Saturday, September 24
Blacksburg, Va.
12:30 P.M.
East Carolina University
2-2
17
at
54
Virginia Tech
3-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
East Carolina
0
0
14
3
17
Virginia Tech
14
24
9
7
54
Virginia Tech Cruises Past ECU, 54-17
September 24, 2016 | Football
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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The streak is over.
East Carolina's dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference – six straight wins since 2013 – came to a resounding end on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium as a physical and opportunistic Virginia Tech team rolled to a 54-17 victory.
The Pirates, now 2-2, boasted two victories each over the Hokies, NC State and North Carolina the last four seasons. But Virginia Tech, the last ACC team to beat ECU, feasted on big plays from its special teams on a day when former head coach Frank Beamer was honored and in attendance.
The Hokies (3-1) got on the board with a punt return for a touchdown, then cashed in blocks of a field goal and punt to build a 28-0 lead six minutes into the second quarter. An ECU fake punt deep in its own territory also backfired in the second half, setting up another Tech touchdown, and ECU fumbled a punt late in the fourth quarter.
"Special teams and defense wins games," first-year Tech coach Justin Fuente, who came from Memphis to succeed Beamer, said. "That emphasis hasn't changed with the new head coach."
First-year ECU coach Scottie Montgomery said the Pirates did not match the Hokies physically or emotionally at the end of a demanding September schedule.
"Physically I thought that was a great football team that we went against," Montgomery said. "I take my hat off to what they were able to put on that field. That was a great team.
"There was just too many mental errors, too many things that we had opportunities to work on that showed up today that we knew were going to be problems for us, and we didn't handle it,"
ECU's prolific offense, averaging 33.3 points and 550.7 yards, was smothered under the Hokies' pressure in the first half but still wound up with 443 yards. Quarterback Phillip Nelson and receiver Jimmy Williams teamed up for both of the Pirates' touchdowns, covering 75 yards on the first play of the second half and 70 yards late in the third period.
Nelson, first in the nation in completion percentage coming in at 78.95 percent, was harassed by constant pressure and on the run much of the day, finishing 17 of 34 passing for 362 yards.
Senior Zay Jones, coming off a school-record 22 catches against South Carolina, turned in another impressive performance with 10 receptions for 115 yards. Jones now has at least 10 catches in 11 games and at least 100 receiving yards in 13 games. He also has at least one catch in 39 straight games and multiple catches in 41 of 42 career games with the Pirates.
The Pirate defense could not contain the dual threat of Tech quarterback Jerod Evans, who passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns and added 97 yards rushing, including a dazzling 55-yard touchdown scamper. Isaiah Ford had four catches for 117 yards and one score.
Tech, which amassed 462 yards of total offense, led 38-0 by halftime – the most points ECU has given up in the first half since West Virginia scored 42 in 2004 – and it was the special teams that set the tone early. Greg Stroman, wearing No. 25 to honor Beamer, energized the crowd of 63,712 when he gathered in a 62-yard punt from Worth Gregory at the 13, found an opening in the middle of the field then sprinted untouched down the sideline for an 87-yard return.
ECU was unable to mount a threat on its first three possessions. Pressure forced Nelson to scramble on third down on the first two, then a penalty for an ineligible receiver downfield wiped out a 34-yard pass on the third.
The Hokies forged a 14-0 lead when Marshawn Williams muscled in on a six-yard run. A 39-yard pass from Evans to Ford on third-and-3 set up the score.
ECU was in position to gain some momentum when it drove inside the Hokies' 10, but Tim Settle got a hand on Davis Plowman's 26-yard field goal attempt. The Pirates also had a short field goal attempt blocked last week at South Carolina.
Tech cashed in for a 21-0 lead, scoring on a 24-yard pass from Evans to Ford, one play after Ford overthrew an open receiver on a reverse pass.
Tech's special teams struck again on the next possession when Cam Phillips shot through the middle and blocked a Gregory punt attempt, giving the Hokies the ball at the 24. Travon McMillian covered the final 13 yards on a screen pass.
A 45-yard catch by Ford set up Joey Slye's 20-yard field with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter.
After ECU turned the ball over on downs, Tech used just five plays to drive 70 yards with Phillips making a fingertip catch of a 55-yard toss from Evans for a 38-0 lead.
