East Carolinian

Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: AP [Click to enlarge]

A 13-point halftime lead had ECU zoned in on the Liberty Bowl title but at the end of the day, the Pirates were left filling the vacancy in the Heartbreak Hotel as a late fumble led to a 25-19 Kentucky victory.

"I hate the way the game turned out," said coach Skip Holtz. "I hate the way it ended."

ECU appeared to get the break it needed late in the fourth quarter when a Patrick Pinkney fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson was overturned by instant replay officials. The replay confirmed that Pinkney's knee hit the ground before the ball became loose.

The overturned score proved to be of little significance however, as three plays later a Norman Whitley fumble was picked up by Wildcats defensive end Ventrell Jenkins and returned 56 yards down the sideline to paydirt for the winning score.

Jenkins' game winning play was enough to earn him the Liberty Bowl MVP. The senior from Columbia, SC also collected four tackles on the day.

"I didn't like either one of them," Holtz said of Pinkney and Whitley's reviewed fumbles."…As I've told the players before, anytime you don't hand the ball to the official, you give them the opportunity to make the call."

While there is never a good time for a turnover, this one was especially sour for Whitley, not only because it eventually cost his team the game, but because it was his birthday.

The sophomore running back had at times this season created a spark at the tailback position but has recently battled a hip injury that cost him dear practice time in weeks leading up to the Liberty Bowl.

"…He said to me, 'Coach I was trying to make a play,'" Holtz said of Whitley, who finished the day with 31 yards on seven carries. "…As a running back, your job is to hold onto it and turn and protect it. That's the number one part of the plan. We let it down tonight. We laid it on the ground."

While Whitley's fumble and the runback by Jenkins proved to be the difference in the game, the Pirates had one last shot after the game-changing play to take back the lead.

After starting at its own one-yard line, ECU moved the ball to the 11-yard line after Pinkney found senior tight end Davon Drew. However, the Pirates would then go three-and-out after three unsuccessful pass attempts and be forced to punt. ECU never got another opportunity, as Kentucky was able to run out the clock on its ensuing possession.

Continued...

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