskies drove 51 yards on 13 plays midway the second half only to see senior Bobby Puyol push a 46-yard field goal attempt just wide right.
A 49-yard pass from Shirreffs to senior wide receiver Noel Thomas set up UConn's only points of the contest – a 34-yard field goal by Puyol with just 3:15 left in the second quarter.
The Pirates had a resounding answer to take control at the half.
Nelson connected with Jones four times for 39 yards and three first downs as he drove the Pirates to the Huskie 4-yardline in the closing minutes. After back-to-back runs into the middle by Summers put the ball on the one, Montgomery went to his bag of tricks for a score.
With Summers, a quarterback-turned-running back, lined up deep, Nelson stepped forward from the shotgun formation to behind the right guard to call an audible. But Pirate senior center J.T. Boyd snapped the ball directly to Summers who handed off to Jones who was coming from the left side on what looked to be a reverse run. Jones pulled up to find Nelson, who had snuck through the line, uncovered in the right side of the endzone for the score.
"It was a good job acting, but it was a great throw and a great catch," Montgomery said of the play.
Jones climbed to No. 2 on the NCAA/FBS career receptions list with his 350th catch during the Pirates' third quarter touchdown drive. He passed Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles (349 catches, 2008-11) and now trails only former ECU teammate Justin Hardy (387, 2011-14) with four games left on the 2016 slate. He has snared 355 career catches.
It was the 13th career game in which Jones totaled double-digit receptions and triple-figure yardage. He now has posted 15 games with 10 or more catches and amassed over 100 yards receiving in 16 contests. Jones is on pace to set a new NCAA/FBS record for catches per game. He is pulling in an average of 14.25 passes per game to push his season totals to 114 catches for 1,094 yards.
The Pirates defense sacked Shirreffs four times, notched 10 tackles for loss and came up with interceptions by cornerbacks Bobby Fulp and Colby Gore. Junior linebacker Jordan Williams led the unit with nine stops including a sack, while senior outside linebacker Dayon Pratt added a sack and two additional tackles behind the line of scrimmage among his seven total stops.
The ECU special teams yielded no punt return yards and, after the game opening 48-yard return, limited the Huskies to less than 20 yards per return on the next five tries.
East Carolina now heads to Tulsa for an 8 p.m. (EDT) clash on Saturday, Nov. 5, which will be televised on ESPNews.
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Wide receiver Zay Jones continued his ascent in the NCAA record book as East Carolina dominated every phase of play to cruise past Connecticut, 41-3, in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
In snapping a five-game losing streak, the Pirates (3-5, 1-3 American) manhandled the Huskies (3-6, 1-5 American) while running their string of Homecoming victories to 11 on Bagwell Field.
ECU handcuffed the Huskie attack, holding it to 295 yards and a lone field goal. It was the lowest point total since a 24-3 win over No. 8 West Virginia in Greenville in the second game of the 2008 season.
"Let's start with the defense, because that's what I thought was the difference in this football game" said head coach Scottie Montgomery in his post-game interview. "We had the mentality of not giving up anything.
"Anytime you hold the opponent to 300 yards or less, you've done the job."
The Pirate offense stacked up 430 yards on 87 plays on its way to its second highest point total of the season. And the special teams rebounded from a hiccup on the opening kickoff to out-play UConn in every facet of the game.
Senior quarterback Philip Nelson connected on 29 of 41 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns while also hauling in a scoring pass. The Pirates did not commit a turnover for the first time all season, while forcing three on the day.
Before he exited the field after the Pirates scored to make it 38-3 on the first play of the fourth period, Jones piled up 19 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown. The totals were just shy of his career-highs of 22 catches and 190 yards rung up in a 20-15 loss to South Carolina on September 17. Jones pulled in a 3-yard scoring pass from Nelson to push the ECU lead to 31-3 before helping set up the last Pirate touchdown with an 18-yard first-down catch to the UConn 33.
Senior running back James Summers paced the ECU running attack with 84 yards on 19 carries, which included a one-yard touchdown plunge over the left side of the line to make it 24-3 in the third period.
Senior Davis Plowman booted field goals of 39 and 25 yards to begin and end the scoring in the second half.
East Carolina scored on five consecutive possessions from the end of the first half to the first play of the final quarter and converted on all five of its redzone chances. The Pirates have now cashed in on 10 consecutive chances in the red zone over the past three contests.
A pair of fourth-down conversions fueled both Pirate touchdown drives as they forged a 14-3 halftime edge behind a 12-catch, 108-yard performance by Jones. The Austin, Texas native reached the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the season on ECU's first drive and threw his first career touchdown pass in the final minute of the half, as the Pirates scored touchdowns both times they entered the redzone against UConn, which entered the game ranked 12th in the NCAA/FBS in redzone defense.
The early tone was set when Jones hauled in five passes for 47 yards and three first downs as the Pirates drove 68 yards in 13 plays on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead on a fourth-down pass from Nelson to Summers. On a fourth-and-two, Summers slipped into the right flat to gather in Nelson's touch pass and waltz in for the 4-yard tally.
