Pirates Stunned! ECU Upset by Wolfpack 30-24
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Updated: 6:02 PM Apr 27, 2009
Pirates Stunned! ECU Upset by Wolfpack 30-24
The Wolfpack shock the Pirates. N.C. State wins 30 to 24 in overtime on Andre Brown's 10-yard touchdown run after NC State recovered a Patrick Pinkney fumble.
Posted: 12:35 PM Sep 20, 2008
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Greenville native Andre Brown's 10-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted North Carolina State to a 30-24 upset of No. 15 East Carolina on Saturday.

Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes -- including a game-tying 5-yarder to George Bryan with 1:12 left in regulation for the Wolfpack (2-2), seven-point underdogs who hung around all afternoon and never trailed by more than a touchdown.

Patrick Pinkney was 19-of-32 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown for the Pirates (3-1), whose BCS-busting hopes are all but over after their second straight loss to the Wolfpack. Pinkney's fumble on East Carolina's third play in overtime gave NC State a shot at the upset.

Brown hurdled defender J.J. Milbrook during a remarkable 16-yard run that set up the winning score, and finished with 73 yards and a 4-yard touchdown reception.

Wilson, a redshirt freshman making his first home start, went 21-for-31 for 210 yards and had a 20-yard TD throw to Williams. He energized a Wolfpack offense that entered with no touchdowns this season against teams from the bowl subdivision, and was one of just three in the FBS to rank 100th or worse in the four major stat categories -- rushing, passing, scoring and total offense.

NC State finished with 384 total yards against an East Carolina defense that entered as one of the nation's best.

Pinkney had a 20-yard scoring pass to Devon Drew for the Pirates, who have lost 14 of the 21 meetings in Raleigh and struggled for the second straight week. They opened the season with upsets of then-ranked Virginia Tech and West Virginia, but needed a final-moments scoring drive to outlast Tulane last week.

Van Eskridge returned an interception 23 yards for a score and third-stringer Norman Whitley added 83 yards rushing and a 42-yard scoring run for the Pirates, who never trailed in regulation but couldn't generate any separation against the most despised rival on its schedule.

After Ben Hartman's 21-yard field goal with 4 1/2 minutes left put the Pirates up 24-17, NC State's offense went to work: T.J. Graham returned the kickoff to the Wolfpack 45, and Wilson needed only two plays to move them into the red zone, hitting Jarvis Williams for 26 yards and Andre Brown for 17.

Five plays later, Wilson found a sliding Bryan in the end zone. The officials initially ruled the pass incomplete, but reversed the call after a review of about 5 minutes.

East Carolina went three-and-out on its final possession of regulation.


Latest Comments

Posted by: Phyllis Location: Canton, GA on Sep 27, 2008 at 01:52 PM

I am appalled by many of the statements that have been made on these blogs. They are so hateful. Almost everyone has a bad game or two. You would think from the comments that every NCSU and ECU fan is horrible. I have attended home games for both teams as my father was a NCSU graduate. In Raleigh and in Greenville, you will find wonderful and horrible fans. Growing up, we endured for every home State game an obnoxious fan. Most State fans would have preferred that this fan have pulled for someone else. At ECU's last home game last year, I met some fans I would have preferred not to be ECU fans. Everywhere you go you are going to find wonderful and obnoxious fans. I would never compare USC to ECU at this point. However you never know what might happen in the future. Years ago there were schools winning national championships that are no where on the radar now. BTW, Trojan fans, you lost to an unranked team Thursday night. Does that mean you are over ranked?
Posted by: smb=pirategirl Location: Grimesland aka Pirate Nation on Sep 26, 2008 at 04:57 PM

Excuse me? Did I just read that someone said NC State had "class" for not rushing the field? What about throwing beers at the ECU fans as they were leaving Carter Finley, or getting into the faces of ECU fans and taunting them for the loss when all they were trying to do was leave the stadium. Do you call that class?
Posted by: smb=pirategirl Location: Grimesland aka Pirate Nation on Sep 26, 2008 at 04:55 PM

*Standing up to applaud Big T (formerly Pirate)*