Bitter pill for Pirates

East Carolina bolts to a 16-3 halftime lead, but can't hold off Kentucky's second-half charge in the Liberty Bowl

MEMPHIS -- Once more, they needed that late-game magic.

Once more, they needed for somebody to complete a key pass, kick a field goal, or run a kick back.

But this time East Carolina's Pirates -- who had won five games in the final minutes -- couldn't locate that hero. So after leading 16-3 at halftime, they lost 25-19 to resilient Kentucky in the 50th Liberty Bowl Friday night.

The beginning couldn't have been much better for the Pirates, and the ending couldn't have been more bitter.

With the score tied 19-19, ECU's Norman Whitley fumbled and Wildcats defensive end Ventrell Jenkins rumbled 56 yards for the winning touchdown.

That unusual sight -- a 6-2, 285-pounder rambling down the sidelines like a gargantuan return man -- created a roar among Cats fans in the crowd of 56,125, and sent the Pirates' faithful away singing the Beale Street blues.

"I'm proud of the way we competed," ECU coach Skip Holtz said. "We showed physically, athletically we belonged on the field with them. But I hate the way the game ended."

It just wasn't the final chapter a Pirates team that started the season by upsetting Virginia Tech and went on to win the Conference-USA title wanted written.

The loss left ECU with a 9-5 record and blighted somewhat impressive performances by senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney (296 passing yards), receiver Darryl Freeney, who was voted ECU's outstanding offensive player, and Nick Johnson, selected as the team's top defensive performer.

The Pirates built a 16-3 halftime lead on a Ben Hartman field goal, a 28-yard run by Brandon Simmons, an electrifying 80-yard pass from Pinkney to Freeney, who didn't play in the second half after suffering a concussion.

ECU missed Freeney, but the Pirates had grown accustomed to seeing players go down in this season of injuries.

Late in the first half, they still had a chance to build a bigger lead. Pinkney threw three straight deep fade routes, all falling incomplete in the end zone and one bouncing off Joe Womack's chest.

Asked about eschewing a 43-yard field-goal attempt by Hartman, Holtz said: "We'd just had a field goal blocked. I didn't want [another one] blocked and run back for a touchdown. And we had three great one-on-one [situations on the passes]."

Still, in the birthplace of "Rock and Roll," ECU was rocking and rolling. The Pirates' trademark defense also was doing another stellar job. But there would be too many breakdowns on special teams. That, plus some effective throwing by Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline, whose 204 yards throwing countered some of Pinkney's productivity, made a difference.

"We didn't get it done on special teams,'' Holtz lamented. "That was the difference in the game."

Down 16-3, Kentucky needed igniting. So David Jones answered the plea, returning the second-half kickoff 99 yards as the Wildcats forged toward a 16-16 tie in a game that included three blocked extra points -- two by ECU's Linval Joseph and one by a Cats player.

There were big plays and big reviews one that overruled a Kentucky TD after officials ruled Pinkney's knee was on the ground. There was suspense. There was drama.

After Jenkins' romp, which included an impressive stiff arm of Pinkney, ECU's J.R. Rogers' knee touched the ground at the 1-yard line on the ensuing kickoff with three minutes left.

Terrible field position. A long way to go in a short time. But these Pirates believe in comebacks, believe in miracles.

"I told 'em: 'We've been here before. We need seven points for the win. Let's get it done,' " Holtz said. "We never hung our head, never quit. If anybody realizes a game is 60 minutes, it should be us."

But there was a time when even Houdini couldn't escape. This was a time East Carolina gave the effort, but didn't have the answer.

"We knew [Kentucky] was going to give us a tough time,'' Pinkney said. "We still had a chance. We kept playing hard. Everybody hates losing."

And there are few things the Pirates enjoy more than beating an opponent from a BCS conference, which they did twice this season (Virginia Tech and West Virginia). A win over a Southeastern Conference foe -- even a 7-6 SEC team -- also would have enhanced the program's profile.

"[But] we have nothing to be embarrassed about with the season we've had," said Holtz, who was just hoping for a different ending.