Stolen moment: Pirates snatch victory on game's final play
BY ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Monday, September 06, 2010
9/06/10 at 9:24 AM
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - The stunned, silent faces on Tulsa's sidelines looked familiar.
East Carolina ripped victory from the Golden Hurricane as a 33-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play gave the Pirates a 51-49 win in a wild and dizzy Conference USA game played before 50,010 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It strongly resembled the ninth game of 2009 when Houston scored nine points in 21 seconds, including a field goal as time expired, to beat TU 46-45.
"I like to say I'd never felt like this before, but after the Houston game..." Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne said.
There were seven lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. TU seemed to have the game in hand when Kinne tossed his fifth touchdown, a 3-yard pass to Charles Clay to give the Hurricane a 49-45 lead with 1:22 left.
As it turns out, 82 seconds can be an eternity. Especially in a game where defense seemed to be optional.
Todd Graham complimented his opponent - which beat his squad for the third straight season - and then offered this: "It was a game that we absolutely gave away."
Tulsa called timeout with five seconds left to insert its "dime victory" formation, which included a rushing Clay and converted wide receivers Trae Johnson and Jameel Owens into defensive backs.
Everything appeared to be set, but quarterback Dominique Davis rolled left and launched an up-for-grabs pass that found Justin Jones, a 6-foot-8, 252-pound target who out-jumped Johnson (5-foot-11, 190).
"They put me in the middle and just (told) me to go up and try to make a play like I do on fades and he was just the bigger guy in a better place," said Johnson, who added that TU has practiced the defensive play once a week for three years.
The two-point margin of victory (ECU didn't attempt a final PAT, choosing to down the ball) comes into play because the Hurricane may have left three points on the field following three missed two-point conversions.
The Hurricane failed on a two-point conversion after taking its first lead, 13-10 with 7:15 left before halftime.
One missed two-point conversion led to another and then to a third.
With the final outcome being within three points, does Tulsa regret chasing points in the first place?
"No, we wanted to be aggressive," Graham said. "I told coach (Chad) Morris to ... put the hammer down and he did."
Morris ran the "swinging gate" formation in high school during PATs and brought the play with him to Tulsa. He said it worked well in spring and fall practices and won't be shelved because of one game.
"We had it and felt like we had it on several times," Morris said. "We underthrew one and had a high snap on another ... it was there, but we just had to execute it. It gives us a different threat.
"We went to our two-point chart, which was telling we had to go for it (a second and third time). If you execute the first one, you never see the other ones. It's what we are about. We are going to take chances."
Morris' offense looked solid in the second half, with Kinne appearing in control after a shaky start.
The Hurricane's first five plays ended with two fumbles (including one lost to set up ECU's first score) and a dropped pass that could have been intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
Kinne ended by completing 28-of-43 passes for 399 yards and tossing five touchdowns. He added 38 rushing yards and was sacked only once.
"It took us a while to get into a rhythm, but we did," Kinne said. "We didn't put enough points on the board in the first half and that cost us."
TU trailed 17-16 at intermission before the offensive fireworks began in the second half. Neither team led by more than six points after halftime.
East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill won in his debut as the Pirates' coach.
"I'm proud of the kids and the way they kept fighting," McNeill said. "We were able to win by one and get out of there."
Davis ended 27-of-46 for 383 yards and five touchdowns, as the Pirates rolled up 538 yards of offense against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane gave up 27 fourth-quarter points.
TU's 49 points scored are its most in a loss in school history.
Regrouping won't be easy and it has to come quickly.
The Hurricane will play Bowling Green in its home opener. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Saturday at Chapman Stadium.
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EAST CAROLINA 51, TU 49
TU up next: Vs. Bowling Green
6 p.m. Saturday
TV: None
Radio: KRMG am740, fm102.3
Original Print Headline: Pirates snatch victory on game's final play
Eric Bailey 581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
East Carolina receiver Justin Jones catches a 33-yard Hail Mary pass on the game's final play for a 51-49 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
East Carolina receiver Justin Jones catches a 33-yard Hail Mary pass on the game's final play for a 51-49 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
East Carolina receiver Justin Jones catches a 33-yard Hail Mary pass on the game's final play for a 51-49 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
East Carolina receiver Justin Jones catches a 33-yard Hail Mary pass on the game's final play for a 51-49 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
TU's Willie Carter runs 75 yards for a touchdown past East Carolina's Rahkeem Morgan. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
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