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 2021 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
  • • ECU 2021 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
  • • ECU 2021 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Inside Game Day
Seniors have their day

November 19, 2017 By Al Myatt 2 Comments

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

GREENVILLE — East Carolina rose to the occasion on its Senior Day on Saturday, ending a six-game losing streak against Cincinnati by dominating from start to finish in a 48-20 victory.

Not only did the program get a win for the seniors in their last game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, juniors Trevon Brown and Gardner Minshew put an optimistic spin on the future.

Minshew completed 31 of 45 passes for 444 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Brown set an American Athletic Conference and ECU record with 270 receiving yards. He pulled in two touchdowns among his nine receptions, including a 20-yard score from Reid Herring, who connected on his first collegiate toss with 5:06 left to play. Brown also matched his school record reception at West Virginia with a 95-yarder.

The Pirates had a 578-326 lead in total yardage. The defense set a tone with a sack and a forced fumble to shut down the Bearcats on their first series.

The ECU offense also got off on the right foot with Tahj Deans scoring on a 23-yard pass from Minshew to complete a six-play, 65-yard drive to open the game.

A sack by ECU’s Kiante Anderson resulted in a fumble on Cincinnati’s first possession. (Photo by Al Myatt > View Game Day Gallery…)

Special teams provided some highlights as well, including field goals from 46 and 50 yards by Jake Verity. Austin Barnes had a 62-yard punt that was downed at Cincinnati’s 1-yard line. Barnes’ only other punt traveled 63 yards.

A 15-yard carry by Darius Pinnix to start the game was a reprise from the final play in a 31-24 overtime loss to Tulane last week.

“It was a statement,” ECU coach Scottie Montgomery confirmed. “I think they had been hearing all week, ‘Y’all couldn’t get a yard?'”

Perhaps simmering on that setback helped create the mindset that produced a win in the seventh and final home game of the year.

The Pirates reached into their bag of tricks with a flea flicker and two catches for 21 yards by quarterback Thomas Sirk, who lined up as a receiver.

East Carolina boldly went for a 4th-and-3 at the Cincinnati 41 on its second possession and Minshew found Brown for a 33-yard gain. Hussein Howe completed the series with a 3-yard scoring run.

ECU led 21-0 as Jimmy Williams scored with a determined push into the end zone on an 11-yard pass play from Minshew with 9:02 left in the first half.

The Bearcats may have created a glimpse of deja vu from the Pirates’ early 17-7 lead against Virginia Tech in a 64-17 loss when the visitors closed within 21-13 Saturday.

Verity extended the margin to 24-13 with his 46-yarder just before halftime.

At times this season ECU has played well for a quarter or a half, but the Pirates were 60-minute men as the sun shone and the breeze blew on an ideal afternoon in terms of the November norm.

“God blessed us,” said senior safety Korrin Wiggins, a graduate transfer from 2016 national champion Clemson, who was in on a team high 11 tackles.

“This leaves a good taste in our mouths,” said senior linebacker Jordan Williams, who was in on seven stops.

“It was just fun,” said Sirk, who had the season passing lead with 1,655 yards until Minshew’s performance Saturday. “Looking at faces of guys who had put so much work in and it really paid off.”

Montgomery said Sirk was gracious about his reset to receiver. The Pirates obviously want to give Minshew a chance to develop further for next season.

True freshman Darius Pinnix takes the first handoff of the game for a 15-yard gain. (Photo by Al Myatt > View Game Day Gallery…)

Teammates are seeing more confidence and maturity from Minshew.

“He had his swag today,” said senior receiver Jimmy Williams. “He had his confidence.”

Jimmy Williams, from nearby Washington, wasn’t going to be denied his score despite a continuing back ailment.

He scored on a screen play.

“It clicked in my head before the snap, ‘This was your role when you came in here,'” Williams said of the call. “We’d run screens and throw it to Jimmy. It gave me a little extra. The guy in front of me was talking junk from the play before. I was like, ‘All right, you don’t know the real me.’ I got the ball and it was like, ‘Ain’t nobody stopping me from getting in that end zone.'”

The outcome served as an atonement of sorts. The crowd was announced as 31,923 but it appeared that even fewer were actually on hand.

Those that came saw the Pirates conquer.

“It meant a lot,” Williams said of the win. “It meant even more when you saw the attention to detail that the players had. You saw the heart that they had, the drive that they had. That’s the biggest part. That’s what made me so emotional, not just playing in this stadium, but the guys that I had around me.”

One-game academic suspensions sidelined defensive lineman Tyree Owens and safety Tim Irvin. Receiver Davon Grayson was a late scratch with a back ailment. Safety Bobby Fulp was also sidelined with an injury. The Pirates were also missing freshman defensive back Tank Robinson.

Deans was the next man up behind Grayson and responded with five catches for 56 yards.

ECU won the turnover battle 1-0 on a fourth-quarter interception by senior Chris Love, which led to the TD pass by Herring.

