So did a nightmare.

In a matter of seconds and largely as the result of one play -- a fumble in overtime by East Carolina star quarterback Patrick Pinkney -- the complexions of two previously diametrically opposite college football seasons turned.

The Pirates, who entered 3-0, ranked 15th nationally and in the early-season chase for a Bowl Championship Series bid, were handed a bitterly disappointing 30-24 loss by an N.C. State team that had been watching its hopes for a respectable record slip away.

Such is the eternal circle of athletics competition.

Through the first few weeks of the season, Pinkney had been a catalyst like few others in the history of his school. Having played near-flawless games in wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, and then keying a dramatic late-game comeback victory at Tulane, there weren't many hotter quarterbacks in the country.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Wolfpack's Russell Wilson, a redshirt freshman who had been beaten up mentally and physically -- first at South Carolina, then at Clemson, and for a brief while, by the Pirates. He hadn't so much as led the Pack on a single touchdown drive.

But after missing on some throws early, the lights suddenly flashed on inside Wilson's helmet, and the result was a 210-yard, three-touchdown passing performance that now gives the young quarterback and his team much reason for optimism.

"We're all going through growing pains and learning from experience," said State second-year coach Tom O'Brien. "Young players feel the pressure. It's only natural, and they'd been reading about it'd been so long since they'd scored a touchdown [against a Bowl Championship Subdivision team]. This is a great lift for this team. I couldn't be prouder of them."

With big assists from his receivers, running backs Andre Brown (73 yards rushing, game-winning score) and Jamelle Eugene (50 yards receiving), and much improved interior blocking, Wilson got the Pack offense ignited not so much with his legs as his arm.

And that, almost as much as the win itself, is the most encouraging thing State's players and coaches took away from the ECU confrontation. Wilson did run the ball several times -- 12 carries for 26 yards -- and attempted to execute the new read-option package in the team's offensive system. But what really clicked against the Pirates was his ability to move, think, read coverage and pass out of a spread alignment. Roughly 75 percent of his passing yards came after halftime.

"I think he grew up a lot," O'Brien said.

Now 2-2 overall and with upcoming home games against South Florida, Boston College and Florida State, Wilson and the Pack no longer look like hopeless long shots. Suddenly, there's hope again that a season marked by two staggering early losses and virtual epidemic of key injuries might be salvaged.

"It feels great. We have some momentum again," defensive back J.C. Neal said.

For the Pirates, Saturday's home game against Conference USA opponent Houston just as quickly turns into one of the most important of the season. Technically, beating the Cougars has become a matter of total urgency. Many of the schedule's toughest games should be behind Skip Holtz and his team, but now comes a difficult regrouping process that's hitting a time when the Pirates are also getting banged up.

There's still a rich opportunity for ECU to win its league title, crack the double-digit win mark in regular season and return to the national rankings. But it's not going to be easy. Soon after the winning run by Brown, the Pirates were back in Greenville. But if their bodies were there and their dreams were still on the Carter-Finley turf, the rest of the season will get tougher, not easier.

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