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GREENVILLE (AP) — Marquel Blackwell threw for 321 yards and five
touchdowns as South Florida beat East Carolina 46-30 Saturday.
South Florida (5-2), which will join Conference USA next season, beat
one of the league's top teams for the second time in as many weeks. The
Bulls beat Southern Mississippi last week before handing the Pirates
(2-4) their first homecoming loss in 14 years.
The Bulls overcame a stellar effort from Art Brown, who ran for 188
yards and had 102 receiving yards for the Pirates. Brown had a 56-yard
touchdown catch on East Carolina's first play from scrimmage, and he
also ran for a score.
Blackwell threw two of his TD passes to Vince Brewer. Three of
Blackwell's scoring passes came in the third quarter as the Bulls turned
a 5-point halftime edge into a 36-17 lead.
The Bulls' defense, which came in ranked 19th nationally in total
defense, took control in the third period. After marching 80 yards for a
touchdown to open the half, East Carolina went three-and-out on its next
series, then turned the ball over on an interception Paul Troth.
South Florida's offense scored on all three of its third-quarter
possessions. Blackwell hit DeAndrew Rubin for a 54-yard touchdown on the
first drive, then threw scoring passes of 6 and 4 yards to Brewer.
The Pirates got a 2-yard scoring run from Brown early in the fourth,
pulling them to 36-23. Blackwell coolly directed the Bulls down the
field, ending an 80-yard drive with a a 10-yard scoring pass to Huey
Whittaker in the back of the end zone.
Things couldn't have started much worse for the Bulls, who went
three-and-out on their first series, surrendered a touchdown on East
Carolina's first play, then nearly turned the ball over on their next
play.
Brown opened the scoring by taking a short pass from Troth, racing
down the left sideline then cutting across the field for the 56-yard
score.
The Bulls then had a fumbled handoff from Blackwell to Brewer, which
several Pirates defenders had a chance to recover. But Blackwell
recovered the ball, and two plays later he threw a 75-yard pass to
Whittaker to give the Bulls a first-and-goal at East Carolina's 2-yard
line. Santiago Gramatica's 19-yard field goal pulled South Florida to
7-3.
02/23/2007 10:51 AM
Copyright 2002
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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