Former national champion Korrin Wiggins (15), a graduate transfer safety from Clemson, shakes hands with ECU athletic director Jeff Compher during the pregame salute to the seniors. (Photo by Al Myatt > View Game Day Gallery…)

The streak Cincinnati had in the series included some pivotal moments in Pirate football history.

Steve Logan’s last game as ECU coach came with a 42-26 home loss to the Bearcats on Dec. 6, 2002. The Pirates opened the following season and the John Thompson coaching era with a 40-3 loss at Cincinnati on Sept. 1, 2003.

Ruffin McNeill’s tenure as ECU coach concluded with a 19-16 loss to the Bearcats on Nov. 28, 2015.

Stadium sideline announcer Brian Bailey of WNCT-TV 9 and Bonesville, talked to Scott Harley on the big screen at the stadium Saturday. Harley ran for an ECU school record 351 yards on Nov. 30, 1996, in a 50-29 season-ending win over N.C. State in Charlotte. The Pirates were 8-3 that season but did not receive a bowl berth.

This year’s Pirates are 3-8 going into the season finale at Memphis. They improved to 2-5 in the AAC, bettering last year’s 1-7 league mark.

ECU plays at Memphis at noon, Eastern time on Saturday. The Tigers (9-1, 6-1 AAC) clinched a berth in the league championship on Dec. 2 with a 66-45 win over visiting Southern Methodist.

Harley led ECU on the ground 21 years ago. The Pirates traveled through the air for the most part in their most recent and much-needed triumph.

ECU sent the seniors out in style and created some hope going forward with their most-decisive and well-rounded win this season.


GAME CENTER: ECU 48, CINCINNATI 20

Inside Game Day: Seniors have their day

Audio: Coach Mo Postgame Presser…

Photo Feature: Game Day Gallery…


ECU 2017 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE AND SCORES


Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: News & Features

Comments

  1. The Kidd says

    November 19, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Excellent! I see the glow of a shining city just over the horizon…………..GO PIRATES!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  2. Richard says

    November 19, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    Like last weeks game, I felt confident that we could win this game, but never thought that we would win so convincingly. It was so wonderful to see our Pirates shine like the Pirates of old. I took my older brother with me – it was his first game at ECU in years and a real treat for both of us. Felt good to be a Pirate for a change. GGGOOO…PPIRATES!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Recent News & Features

Baseball News
Pirates take series

Baseball News
ECU dealt first defeat

Baseball News
ECU prevails over Eagles in first road game

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates prep for challenging start in 2021

Baseball News
Pirates use long ball to down Duke

Football Recruiting Report
Banner recruits keep American on the rise

Basketball News
Postponements continue to mount in AAC hoops

Baseball News
Pirates complete sweep

Baseball News
Norby paces Pirates to series win

Baseball News
Pirates edge Rams, 3-2, in 10 innings

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

Football Recruiting Report
Banner recruits keep American on the rise

ECU Recruiting Evaluation, Part 2
Defensive report card: Pirates lure experience

ECU Recruiting Evaluation, Part 1
Offensive report card: Skill positions reinforced

ECU Football Recruiting - Early Evaluation
Pirates fortify secondary

Football Recruiting
Pirates land lineman with ‘nasty attitude’

Football Recruiting
Former TCU linebacker sets new path at ECU

Football Recruiting
Florida produces another quarterback gem for ECU

Football Recruiting
Legacy of ECU’s receivers helped sell Keigley

Football Recruiting
Pirates reaping dividends from Tri-City focus

Football Recruiting
Close relationship with ECU staff swayed Temple

Football Recruiting
Timely recruiting helped Pirates land Wright

Football Recruiting
COVID-19 opens door to FBS for Jason Shuford

Football Recruiting
ECU secondary secures Bama grad transfer Knott

Football Recruiting
ECU wins battle for coveted safety Clyatt

Football Recruiting
Grad transfer Chase rekindles ties with ECU

Recruiting Evaluation: Class of 2020 Defense
Defensive class caps off sterling recruiting effort

Recruiting Evaluation: Class of 2020 Offense
Gifted QBs, RBs headline offensive signees

Football Recruiting
Garrison’s route to ECU anything but typical

Early signing class evaluation
Pirates on the rise in recruiting wars

Football Recruiting
Healing prep star Hudson on track to sign early

Football Recruiting
Coveted QB recruit Garcia headed to Shrine Bowl

Football Recruiting
Help is on the way for ECU running game

Football Recruiting
Tackle took trek from ballboy to superstar

Football Recruiting
Crump brings ‘shut-down corner’ skills to ECU

Football Recruiting
ECU emerged from the pack to land McIver

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 25, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, February 18, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, February 13, 2021

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 DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 25, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, February 18, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, February 13, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, February 12, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, February 11, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Tuesday, February 9, 2021

GREG VACEK'S DAILY WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, February 8, 2021

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2021 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy