Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina

News & Features from ECU, the AAC and Beyond

  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Recruiting
  • Photos
  • Audio
  • Roundup
  • Comments
  • Legacy Archives

• ECU 2022 Baseball Schedule
• ECU 2022 Football Schedule
• ECU 2021-22 Hoops Schedule
• Recruiting: Football • Hoops

Game Day Slants: Jones feeling empty after record day

September 18, 2016 By Brett Friedlander Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Pirate Nation made its presence known in a corner of Williams-Brice Stadium. (Photo by Al Myatt)
Pirate Nation made its presence known on Saturday in a corner of Williams-Brice Stadium. (Photo by Al Myatt)

COLUMBIA, SC — The stat sheet from ECU’s game at South Carolina was one that Zay Jones might want to frame and proudly admire someday.

Someday, but not Saturday.

That’s because when the senior wide receiver looks at the numbers on the page for now, he’s too distracted by the score line at the top to notice the 22 receptions that helped put his name into two college football record books.

(Article continues below navigation box.)


Game Center:
South Carolina 20, ECU 15 | Sept. 17, 2016

  • Inside Game Day: One that got away by Al Myatt
  • Game Day Slants: Jones feeling empty after record day by Brett Friedlander
  • Game Day Photo Gallery by Al Myatt
  • Audio: Coach Mo Post-Game (Recorded by Al Myatt)

The only stat that mattered to Jones in the immediate aftermath of his career game at Williams-Brice Stadium is the one showing that the Pirates suffered a heartbreaking 20-15 loss to the Gamecocks.

“With all due respect, I’m not worried about that right now,” Jones said of the school and American Athletic Conference records he broke in a losing effort. “I’ve got guys in the locker room that are hurt and disappointed. Right now my focus is on the team, not me.”

Jones did everything he could to help that team effort by hauling in virtually every pass quarterback Philip Nelson threw his way.

He had 10 catches by halftime and despite plenty of attention from the Gamecocks’ secondary, he got even more over the final two periods. During one drive late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, the 6-foot-1, 197-pound senior caught five passes in a seven-play span.

The last of those, a 14-yard grab across the middle, was his 18th of the game — breaking the ECU mark set by Justin Hardy on Oct. 12, 2013 against Tulane.

Jones went on to catch four more balls, finishing one short of the NCAA record of 23 set by UNLV’s Randy Gatewood in 1994 and Eastern Michigan’s Tyler Jones in 2008.

“He’s phenomenal,” center J.T. Boyd said of his roommate Zay Jones. “He puts in the work. He deserves to play like that. He’s watching film all the time at the house, running extra routes with Phil after practice. Those two deserve to have good games and they put on for the team like they should.”

Jones came into Saturday’s game having already caught 17 passes for 253 yards on the young season. It’s a total he surpassed in one afternoon.

“Our game plan this week involved a lot of getting Zay the ball and putting him in positions to make plays,” Nelson said. “The coaches called the plays. Trust me, I go through my reads and he finds the ball. That’s just our offense.”

One thing that helped Jones get open so consistently is that he moves around so much in coach Scottie Montgomery’s attack. His frequent shifting from outside receiver to inside and back, working both sides of the field, made it difficult for the Gamecocks to locate him until the ball was in his hands.

“When you come on road games you want to pack the bus with a lot of guys with big-time character. Those are the guys that always play well,” Montgomery said. “[Jones] has big-time character and is a big-time player. When you put those two things together, it doesn’t matter where you go.”

As productive a game as Jones had catching the ball on a day in which he moved past Dwayne Harris into second place behind Hardy on the Pirates’ all-time receptions list, the biggest hole in the star receiver’s stat line was his inability to get into the end zone.

But he was hardly alone.

Four times ECU drove inside the USC 10-yard line during final three quarters and on all three occasions, it came away without scoring. It wasn’t until the final 2½ minutes that Nelson finally hit Devin Anderson with their team’s only touchdown of the day.

On the ensuing 2-point conversion try, Jones was on the throwing end of a pass that fell short of Nelson in the end zone.

It proved to be a frustrating ending to what could have been an unforgettable day.

“I always expect to do well and I expect my teammates to do well,” Jones said. “. . . Our offense shot ourselves in the foot and it showed. We put some great drives together, it just sucks that we couldn’t finish and we came up short. It hurts. It hurts really bad.”

Related

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: News & Features

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News & Features

Baseball News
Worrell’s slam lifts ECU

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Man with deep roots notes Pirates’ progress

Baseball News
Pirates walk off in 10th for sweep

Baseball News
Pirates continue roll

Baseball News
Pirates overtake Houston for 12th straight win

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates grind to success

Baseball News
ECU edges Campbell, 7-6

Baseball News
Pirates clinch AAC crown

Baseball News
ECU captures series, boosts conference lead

Baseball News
Pirates take series opener with Bulls

More News & Features

ECU Schedules

  • ECU 2021 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2021 Baseball Schedule

ECU Recruiting

  • Football Recruiting Class of 2021
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2020
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2019
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2018
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2017
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2021-22
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2020-21
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2019-20
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2018-19
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2017-18
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2016-17
Tweets by bonesville

Past Football Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2014 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2013 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2012 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2011 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2010 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2009 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2008 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2007 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2006 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2005 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2004 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2003 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2002 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2001 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2000 Football Schedule
  • Historical Schedules

Past Basketball Schedules

  • ECU 2019-20 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2018-19 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2016-17 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2000-2015 Basketball Archives

Past Baseball Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2001-2014 Baseball Archives

Recruiting Class Profiles

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates aim high for interior line talent

ECU Recruiting News
Well stocked Pirates enter fray for O-linemen

ECU Recruiting News
ECU faces uphill battle in hunt for tight ends

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates cast wide net for wide receivers

ECU Recruiting News
Loaded Pirates still courting running backs

ECU Recruiting News
ECU targets quarterbacks of the future

AAC Football Recruiting News
Transfer portal reshaping AAC football programs

Class of 2022 Defensive Report Card
ECU’s former weak link becoming big strength (updated)

Class of 2022 Offensive Report Card
Help is on the way for blocking corps (update 3)

American Athletic Conference Recruiting
Bearcats lead AAC’s early signing push

Class of 2022 In-depth Analysis
Surprises, depth highlight early recruiting haul

VIEW FROM THE EAST
‘What a difference a year makes’

Football Recruiting Report
Prolific receiver Webb may enroll early

Football Recruiting Report
Another gifted running back headed to ECU

Football Recruiting Report
ECU wins pledge from hotly recruited RB Gunn

Football Recruiting Report
Coveted lineman Sacra may enroll early

Football Recruiting Report
Pirates lure a star from DB factory

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Harrell on quest for unanimous effort

Football Recruiting Report
West Craven star Mims sticking close to home

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates ready for preseason camp

Football Recruiting Report
Lineman built his future during COVID layoff

Football Recruiting Report
Norcross star on track for early enrollment

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates pulling from portal

Football Recruiting Report
Big man Allen tapping into ‘nasty side’

Football Recruiting Report
ECU gets one of NC’s top D-line prospects

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, May 25, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, May 23, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Sunday, May 22, 2022

Writer Archives

  • Bonesville Staff
  • Brian Bailey
  • Sammy Batten
  • Bethany Bradsher
  • Brett Friedlander
  • Al Myatt
  • NFF
  • Greg Vacek
  • Danny Whitford

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, May 25, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, May 23, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Sunday, May 22, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, May 21, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, May 20, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, May 19, 2022

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, May 18, 2022

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2022 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy