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Nov. 20, 1999 SportsLine wire reports |
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Steve Logan was on the verge of history for
23rd-ranked East Carolina, and David Garrard wanted to make sure his coach secured his place in Pirates lore.
Garrard ran for three touchdowns and helped make Logan the winningest coach in East Carolina history as the Pirates beat North Carolina State 23-6 on Saturday.
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Game summary T O P N E W S
"We were talking about it all week long, getting this victory for coach Logan because he deserved it," said Garrard, who led all rushers with 101 yards and passed for 156 yards. "We thought he deserved it. We went out there and executed and we finally got this victory for him."
Garrard, who lost a fumble in the end zone on East Carolina's first possession, more than made up for it, sealing the triumph with a 46-yard dash off the option with 4:51 left. He has run for eight touchdowns this season.
"When I hear my number called, I'm thinking end zone the whole time," Garrard said. "If I need to pitch it or whatever, I'll do it. But I'm always thinking end zone."
Logan earned his 51st victory in his eighth year at East Carolina (9-2), breaking the mark held by Clarence Stasavich, before a Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium record crowd of 50,092. Instead of history, Logan was thinking more about the historic visit by the Wolfpack and all the people who made it possible.
"I think it was a little bit of mission accomplished," Logan said. "I was just very privileged to be a part of it."
The victory also earned East Carolina an invitation to the inaugural Mobile Alabama Bowl. An official announcement is expected next week.
Andrew Bayes added a 34-yard field goal for the Pirates, who have won five of the past seven games in the series.
After 19 bus rides to Raleigh and two games at neutral sites, the Pirates finally got to host the Wolfpack on their home field. While East Carolina was jockeying for a bowl close to home, N.C. State (6-6) needed a victory to get to seven wins and qualify for a postseason invitation.
The Wolfpack will remember their first trip to Greenville for squandered opportunities. After converting Garrard's early fumble into a touchdown, kicker Kent Passingham missed the extra point. After getting to the East Carolina 12 late in the first quarter, the Wolfpack stalled and Passingham missed a 42-yard field goal try to the left.
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| East Carolina QB David Garrard has a lot to celebrate Saturday.(AP) |
In the second half, N.C. State got inside the East Carolina 5 two times. Both times, their offense was stymied and Passingham had his field goals blocked. In its last 10 quarters, N.C. State has no touchdowns and two field goals.
"I thought our team played exceptionally hard and gave tremendous effort," N.C. State coach Mike O'Cain said. "The thing that I'm disappointed in is our execution inside the 10-yard line and the way we kicked the football. You don't get the ball in the end zone from the 10, at least you should come away with three points. We didn't get to make that happen today."
The Pirates took a Wolfpack fumble from the N.C. State 49 down to the 12, where Garrard fumbled on an option play and the ball was ruled to have gone through the end zone. The Wolfpack took the turnover for an 80-yard drive and scored on Jamie Barnette's first-and-goal run from the one midway through the period.
After Passingham's first missed field goal, Garrard closed out a 75-yard drive on the ensuing possession with a 2-yard dash with 10:30 left before the half.
East Carolina rushed Barnette into an interception by linebacker John Williamson at the Wolfpack 46. Garrard cashed in with a 14-yard run with 48 seconds left before the break.
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