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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
“Defensively, to go four quarters against a good football team and to be able to shut them out, on the road especially, is huge,” head coach Blake Harrell said. “I think those defensive guys, a lot of people had doubts about them early this season, they’ve kind of stood tall the last few weeks.”
Coastal (1-2), which has scored just 20 points this season, got a full dose of that. The Chanticleers turned to Tad Hudson as their starter at quarterback, but the redshirt sophomore and the remainder of the Chanticleers met a solid white wall and managed only a couple of threats, missing a field goal on their opening possession and throwing an interception inside the 10.
After rushing for 245 yards in a 13-0 win over Charleston Southern last week, Coastal mustered just 67 yards on the ground and 239 total yards against ECU. The Pirates sacked Johnson five times and finished with nine tackles for loss overall, boosting the season total to 28.
Kendrick DuJour, Kieran Davis and Julien Davis each forced a fumble. Ja’Marley Riddle came up with his fourth career interception and broke up two more passes. Rasheed Reason also had an interception, the third of his career and first at ECU.
“I think the energy was great,” Riddle said. “I felt like we really just took over, honestly.”
That effort gave the offense time to get on track. By the fourth quarter, the Pirates imposed their will, exhausted Coastal and pulled away. After rushing for 91 yards on 33 carries through three quarters, ECU pounded away for 113 yards in the fourth to finish with 204 on the ground.
The 497 total yards mark the ninth time in Harrell’s nine games as head coach the Pirates have amassed at least 400 yards.
“The offense just kind of stuck with it, stuck with it, stuck with it and found some creases there in the second half and found some big plays down the field,” Harrell said. “I thought we got the run game finally going there in the fourth quarter, when the other team is knowing you are going to run the football as well, so that’s important.”
Before that, Smith provided ECU’s main spark. The NC State transfer in his second year with the Pirates established career highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (136). He was among 10 receivers to haul in a pass from Katin Houser, who completed 28 of 37 passes for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“The best thing Anthony did tonight was catch some intermediate passes and get the YAC (yards after catch) yardage (64 yards),” Harrell said.
London Montgomery and Parker Jenkins got the bulk of the carries. Montgomery finished with 59 yards on 15 carries, and Jenkins added 42 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Northwestern transfer Mike Wright Jr. stepped in for Houser in the third quarter and gained 37 yards on three carries, punctuated by an 18-yard touchdown scamper.
“Mike’s a special player,” Houser said. “When the ball’s in his hands he’s able to do a lot of things. Being able to go score a touchdown and lead two scoring drives just shows how good of a player he is.”
The Pirates only led 10-0 at the half despite nearly double the time of possession, almost 100 more yards of total offense and forcing a pair of turnovers. Two trips inside the red zone produced no points, ending on downs at the Coastal 19 and on a blocked field goal.
ECU did strike on its second possession to take a 7-0 lead, riding the right arm of Houser, who completed his first eight passes. Two passes each to Anthony Smith, Yannick Smith and Brock Spalding highlighted a nine-play drive that ended with a five-yard toss to Yannick Smith on a slant.
Nick Mazzie boosted the lead to 10-0 with 1:44 left in the first quarter, booting a 36-yard field goal to cap an 11-play drive.
The margin would remain that way until the half because the Pirates failed to cash in two Coastal turnovers.
After Julien Davis ripped the ball from the arms of Hudson at the Coastal 48, the Pirates pushed to the 19 before Marlon Gunn Jr. came up short on a fourth-and-1 run.
Riddle then gave ECU another opportunity. The Chanticleers, who missed a 48-yard field goal on their opening possession, mounted their second threat with a 10-play drive that reached the 20, but Riddle leaped to pick off a Hudson pass at the five and returned it to the 38.
Houser connected on five passes in an 11-play drive that set up first-and-goal at the nine. Three running plays netted just two yards, and Mazzie’s field goal attempt was blocked.
ECU would not let any chances slip away in the second half.
After taking over at Coastal’s 45 following a punt, ECU scored in six plays for a 17-0 lead. Anthony Smith’s 27-yard catch and run moved the ball to the four and Jenkins barreled in from there.
A fourth-down sack by Preston Carr and Dameon Wilson started a fourth-quarter surge that began with Houser’s second touchdown toss to Yannick Smith.
Wright scored four plays after an interception by Reason for a 31-0 lead, then TJ Engleman Jr. cashed in a fumble recovery by Kieran Davis.
“After halftime I thought our offense just started rolling and we had a really good rhythm,” Houser said. “I’m proud of how our guys played and how we responded the second half.”
The shut out win on the road creates momentum going into next Saturday’s home game against BYU (2-0) at 7:30 p.m. in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
“It’s going to be great going back to Dowdy again and getting to play a big opponent after coming off this great win,” Anthony Smith said. “It makes it so much easier when all the fans in Dowdy show up and show out. We’re ready to go out there and do it for sure.”