Holtz building East Carolina; Clemson’s Bowden misses on first carry
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz knew it had been a while since the Pirates had accomplished something that left jaws dropping from coast to coast.
East Carolina beat Boise State 41-38 in the Hawaii Bowl at the end of the 2007 season, but even that victory didn’t garner the same attention as the upset of a nationally ranked opponent from a BCS conference.
“We’re not going to get any national recognition unless we line up and compete with the West Virginias and Virginia Techs,” Holtz said. “We’ve been close, but we’ve got to line up and compete with those teams and win.”
The Pirates finally did that Saturday, upsetting No. 17 Virginia Tech 27-22 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. After falling behind 22-13 on the first play of the fourth quarter, East Carolina won the game when T.J. Lee blocked a punt and ran 27 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:52 to play.
“It’s only one game, but it goes a long way in what we’re trying to do and build at East Carolina,” said Holtz, who received a three-year contract extension from the school last week. “I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
espn.com
9/1/08
