ANNAPOLIS, MD — East Carolina kicker Owen Daffer was a walk-on as he went for the win at Navy on Saturday. He was on scholarship soon afterward.
Daffer completed a comeback with a game-ending 54-yard field goal for a 38-35 American Athletic Conference triumph over the Midshipmen.
“Great snap, great hold (Jonn Young), good protection and he nailed it,” said Pirates coach Mike Houston. ” … Proud of the kids. They believe in our core values and the process and it’s paying dividends.”
Daffer, a redshirt freshman from New Hanover, was given a grant in an ecstatic locker room following ECU’s second win in the series.
It was the second straight road victory on the last play of the game for the Pirates, who improved to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the AAC going into a home game Friday at 3:30 p.m. against No. 5 Cincinnati (11-0, 7-0).
Five wins in the American is tied with the 2014 ECU team which went 5-3 in the league.
Navy (2-8, 2-5) used two huge plays in the fourth quarter to lead 35-27 on their Senior Day. Carlinos Acie had a 90-yard scoring run with 14:03 to go and Maquel Haywood had a 98-yard kickoff return after a 25-yard field goal by Daffer. The officials picked up a flag thrown for an illegal block on the score by Haywood with 8:33 left and that left Houston livid.
The Pirates responded with a 28-yard scoring pass from Holton Ahlers to Tyler Snead with 5:01 remaining and Ahlers found C.J. Johnson for the tying 2-point conversion.
ECU’s defense forced a punt from the Pirates’ 47 and Ahlers connected on a 46-yard pass to Snead to the Navy 32 to set up Daffer. The kicker was unfazed by a 5-yard procedure penalty that increased his degree of difficulty. Two Navy timeouts designed to ice him only delayed the winning swing of his right foot.
“That’s something that I rely on is that I can come through in big-time situations,” Daffer said. “I keep getting chances to prove it and thank God I’m able to come through. I was thinking walk-off home run and why not?”
Daffer’s conversion kick in overtime at Memphis provided the deciding point in a 30-29 win last week as the Tigers subsequently went for a 2-point conversion and were denied on a pass break-up by Myles Berry.
Jake Verity’s successor as Pirate kicker had a 50-yarder in high school and said he has hit from 65 yards in practice. His longest in a game this season was 39 yards.
“I just knew he was prepared for the moment,” Ahlers said. “I’m super proud of him. … In the pressure of the moment, he could have done a lot of different things.”
Ahlers said the Pirates had a Hail Mary called before opting for Daffer.
“I begged Coach to kick it,” Ahlers said. “I was like, ‘He can make it, he can make it,’ and he went out and drilled it.”
Ahlers completed 27 of 32 for 405 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. ECU led 563-387 in total yards.
“Shout out to the O-line,” Ahlers said. “Without them, I can’t do anything. Our receivers made a lot of good plays. Coach K (offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick) called a great game.”
Snead had five catches for 137 yards and two TDs. Audie Omotosho had seven receptions for 90 yards. Ryan Jones had five catches for 42 yards and a score. Keaton Mitchell had four catches for 42 yards. Johnson’s three grabs accounted for 89 yards.
Mitchell led the ground game with 18 rushes for 92 yards and a TD. Ahlers had seven keepers for 48 yards.
Linebacker Bruce Bivens was in on nine tackles, including six solo stops.
ECU led 24-21 at the half as Ahlers hit Jones for a 5-yard score just 18 seconds before intermission.
The only other ECU win in the series, which Navy leads by a 7-2 margin, was in 2011 when the Pirates prevailed by the same 38-35 score.
ECU leads the series with Cincinnati, 13-11, but the Bearcats have won three straight and nine of the last 10.
“The kids have set us up for one heck of a matchup next Friday,” Houston said. “We need Pirate Nation to show up. We need Dowdy-Ficklen packed. … We’ve got our hands full, but I tell you we’ve got a dang good football team in that locker room.”
It wasn’t pretty, until it was. After last week, I said regardless of how the Navy and Cincy games went, the Pirates had staked a claim on a new era of Pirate football. They found a way to win in Memphis, and in the process, doubled last year’s win total.
That’s what a good team does! When you aren’t playing your best, for whatever the reason, you get it done some other way. The replay showing the smile on Mike Houston’s face spoke volumes! Validation of all that he believes in as a HBC. Do it the right way, No Quit and No Surrender. More to do – yes – but, a solid foundation has been established.
Congratulations, Owen Daffer. Your proven ability as a place kicker has been justly rewarded with a grant. In a game where every point is precious, more often than not, you’ve come through. I have been critical of his kickoff ability – and I still am – but he continues to shine on place kicks.
I hope ESPN includes HA’s pass to Snead, which set up the field goal, in the highlight reel. Talk about dropping a dime into the phone booth coin slot! And Snead, completing the catch through the tumble!
Defense – maybe a half-step backwards this week in technique and tackling. However, you Never Quit – and made enough plays to ‘get it done’.
The Pirates continue to suffer the consequences of not having the consistent ability to drive the kickoff into the end zone, and forcing touch-backs. I know I’m beating my own dead horse, but it’s obvious! With Daffer not receiving a scholarship until now, it begs the question, what is the priority of kickers in the Pirate recruiting scheme? Or, as I questioned earlier in the season, was the staff blindsided by Jake Verity’s departure?
Good teams find a way… and, in what has been a true “no man’s land’ for Pirate football, the Pirates did it in grand fashion. One side of the ball is gashed, another side picked the team up and the third side of the ball literally ‘stepped up’.
Cincy’s coming… could it be? And, isn’t it GREAT to have that thought going into late November!
What a ride this season has been….. Very bumpy and frustrating at times, but a whole lot of fun, adventure and suspense along the way. And, its not over yet Pirate Nation. 7-4 overall and 5-2 (currently 3rd place) in AAC. Not too shabby considering how far our proud program had floundered. The Pirate ship is headed on the right course and we have the captain we have all wanted in charge of the ship. Lets keeps this adventure going for two more games.
With all due respect this article is incomplete without describing the play that forced Navy to Punt. Jaquan McMillan saved the day by forcing a fumble when he was singled up in coverage by a great call by Navy… McMillian sniffed it out and made the stop preventing a first down and forcing the punt. The rest is history. Pirates are playing hard and it is a pleasure to see.
U got that right – a must play. So many plays, that’s what a good team does, play after play – its takes many to be a winner. Soooooo far from where we were. These young men and coaches have earned respect and we need to fill up the stadium Friday!!! Get on board no matter what happens Friday. What a different feeling it is to watch Pirate football again, we have been in every game and could have easily won more!! Go Pirates!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!
This is not meant as the remotest critique against Coach, who has done a remarkable job restoring Pirates football, but I was extremely puzzled by his decision late in the game to kick the fg from the Navy 7 on 4th down and 1, to then still trail by 1. I thought that it was quite uncharacteristic of him, but it all worked out.
Snead reminds me so much of the Super Bowl Patriots’ slot backs Wes Welker and (later) Julian Edelman, undersized, extremely athletic, versatile and extraordinary playmakers.
Ahlers’ numbers were off the charts. Kudos to him, to the OL, and to the skill players around him; but this was a memorable all-around team win.
You know that this edition of the Pirates is giving Cincinnati something to think about in the runup to this Friday. Coach is likely reminding his team of the trickeration Cinn. pulled against them late in the game last year, despite the Bearcats being way up on them at the time; that’s fine locker room bulletin board material for an underdog team at home which very deservedly believes in itself. Go Pirates.