North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Wolfpack falls 21-16 to East Carolina
11/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
“I don’t know if I can pinpoint one thing that hurt us today, except that we couldn’t make big plays,” said sophomore quarterback Daniel Evans. “I give
The Pirates (7-5) did, when needed, manage to make big plays. None was bigger than the 53-yard touchdown pass James Pinkney made to Aundrae Allison with just 4.9 seconds remaining in the first half, which flipped the lead NC State had just taken on a 34-yard John Deraney field goal from a 10-7 advantage to a 14-10 deficit.
It was that 30-second scoring burst by both teams that essentially decided the outcome of the contest. The Pirates added a late touchdown by tailback Brandon Fractious, a 12-yard run that gave ECU a 21-10 lead with 2:37 remaining.
Fractious, a senior tailback for the Pirates, had a big night, rushing for 92 yards of ECU’s 124 rushing yards on 17 carries.
The Wolfpack, which scored on its first offensive possession of the game, scored again on its last possession, on a 2-yard run by Jamelle Eugene. But in between, the Wolfpack (3-9) managed just three points on the Deraney field goal.
The two-point conversion following the late touchdown was not successful. Neither was the onsides kick that followed.
Mistakes again plagued the Pack, which committed eight penalties for 59 yards and had one turnover. Two of the penalties were personal fouls that helped
The Wolfpack offense, which scored on its first possession after taking over at mid-field following an ECU fake punt, also struggled to make just four of 13 third-down conversions and gained 293 yards of total offense.
“I hate to say it, but [losing this game] felt the same as it has the last seven weeks,” said senior linebacker Pat Lowery . “Probably a little worse, because we knew it was the last game. It’s frustrating. It is sad. It is everything you feel when you lose a game, times seven.”
Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato, too, was disappointed that another game ended in a close loss.
“I have never been through a season like this,” Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato said. “A lot of those kids haven’t either. It’s hard. It’s not something I am happy about. It was a season of inches.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