The Pirates needed just 11 seconds to strike in the second half with Williams beating one-on-one coverage and snaring a 75-yard pass from Nelson, a career long for the senior quarterback.
ECU threatened again on its next possession, marching 80 yards in nine plays before a fourth-and-3 pass from the 8 sailed over the head of Anthony Scott.
Tech then put together a clock-eating drive that reached the ECU 5, but came away with no points after a dropped pass in the end zone on third down and a stop of Evans on fourth down.
One play later, however, James Summers was plowed under by Ken Ekanem and Tremaine Edwards for a safety.
The ultimate dagger came on the ensuing possession when Evans dropped back to pass, avoided a sack and took off, darting and weaving through the ECU defense for a 55-yard score and a 47-7 lead.
Nelson and Williams quickly hooked again for 70 yards to draw ECU within 47-14.
Brendan Motley's one-yard run put Tech up 54-14 early in the fourth quarter. Jake Verity capped the scoring, booting a 27-yard field goal with 6:32 to go, his first field goal attempt with the Pirates. He replaced Plowman in the third and made both his PAT attempts.
ECU now turns its attention to American Athletic Conference play, hosting UCF on Saturday at 12 noon.
"I think it's good for us to get to conference right now," Montgomery said. "With the way our schedule is set up, I like the way it's set up because now we can jump into it and get rolling. Everybody understands this is what we have to do.
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The streak is over.
East Carolina's dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference – six straight wins since 2013 – came to a resounding end on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium as a physical and opportunistic Virginia Tech team rolled to a 54-17 victory.
The Pirates, now 2-2, boasted two victories each over the Hokies, NC State and North Carolina the last four seasons. But Virginia Tech, the last ACC team to beat ECU, feasted on big plays from its special teams on a day when former head coach Frank Beamer was honored and in attendance.
The Hokies (3-1) got on the board with a punt return for a touchdown, then cashed in blocks of a field goal and punt to build a 28-0 lead six minutes into the second quarter. An ECU fake punt deep in its own territory also backfired in the second half, setting up another Tech touchdown, and ECU fumbled a punt late in the fourth quarter.
"Special teams and defense wins games," first-year Tech coach Justin Fuente, who came from Memphis to succeed Beamer, said. "That emphasis hasn't changed with the new head coach."
First-year ECU coach Scottie Montgomery said the Pirates did not match the Hokies physically or emotionally at the end of a demanding September schedule.
"Physically I thought that was a great football team that we went against," Montgomery said. "I take my hat off to what they were able to put on that field. That was a great team.
"There was just too many mental errors, too many things that we had opportunities to work on that showed up today that we knew were going to be problems for us, and we didn't handle it,"
ECU's prolific offense, averaging 33.3 points and 550.7 yards, was smothered under the Hokies' pressure in the first half but still wound up with 443 yards. Quarterback Phillip Nelson and receiver Jimmy Williams teamed up for both of the Pirates' touchdowns, covering 75 yards on the first play of the second half and 70 yards late in the third period.
Nelson, first in the nation in completion percentage coming in at 78.95 percent, was harassed by constant pressure and on the run much of the day, finishing 17 of 34 passing for 362 yards.
Senior Zay Jones, coming off a school-record 22 catches against South Carolina, turned in another impressive performance with 10 receptions for 115 yards. Jones now has at least 10 catches in 11 games and at least 100 receiving yards in 13 games. He also has at least one catch in 39 straight games and multiple catches in 41 of 42 career games with the Pirates.
The Pirate defense could not contain the dual threat of Tech quarterback Jerod Evans, who passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns and added 97 yards rushing, including a dazzling 55-yard touchdown scamper. Isaiah Ford had four catches for 117 yards and one score.
Tech, which amassed 462 yards of total offense, led 38-0 by halftime – the most points ECU has given up in the first half since West Virginia scored 42 in 2004 – and it was the special teams that set the tone early. Greg Stroman, wearing No. 25 to honor Beamer, energized the crowd of 63,712 when he gathered in a 62-yard punt from Worth Gregory at the 13, found an opening in the middle of the field then sprinted untouched down the sideline for an 87-yard return.
ECU was unable to mount a threat on its first three possessions. Pressure forced Nelson to scramble on third down on the first two, then a penalty for an ineligible receiver downfield wiped out a 34-yard pass on the third.
