East Carolina 25, Southern Miss 20

GREENVILLE - Just when Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium got quiet, and Southern Miss looked to go ahead, C.J. Wilson, one of East Carolina's defensive lineman, did the improbable.

Wilson, the 6-foot-4, 278-pound senior blocked an extra point attempt that would have put the Golden Eagles up by a point in the fourth quarter, and then he trucked to the end zone, giving East Carolina a two-point lead and the ball back.

East Carolina hung on for a 25-20 win over Southern Miss and clinched the Conference USA East Division crown for the second year in a row Saturday.

"We said it was going to go all the way down to the end," Pirates coach Skip Holtz said. "We knew it was going to be a competitive game that went all 60 minutes. There were a lot of great individual performances tonight."

The Pirates led 17-7 at halftime, but the Golden Eagles had stole momentum in the fourth quarter when Wilson came up big.

Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher completed a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Leroy Banks, tying the game at 20-20.

But the senior Wilson blocked the extra-point kick and then the ball fell into his hands. He scrambled, amidst a pack of his teammates, and rumbled down the field 75 yards into the end zone.

"I still haven't caught my breath," Wilson said after the game. "He was kicking it low the whole game. I was just trying to block it. ... But it happened to fall right into my hands so I just took off with it."

Pirates field goal kicker, Ben Hartman, who finished 3-for-3 with 49- and 18-yard field goals, kicked a 47-yarder with 4:37 left to put his team up 25-20.

But the suspense didn't end there.

The Pirates' defense stopped the Golden Eagles on a fourth-and-10 attempt on their second-to-last possession.

Southern Miss got the ball back with 43 seconds left in the game, but on 3-and-10, quarterback Martevious Young was sacked by linebacker Steve Spence and Jay Ross and time ran out.

"We talked about how special this defensive line is and how strong their push up front has been," Holtz said. "They got their hands up. ... They're making it happen because of the great push."

The Pirates ended a seven-game home losing streak to the Golden Eagles, dating back to 1994, and now have clinched the East Division crown for the second year in a row.

FOURTH QUARTER

The Pirates couldn't get in the end zone on three running plays inside the 10-yard line, and settled for a 18-yard field goal from Ben Hartman on fourth-and-1.

Then but a 3-yard-pass from running back Damion Fletcher to Leroy Banks tied the game at 20-20, and the Golden Eagles stole momentum.

But it didn't last. Looking to go up by a point on the extra point, Wilson blocked the attempt and caught the ball. He barrelled down the field 75 yards for two points, a 22-20 lead, and the ball back.

Ben Hartman kicked a 47-yard field goal with 4:37 left.

And the ECU defense came up big, sacking quarterback Martevious Young to end the game, with linebacker Steve Spence getting credit, and lineman Jay Ross also getting pressure.

THIRD QUARTER

Southern Miss running back Tory Harrison ran up the middle and sprinted 41 yards for a touchdown.

This just after Pirates preserved their lead, stopping three passes from their own 7-yard-line and then blocking a Southern Miss field goal attempt.

East Carolina received to begin the quarter was driving, with a nearly 20-yard completion to Alex Taylor.

But Taylor fumbled after the reception and Southern Miss recovered.

SECOND QUARTER
It looked like Dwayne Harris scored a 5-yard-touchdown, rolling over his defender at the goal line. The cannon was even fired. But the call, which stood after review, was that Harris was down inside the one-yard line.

That only set up Linval Joseph's first touchdown. The 6-6, 322-pound defensive lineman, who has played a few times as a fullback, dove over the goal line, bringing back memories of William "Refrigerator" Perry, of 1980s Chicago Bears fame.

FIRST QUARTER

East Carolina won the coin toss but elected to kick off to start the game.

The Pirates defense held the Golden Eagles to four downs, and then started their first drive from their own 36-yard-line.

Starting with third-and-10 from their own 36, the Pirates converted three straight first downs. Running back Giavanni Ruffin ran 31 yards for a touchdown, but holding was called and the Pirates settled for 49-yard field goal from Ben Hartman.

The Golden Eagles got down to the Pirates' 2-yard-line on a 47-yard completion to DaAndre Brown. Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher fumbled the ball on second down and East Carolina defensive back Levin Neal recovered to keep the score 3-0.

With 4:23 left in the first quarter, Southern Miss took the lead on a 17-yard pass to Freddie Parham from quarterback Martevious Young, whose had a couple of big-yardage completions in the game so far, and led the ball down the field 80 yards on six plays on the scoring drive.