2008 Woodie Awards
Block party!
Kellen Holtzman
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Sports
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Only this time, Beamer Ball got a dose of its own medicine.
ECU senior T.J. Lee saved the afternoon in the Pirates' 27-22 victory over Virginia Tech last Saturday, bursting through the Virginia Tech offensive line to block Brent Bowden's punt. He then corralled the ball and scurried in for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:52 left to play.
After an unproductive day on punt returns, ECU Head Coach Skip Holtz decided to throw the kitchen sink at the Hokies zone protection.
"I told [special teams coach] Vernon Hargreaves, 'I don't think we've had five return yards all day on punt returns so let's go after it,'" said Holtz.
Holtz wasn't far off-the Pirates had only seven return yards on two punts before Lee's miraculous play.
Lee, a receiver by trade, had a hunch he and his teammates would power through the Virginia Tech line.
"I thought that somebody else was going to block it," said Lee. "Luckily, I was there and was the one that happened to get in."
Lee's stunner sent the already buzzing contingent of Pirate fans overboard. The crowd of 72,169 was the largest to witness a regular season college game in Bank of America Stadium history and third largest overall in college attendance.
"The fans were awesome," Holtz said. "What a great win for the program and for the fans and alumni. When you see all that purple and gold in this stadium here in Charlotte-it's been an awesome, awesome experience."
The win was the first for ECU over Virginia Tech since 1992, trimming the all-time series to 9-5 in favor of the Hokies. The Pirates triumph also marked the first time a Conference USA team has defeated a nationally ranked opponent in back-to-back weeks. ECU closed last season with a win over ranked Boise State.
Trailing 22-13, quarterback Patrick Pinkney put together the kind of drive that draws admiration from coaching legends like Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer.
Pinkney was 2-of-3 on the series, with first down completions to receiver Dwayne Harris and tight end Davon Drew. Pinkney then took the game into his own hands and cut the lead to 22-20 on a quarterback keeper from the 3-yards out.
"[Pinkney] puts them at another level," said Beamer. "He throws accurate. He makes some good plays. I think he does a good job for them."
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