The Hokies forged a 14-0 lead when Marshawn Williams muscled in on a six-yard run. A 39-yard pass from Evans to Ford on third-and-3 set up the score.
ECU was in position to gain some momentum when it drove inside the Hokies' 10, but Tim Settle got a hand on Davis Plowman's 26-yard field goal attempt. The Pirates also had a short field goal attempt blocked last week at South Carolina.
Tech cashed in for a 21-0 lead, scoring on a 24-yard pass from Evans to Ford, one play after Ford overthrew an open receiver on a reverse pass.
Tech's special teams struck again on the next possession when Cam Phillips shot through the middle and blocked a Gregory punt attempt, giving the Hokies the ball at the 24. Travon McMillian covered the final 13 yards on a screen pass.
A 45-yard catch by Ford set up Joey Slye's 20-yard field with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter.
After ECU turned the ball over on downs, Tech used just five plays to drive 70 yards with Phillips making a fingertip catch of a 55-yard toss from Evans for a 38-0 lead.
The Pirates needed just 11 seconds to strike in the second half with Williams beating one-on-one coverage and snaring a 75-yard pass from Nelson, a career long for the senior quarterback.
ECU threatened again on its next possession, marching 80 yards in nine plays before a fourth-and-3 pass from the 8 sailed over the head of Anthony Scott.
Tech then put together a clock-eating drive that reached the ECU 5, but came away with no points after a dropped pass in the end zone on third down and a stop of Evans on fourth down.
One play later, however, James Summers was plowed under by Ken Ekanem and Tremaine Edwards for a safety.
The ultimate dagger came on the ensuing possession when Evans dropped back to pass, avoided a sack and took off, darting and weaving through the ECU defense for a 55-yard score and a 47-7 lead.
Nelson and Williams quickly hooked again for 70 yards to draw ECU within 47-14.
Brendan Motley's one-yard run put Tech up 54-14 early in the fourth quarter. Jake Verity capped the scoring, booting a 27-yard field goal with 6:32 to go, his first field goal attempt with the Pirates. He replaced Plowman in the third and made both his PAT attempts.
ECU now turns its attention to American Athletic Conference play, hosting UCF on Saturday at 12 noon.
"I think it's good for us to get to conference right now," Montgomery said. "With the way our schedule is set up, I like the way it's set up because now we can jump into it and get rolling. Everybody understands this is what we have to do.
Team Stats
ECU
VT
Total Yards
443
462
Pass Yards
362
295
Rushing Yards
81
167
Penalty Yards
43
28
1st Downs
16
18
3rd Downs
3
5
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
29:57
30:03
1st Quarter
ECU 0, VT 7
VT - Stroman, G 87 yd punt return (Slye, Joey kick)
ECU 0, VT 14
VT - Williams, M 6 yd run (Slye, Joey kick), 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 2:13
2nd Quarter
ECU 0, VT 21
VT - Ford, I 24 yd pass from Evans, J (Slye, Joey kick) 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:06
ECU 0, VT 28
VT - McMillian, T 13 yd pass from Evans, J (Slye, Joey kick) 3 plays, 24 yards, TOP 1:07
ECU 0, VT 31
VT - Slye, Joey 20 yd field goal 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 2:21
ECU 0, VT 38
VT - Phillips, C 55 yd pass from Evans, J (Slye, Joey kick) 5 plays, 70 yards, TOP 1:38
3rd Quarter
ECU 7, VT 38
ECU - WILLIAMS, Jimmy 75 yd pass from NELSON, Philip (VERITY, Jake kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:11
ECU 7, VT 40
VT - TEAM 3 yd safety
ECU 7, VT 47
VT - Evans, J 55 yd run (Slye, Joey kick), 1 plays, 50 yards, TOP 0:17
ECU 14, VT 47
ECU - WILLIAMS, Jimmy 70 yd pass from NELSON, Philip (VERITY, Jake kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:10
4th Quarter
ECU 14, VT 54
VT - Motley, B 1 yd run (Slye, Joey kick), 3 plays, 15 yards, TOP 0:54
ECU 17, VT 54
ECU - VERITY, Jake 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 5:49
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Punter
/ Football
Placekicker/Punter
/ Football
Running Back
/ FootballWide Receiver
/ Football
Placekicker/Punter
/ Football
Wide Receiver
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