News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

10.29.06: ECU women's volleyball extends streak ... Pirate swimmers leave Towson behind ... UTEP takes muddy victory in Grimesland

10.28.06: Cougars quarterback piling up the numbers ... ECU vs. USM part of pay-per-view twinbill ... Hokies tame Tigers in key ACC battle

10.27.06: Rice's Almond named Wooden candidate ... Pirates hosting C-USA cross country ... ECU freshman Bools shares C-USA honor

10.26.06: Tickets for Troops promotion expands ... Another C-USA honor for ECU's Icenhower ... Report: Davis would have interest in Heels

10.25.06: Ex-Pirate Adams attempts PGA qualifying ...
C-USA names football players of week ... Tar Heels will retain many football recruits

10.24.06: New thumbnails: Baker, Byrd and Thompson ... Ore golden in Hokies' win over Southern Miss ... Unbeaten start for ECU swim teams ... Tar Heels picked first in ACC hoops

10.23.06: Jenkins' three lifts Gold in scrimmage ... ECU volleyball takes sixth straight C-USA win ... Bools finishes sixth in Lady Pirate golf

10.22.06: Pirates volleyball on record streak ... Mountaineers handle Huskies, stay unbeaten ... Georgia golfer gets call to play in South Africa

10.21.06: Report: UNC-Chapel Hill's Bunting to resign ... Coaches' challenges yield few reversals ... Southern Miss prepared for Hokies

10.20.06: ECU's Roach nominated for Draddy Award ... Memphis picked first in C-USA basketball ... 4th-ranked UTEP runners coming to Greenville

10.19.06: Koren Robinson suspended by NFL ... Miami broadcaster axed over brawl comments ... Dartmouth, Holy Cross row gets investigation

10.18.06: League teams busy; ECU ends homestand ... C-USA names football players of week ... ECU's Krug captures C-USA weekly honor

10.17.06: ACC, Miami announce additional suspensions ... More suspensions also on Sun Belt's agenda ... Duke lacrosse under "60 Minutes" scrutiny

10.16.06: Coker suspends eight Miami players after brawl ... Pirate volleyball continues roll at UCF ... Szilard leads ECU women's soccer win ... Harris Poll's top 5 varies from BCS Standings

10.15.06: Stokes convenes season's first hoops practice ... Pirate volleyball wins third straight ... ECU women open basketball practice at Rose

10.14.06: EA Sports video game features ECU baseball stadium ... Pirates announce Tickets for Troops drive ... Six C-USA gridders in All-American Classic

10.13.06: Pirate basketball gets national TV dates ... ECU women's hoops getting tube time, too ... East Carolina baseball to host winter camp

10.12.06: ECU hoops scrimmages set for Homecoming ... Camels stun No. 3 UNC-Chapel Hill in soccer ... ECU picked 7th in C-USA women's hoops

10.11.06: Dougherty gets
C-USA special teams honor ... Pirate promotions abound for Tulsa game ... UCF versus Pitt on TV Friday night

10.10.06: Tulsa netter Brugues takes national title ... Miami (OH) reeling after sixth loss ... Pirates host unique diving competition

10.09.06: Buckeyes, Trojans, Gators top Harris Poll ... Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll ballot ... Gators continue success in Swamp ... Pirates stun Memphis in volleyball ... ECU soccer shuts out Herd

10.08.06: Jeff Blake bows out of hall induction ... NCAA's tax status under investigation ... North Dakota challenges NCAA mascot policy

10.07.06: Amato continues mastery of Seminoles ... ECU volleyball triumphs at home over UAB ... Millican continues bid for spot on LPGA Tour

10.06.06: Big Ten announces fines, reprimands ... Central Florida wins late field goal battle ... Millican shoots 74 in qualifying event

10.05.06: Gold captures ECU World Series with 8-7 win ... Tulsa runs past Southern Miss ... Former ECU golfer Millican in LPGA qualifying

10.04.06: TV exposure continues for C-USA teams ... Former UVa stars make $1 million gift ... SMU takes two of three weekly league honors

10.03.06: Curry to receive Stagg award ... Inspired by fallen teammate, Rice whips Army ... ECU women's golf team finishes 11th

10.02.06: Takeaways, sacks mean good things for UVa ... Gators pull even with WVU in Harris BCS poll ... Swofford presented with Homer Rice Award ... Tulsa win streak continues at ECU's expense

10.01.06: Cavs blast Duke 37-0 in Durham ... Vols deal Memphis a resounding defeat ... Pirate women's cross country wins meet

In the end, it came down to a play in the back of the end zone at Roberts Stadium.

And in the end, Southern Miss couldn't make the play, according to a Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger report.

East Carolina cornerback Travis Williams wrestled Jeremy Young's jump-ball of a pass away from tight end Shawn Nelson on USM's first offensive snap of overtime to give the Pirates a 20-17 Conference USA victory over the Golden Eagles.

"We got a big play out of that play early, and had single coverage in overtime," USM coach Jeff Bower said. "I thought Shawn had possession of the ball early, and then when he was coming down, their guy just took it away from him."

"We knew they were going to try and hit their franchise tight end," Williams said. "I went up and the ball hit my hands and he had his hands on it, too. I just wanted it more."

ECU quarterback James Pinkney's 1-yard scoring run and the subsequent extra point boot by Ben Hartman sent the game into overtime with 13 seconds to play. Hartman then kicked what turned out to be the game-winning 19-yard field goal after USM had stopped the Pirates short on three cracks from the 4-yard line on their OT possession.

On first down, Young threw into the back of the south end zone, where Young and Williams both went up.

Williams came out with the ball, flinging it into the night over the hospitality tent as the Pirates streamed onto the field in celebration and the Golden Eagles appeared frozen in disbelief 25 yards upfield.

The play was reviewed, but after a few moments, the decision on the field stood, and the Pirates had their first win over USM in six years and only the second in the last 11.

East Carolina basketball coach Ricky Stokes has announced that Chad Wynn will redshirt during the 2006-07 season.

Wynn, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound freshman from Atlanta, averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game last season at North Atlanta Prep. He will have four years of eligibility remaining at East Carolina.

"After observing nine weeks of preseason work and consultation with his family, we have decided to redshirt Chad," said Stokes. "Giving Chad a year to acclimate to the collegiate experience, practice daily, and enhance his frame with our rigorous strength and conditioning program is in his and the ECU basketball program's best long-term interest. With this additional year of development, Chad's future is a very bright one."

East Carolina will open the 2006-07 season at home against Morgan State on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Central Florida had a season-high 530 yards of total offense, but it was not enough as the Golden Knights fell 51-31 to host Houston in Conference USA action Saturday at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Sophomore tailback Kevin Smith led the Golden Knights with 163 yards on the ground and three scores, according to a report on the UCF athletic website.

UCF falls to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in C-USA play going into its homecoming game with East Carolina at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Smith's 11-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter tied the game at 31, but the Cougars (6-3, 4-1) scored three unanswered touchdowns to pull away. Kevin Kolb found Vincent Marshall for an 8-yard scoring strike at the 11:55 mark to put the hosts up, 38-31.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.