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Late boot beats Bucs
By The Associated Press
GREENVILLE — DeAngelo
Williams rushed for 225 yards and four touchdowns, and Steven Gostkowski
made a tie-breaking field goal with six seconds left to give Memphis a
38-35 win over East Carolina on Saturday.
The Tigers (7-3, 4-3
Conference USA) led 28-7 midway through the third quarter, but East
Carolina (2-8, 2-6) came back to tie the score at 28 with nine minutes
to play.
Memphis quarterback Danny
Wimprine completed a 45-yard pass to Maurice Avery, setting up Williams'
30-yard touchdown run down the left sideline at the 6:11 mark.
East Carolina responded
three minutes later with a 60-yard touchdown pass from James Pinkney to
Will Bland, tying the score again at 35-35. But the Tigers drove back
down the field, and Wimprine hit Avery again on a slant to put Memphis
in range for Gostkowski's game-winning 35-yard kick.
Wimprine completed 21 of
37 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown. Pinkney was 27 of 49 for 336
yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions.
The Tigers capitalized on
a pair of interceptions by Pinkney to build a 14-0 lead in the first
quarter. Dustin Lopez got the first pick at the 50-yard line and
returned it to the Pirate 15, setting up a four-yard Williams touchdown
run three plays later.
On ECU's next possession,
Pinkney was intercepted near midfield by Scott Vogel, who brought it
back 28 yards to set up another short field for Memphis. Then Wimprine
found Tavares Gideon for a 10-yard score put the Tigers up 14-0.
Williams added another
touchdown run, this time from six yards out, to extend the lead to 21-0
midway through the second quarter.
Memphis scored again on
its first drive of the second half. Williams, who leads C-USA with 1,535
rushing yards this season, went 48 yards on a run up the middle to give
the Tigers a 28-7 lead.
East Carolina got within
three points, 28-25, when Travis Williams returned a punt 69 yards for a
touchdown with 12:53 left in the game and the Pirates added a two-point
conversion.
It was the final home game
for ECU coach John Thompson, who announced Wednesday that he will resign
after the season. The loss dropped his career record to 3-19 in two
seasons at East Carolina. The Pirates close their season next season
against rival N.C. State in Charlotte.
02/23/2007 10:53 AM
Copyright 2004 The
Associated Press. Bonesville.net contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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