East Carolina bests Old Dominion 37-35 on late field goal

Making up for his missed extra point, East Carolina’s Jake Verity connected on a 38-yard field goal with 46 seconds remaining, lifting the Pirates to a thrilling 37-35 win Saturday evening over Old Dominion.

Heading into Saturday’s contest, both teams hoped to win their second game of the season.

Old Dominion entered the game on a high note. The Monarchs surprised all of college football last week, when they captured their first win of the year over previously undefeated Virginia Tech 49-35.

East Carolina, on the other hand, had rebounded nicely since dropping its season opener to non-FBS opponent North Carolina A&T, toppling North Carolina by 22 points and dropping a close contest to South Florida before Saturday’s game.

East Carolina took a 21-20 lead into halftime, after holding Old Dominion to two short field goals on red zone drives to close the first half.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, resulting in a 28-27 Pirates advantage heading into the game’s final frame.

The Monarchs drew ahead with 9:18 remaining, following up a 49-yard touchdown pass -- from Blake LaRussa to Isaiah Harper -- with a two-point conversion, seizing a 35-28 lead.

At that point, Montgomery returned to starter Reid Herring, who promptly rewarded him with a touchdown drive. However, Verity’s PAT was blocked, preserving a 35-34 Old Dominion edge, and placing the pressure on the Pirates defense.

That defense came through not once, but twice, to give the Pirates offense two opportunities to make a game-winning drive.

After being stifled and forced to punt during its first set of downs, the Pirates got the ball back on their own 33-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. Herring led a two-minute drill up the field, and Verity came through with the kick.

The defense held strongly from there, and the Pirates came away with the victory.

Though all three Pirates quarterbacks saw playing time, they were led by Herring, who finished the game with 309 passing yards and three touchdowns, to go along with two interceptions.

East Carolina will be back on field next Saturday at Temple, where they’ll look to raise their winning percentage above .500 for the first time this season.

This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 8:20 PM with the headline "East Carolina bests Old Dominion 37-35 on late field goal."