The initial score was launched after sophomore defensive lineman Justin Brown and junior free safety Travon Simmons led a host of Pirates to stuff UConn junior Bryant Shirreffs' quarterback sneak attempt over the right guard on a fourth-and-a-foot at the ECU 32 on the first possession of the game. Junior running back Arkeel Newsome brought back the opening kickoff 48 yards to the Pirate 45 before an illegal formation penalty against the ECU kickoff squad set the Huskies up at the home team's 40. But the Pirate defense gave up just eight yards on four plays to flip the script.
The Huskies drove 51 yards on 13 plays midway the second half only to see senior Bobby Puyol push a 46-yard field goal attempt just wide right.
A 49-yard pass from Shirreffs to senior wide receiver Noel Thomas set up UConn's only points of the contest – a 34-yard field goal by Puyol with just 3:15 left in the second quarter.
The Pirates had a resounding answer to take control at the half.
Nelson connected with Jones four times for 39 yards and three first downs as he drove the Pirates to the Huskie 4-yardline in the closing minutes. After back-to-back runs into the middle by Summers put the ball on the one, Montgomery went to his bag of tricks for a score.
With Summers, a quarterback-turned-running back, lined up deep, Nelson stepped forward from the shotgun formation to behind the right guard to call an audible. But Pirate senior center J.T. Boyd snapped the ball directly to Summers who handed off to Jones who was coming from the left side on what looked to be a reverse run. Jones pulled up to find Nelson, who had snuck through the line, uncovered in the right side of the endzone for the score.
"It was a good job acting, but it was a great throw and a great catch," Montgomery said of the play.
Jones climbed to No. 2 on the NCAA/FBS career receptions list with his 350th catch during the Pirates' third quarter touchdown drive. He passed Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles (349 catches, 2008-11) and now trails only former ECU teammate Justin Hardy (387, 2011-14) with four games left on the 2016 slate. He has snared 355 career catches.
It was the 13th career game in which Jones totaled double-digit receptions and triple-figure yardage. He now has posted 15 games with 10 or more catches and amassed over 100 yards receiving in 16 contests. Jones is on pace to set a new NCAA/FBS record for catches per game. He is pulling in an average of 14.25 passes per game to push his season totals to 114 catches for 1,094 yards.
The Pirates defense sacked Shirreffs four times, notched 10 tackles for loss and came up with interceptions by cornerbacks Bobby Fulp and Colby Gore. Junior linebacker Jordan Williams led the unit with nine stops including a sack, while senior outside linebacker Dayon Pratt added a sack and two additional tackles behind the line of scrimmage among his seven total stops.
The ECU special teams yielded no punt return yards and, after the game opening 48-yard return, limited the Huskies to less than 20 yards per return on the next five tries.
East Carolina now heads to Tulsa for an 8 p.m. (EDT) clash on Saturday, Nov. 5, which will be televised on ESPNews.
Team Stats
UCONN
ECU
Total Yards
295
430
Pass Yards
206
294
Rushing Yards
89
136
Penalty Yards
34
35
1st Downs
14
25
3rd Downs
5
6
4th Downs
0
3
TOP
27:29
32:31
1st Quarter
UCONN 0, ECU 7
ECU - SUMMERS, James 4 yd pass from NELSON, Philip (PLOWMAN, Davis kick) 13 plays, 68 yards, TOP 4:45
2nd Quarter
UCONN 3, ECU 7
UCONN - PUYOL, Bobby 34 yd field goal 9 plays, 71 yards, TOP 4:40
UCONN 3, ECU 14
ECU - NELSON, Philip 2 yd pass from JONES, Zay (PLOWMAN, Davis kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:29
3rd Quarter
UCONN 3, ECU 17
ECU - PLOWMAN, Davis 39 yd field goal 10 plays, 54 yards, TOP 2:18
UCONN 3, ECU 24
ECU - SUMMERS, James 1 yd run (PLOWMAN, Davis kick), 13 plays, 72 yards, TOP 4:35
UCONN 3, ECU 31
ECU - JONES, Zay 3 yd pass from NELSON, Philip (PLOWMAN, Davis kick) 2 plays, 9 yards, TOP 0:30
4th Quarter
UCONN 3, ECU 38
ECU - WILLIAMS, Jimmy 31 yd pass from SUMMERS, James (PLOWMAN, Davis kick) 5 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:34
UCONN 3, ECU 41
ECU - PLOWMAN, Davis 25 yd field goal 4 plays, -3 yards, TOP 2:18
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
29
TD
2
YDS
253
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
1
YDS
31
INT
0
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
8
INT
0
Players Mentioned
Defensive Line
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ FootballQuarterback
/ Football
Placekicker/Punter
/ Football
Outside Linebacker
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ FootballWide Receiver
/ Football
Inside Linebacker
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