ECU Defeats NC State 33-30 In Front Of Sell-Out Crowd

Saturday, September 10

Greenville, N.C.

12:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

2-0

NC State

1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

NC State

East Carolina

September 10, 2016 | Football

Box Score

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – It was East Carolina that delivered the decisive final blow on a fourth-quarter, 5-yard touchdown run by junior running back Anthony Scott in an epic 33-30 win over NC State in blisteringly-hot Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

In a game that featured six lead changes and 942 yards in total offense, rookie head coach Scottie Montgomery's feisty Pirates ran their win streak against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents to six games, while improving to 2-0. NC State (1-1) slipped after an opening-day win over William & Mary.

"It's a grand day," stated Montgomery. "I don't think anybody but the Pirate Nation knew what this was going to be like. It was hot out there, but our fans didn't go anywhere. They were rowdy. They got here early."

The crowd of 50,719 was the second largest in Dowdy-Ficklen history and pushed the all-time attendance mark at the venerable venue to 8,038,566 in 44 seasons.

ECU rallied from behind three times in the second half behind the passing of senior quarterback Philip Nelson who connected on 33 of 43 passes for 297 yards. He narrowly missed his second straight 300-yard passing day.

Scott rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown and snared six passes for 49 yards and a score, while junior wide receiver Quay Johnson hauled in 13 passes for 75 yards as Nelson completed passes to six different receivers. Johnson also piled up 49 return yards to finish with 122 total yards.

Sophomore running back Devin Anderson came off the bench to rush for a team-high 52 yards and wildcat senior James Summers kept the Wolfpack defense on its heels with touchdown runs of 27 yards (first quarter) and 15 yards (fourth quarter).

The teams traded scoring opportunities in the second half with the Wolfpack notching a field goal and a touchdown to the Pirates' two 7-pointers to decide the game.

A 30-yard field goal by sophomore Kyle Bombard gave NC State a 23-19 edge midway the third quarter, but the Pirates were quick to rebound.

Nelson completed 6 of 6 passes to ignite a 7-play, 65-yard drive that was capped when Summers, who lined up at quarterback, broke free on the right side and drug tacklers into the end zone to make it 26-23 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

NC State answered by driving 90 yards in a dozen plays to retake the lead on a 15-yard run through the middle by sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley with less than two minutes gone in the final stanza.

Nelson started the decisive drive from his own 16-yard line, completing six-straight passes to put the Pirates at the Wolfpack 11-yard line. A pass interference call on an NC State defender, who was draped over Jones on a short post pattern, parked ECU at the 8-yard line. Two plays later, Scott plowed through the left side of the line for the winning points.

The Pirate defense then stopped NC State, forcing a punt with 2:35 left on the clock.

On the Pirates' final possession, a Nelson screen pass to senior wide receiver Jimmy Williams picked up eight yards before Anderson carried for five yards and a first down to deliver a staggering blow to the Wolfpack.

Forced to punt with less than a minute left, the Pirates got a solo downfield coverage tackle by junior defensive back Chris Love to put NC State on its own 38 with just 51 seconds remaining. With no timeouts left, the Wolfpack reached the Pirate 46 but never approached field goal range.

Senior place kicker Davis Plowman missed field goal tries from 45 yards and, then after a running into the kicker penalty, the 40 in the closing seconds of the opening half. The Pack scored touchdowns on three consecutive second quarter possessions to carry a 20-19 lead into the locker room at the half.

In a see-saw first half, the Pirates surged out to a 12-0 lead only to see it evaporate under the heat of a second-period NC State offensive assault.

On the Pirates' initial possession, Nelson's 33-yard pass up the right side to Williams to the Wolfpack's 10-yard line setting up Plowman's ice-breaking 23-yard field goal less than five minutes into the fray.

Senior outside linebacker Dayon Pratt sacked Finley at the Wolfpack's 19 to end the visitors' first drive.

After a third-and-one stop by the ECU defense killed an NC State drive at the Pirate 27, kicker Connor Haskins pushed a 44-yard field goal attempt just right of the goal posts to set up ECU's first touchdown drive.

Summers started and finished the drive, hauling in a 39-yard pass on the left sideline from Nelson to open the 4-play, 73-yard drive. Summers, who then lined up at quarterback, bounced a stuffed run off the right side to the outside, split two defenders and raced to the right side of the end zone to make it 9-0. A holding penalty backed Plowman up five yards as the Pirates failed on the point after attempt when the kick sailed wide left.

After Haskins pulled a 42-yard field goal attempt barely left, the Pirates responded with a 15-play, 49-yard drive which culminated with Plowman's second 3-pointer. He split the uprights from 43 yards out with exactly a dozen minutes left in the period.

But any comfort that the Pirates had generated melted as the Wolfpack wrapped back-to-back scoring drives around a first-play interception of Nelson by senior cornerback Jack Tocho to seize the lead at 13-12.

Sophomore running back Reggie Gallaspy II put NC State on the board by cutting a run off the left tackle to the sideline where he broke two Pirate tackles and cut back to finish a 37-yard scoring run. Kyle Bambard's point after made it 12-7.

After Tocho got inside position on senior wide receiver Zay Jones on a long pass down the right sideline to give NC State possession at the ECU 49, Finley connected with sophomore wide receiver Stephen Louis for 34 yards to the ECU 8-yard line to set up the Wolfpack's go-ahead score. Junior running back Jaylen Samuels swept right untouched to cover the final five yards and put NC State up by a point. A 2-point conversion pass attempt failed.

ECU retook the lead on an answering 5-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. A blown coverage in the left flat left Scott uncovered for an easy 25-yard scoring toss by Nelson. Plowman's kick gave the Pirates a brief 19-13 edge.

A missed tackle on the Pirate left sideline allowed Louis to shake free for an 80-yard touchdown on a deft throw by Finley. Bambard's point after put the Wolfpack up by a point.

"They (NC State) are a good physical team," Montgomery said. "We had trouble getting them on the ground sometimes, but the guys just stuck together and played like a team."

That teamwork allowed the Pirates to win despite yielding 497 yards on 63 plays – an average of 7.9 yards a clip. Finley passed for 254 yards while senior running back Matt Dayes churned out 103 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Pratt had a sack and a forced fumble as he equaled junior free safety Travon Simmons and senior inside linebacker Terrell Richardson with a team-high seven tackles.

The Pirates play their road opener at South Carolina next Saturday at 4 p.m. in Columbia.