By By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — In a season highlighted by stellar defensive play, it was only right that the East Carolina defensive unit be on the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to enjoy the adulation of the home crowd as it shut the door on Southern Miss’ final drive to secure a 25-20 victory in the Pirates’ season finale.
The win locked up the East Division of Conference USA for the second straight year and ensured the 28 Pirates’ seniors that they will get one more shot to play in front of the purple-and-gold faithful when they defend their conference title next week against the winner of the West Division, Houston.
Preseason Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year C.J. Wilson, is one of those 28 seniors, and it was his key block and return of a Golden Eagles’ extra-point that allowed East Carolina to continue its title defense.
After holding a lead for a majority of the game, the Pirates’ grip on their advantage seemed to be slipping as Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher threw a three-yard, play-action touchdown pass to Leroy Banks out of the wildcat formation to tie the game at 20 with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter.
A successful Daniel Hrapmann PAT would give USM a one-point lead, however, Wilson would have none of it. The 6-4, 278-pound Belhaven native jumped up and got his giant mitt on the pigskin. From there it was a matter of scooping and scoring.
Wilson said before the snap his instincts told him to take a gamble.
“I saw the inside gap, they had been giving us that all game. So I said ‘I’m going to take my chance here and it just worked out perfect,” Wilson said. “I blocked it, I saw the ball rolling so I just pushed the guy (Hrapmann) out of the way and took off running.”
After Wilson’s two-point conversion East Carolina kicker Ben Hartman, who converted field goals of 49 and 18 yards earlier in game, nailed a 47-yard field goal three minutes later to push the Pirates up 25-20.
The Eagles had two more chances to pick up six points but they could not get past the ECU defense.
The ECU defense helped contain Fletcher, USM’s all-time leading rusher, to 63 rushing yards.
The offense did its part too, and thanks to a record-breaking performance by Dwayne Harris (8-83, 1 TD) who became the schools all-time leader in receptions, and one-yard touchdown run by noise tackle Linval Joseph the Pirates took a 17-7 lead into halftime.
“Ben Harman’s field goals were really big, but when you look at the way the defense played that was pretty special,” East Carolina coach Skip Holtz said. “Outside of a couple of big plays … I thought our defense did a really nice job of containing them.”
Special teams played a huge role Saturday as ECU also blocked an Eagles 24-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter.
On the flip side, a poor special teams play by Matt Dodge almost cost the Pirates dearly. The East Carolina special teams ace averaged 50.5 yards per punt, but his decision to fake a punt and run in the third quarter backfired.
Up 17-7, East Carolina face a fourth-and-1 situation at its own 45-yard line midway through the quarter. Holtz called for a rugby style punt in an attempt to keep USM from getting a big return.
The play allows for Dodge the option to run if he thinks he can make it, except he didn’t come close and took a two-yard loss.
The Eagles Tory Harrison busted off a 41-yard TD run six plays later to cut ECU’s lead to 17-14.
The same play worked for Dodge and the Pirates last week versus UAB, but Holtz said he had no intention of calling a fake when he went to the roll-out punt.
“We went rugby to keep it out of the wind, get it on the ground and let it roll,” Holtz said. “I guess I’m going to have to turn and say ‘Rugby, no option.’… Last week he made the decision, I don’t know if he feels he’s Larry Czonka now or what … He’s a punter and that’s what he need to be.”
Holtz smiled as he commented on Dodge, and so did the punter after he saw Wilson take the two-point conversion to the house.
“I was pretty happy with that, especially after what I did before that,” Dodge said. “I heard some (of the guys) yell go for it … then I just had my mind made up. It was a poor decision and the results showed for themselves. It was dumb, I should have kicked it. I thought I could make a play but I didn’t.”
Aside from that miscue, the kicking game was solid. A 49-yard field goal by Hartman gave ECU a 3-0 lead in with 10:40 left in the first quarter. The field goal came after a holding call wiped out a Giavanni Ruffin 31-yard touchdown run.
Southern Miss answered as quarterback Martevious Young (20 of 44, 262 1 TD) hooked up with star sophomore wideout DeAndre Brown (7-145) for a 49-yard pass to help set up a 17-yard scoring pass to Freddie Parham to go up 7-3.
That would be the last time USM held the lead.
The Pirates retaliated in the second quarter when wide receiver Dwayne Harris took a reverse pitch from running back Dominique Lindsay (20-98) and bowled over a USM defender en route to a 34-yard TD to put ECU ahead 10-7.
The score was the Pirates first rushing touchdown since they played at Memphis (Oct. 17). Quarterback Patrick Pinkney hit of 25 of his 41 attempts for 269 yards and looked very sharp at times while leading the offense. The senior has now gone three game without being intercepted.
Harris caught eight Pinkney passes for 83 yards and one TD, boosting his career total to an ECU all-time best 154 receptions.
“It’s great (to be No. 1), just the chemistry me and Patrick have out there is great,” Harris said. “I just go out there and do it for the team. It’s a team goal, I love these guys out there and I do it for them.”