BLACKSBURG, Va. — ECU came through with a season-defining type of win Saturday, a 28-21 victory over 17th-ranked Virginia Tech in the waning seconds, a week removed from the Hokies 28-14 road upset of Ohio State.

The Pirates jumped out to an early 21-0 lead only to surrender 21 unanswered points. But just as the storyline shifted to, “ECU didn’t capitalize on opportunities for the second week in a row,” quarterback Shane Carden and company executed the two-minute drill to perfection.

And the outcome is a monumental one for the ECU program. The Pirates’ narrow victory marks the first time since 1996 that they have beaten a ranked opponent on the road (No. 12 Miami, 31-6).

“I’m proud of our team and staff,” said head coach Ruffin McNeill after the game. “We had a tough loss at South Carolina. Coming back having to play another power away in a hostile venue was tough and I’m proud of our kids because we’ve been talking about the commitment since day one. To be able to see it grow in front of you is a beautiful thing to watch. That was a great win for our players.”

Hokie receiver Cam Phillips was wide open in the end zone when he received the game-tying touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Brewer. Lane Stadium erupted with just one minute and 20 seconds left in regulation; overtime seemed inevitable they way defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s unit had held up in the second half to that point. In fact, ECU hadn’t scored in the entire half.

Much of the momentum Tech had earned was washed away after specialist Joey Slye proceeded to boot the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. And just as the 63,000 Hokie fans in Lane Stadium began to shake off the blunder, Carden connected with senior Cam Worthy for 31 yards down the left sideline to the Virginia Tech 34. Following a five-yard substitution infraction against the Hokies, the duo hooked up again — this time over the middle. Worthy was tackled at the one-yard line and Carden was able to punch it in two plays later for the go-ahead score with 16 seconds remaining.

After a 28-yard connection from Brewer to Phillips to put Virginia Tech at the ECU 36, the first-year Hokie quarterback sailed his last-second throw over the end zone, securing the Pirate upset.

Worthy had easily his best game as a Pirate, totaling six catches for 224 yards for a huge 37.3 yards-per-catch average. The senior was only six-yards shy of Justin Hardy’s single-game record set last season.

Carden was able to overcome a relentless Virginia Tech pass rush in the second half and finish with a line of 23-for-47 with 427 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, although he coughed up a red zone fumble in the first half.

“I thought the offensive line did a great job that last drive giving me time,” said Carden. “We made some big catches and we were able to make plays on that last drive.”

The Pirates dominated the first half, building a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. But by the time the teams entered the tunnel, ECU led by just 14, a huge win for the Hokies, considering they threw consecutive interceptions to ECU cornerback Josh Hawkins deep in their own territory while trailing by three touchdowns. The Pirates failed to capitalize on the Virginia Tech gifts, going scoreless in three straight red zone trips; Tech proceeded to score before the half with 46 seconds left on a Phillips hook-up with receiver Isaiah Ford (his first of two touchdown receptions).

Bud Foster shored up his defense in the second half, as ECU totaled just 13 yards from scrimmage in the third quarter. And Virginia Tech outscored the Pirates 14-0 throughout the two quarters until Carden and Worthy’s gutsy drive.

“They were moving around well,” said Carden regarding Virginia Tech’s defensive adjustments. “You’re not going to go down and score on every drive on a defense like that. I thought we did a good job starting off, but they were showing us different looks.”

While the glory and last laugh goes to the Pirates’ offense, ECU’s defense came out of the gates swinging and retained their success to the final whistle, despite wearing down slightly. Led by fifth-year senior Terry Williams, who was returning from injury, the Pirates were able to record three sacks and force eight hurries, two of which led to the Hawkins interceptions.

With the victory, the Pirates carry momentum into their 3:30 p.m. Dowdy-Ficklen showdown against in-state foe North Carolina next Saturday.

Said Hawkins after the big win: “We feel like we’re always underrated and we’ll probably still be underrated after this win. We play underrated. We come out and we fight. When we’re down, we fight. Even when we’re up, we continue to fight. That’s how we operate.”