GREENVILLE — East Carolina, winners of Conference-USA's East Division, played like champions Saturday.
With Brandon Simmons scoring four touchdowns, the Pirates (6-2, 8-4) unfurled their biggest offensive show of the season in a 53-21 win over UTEP at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
It was a nifty tune up for next week's Conference-USA title game against the West Division champion, which will be determined Saturday.
While Simmons powered a strong running attack, quarterback Patrick Pinkney regained his old passing form, completing 17 of 23 attemps for 228 yards and two touchdowns behind a solid blocking line that didn't allow a sack.
His favorite target was Darryl Freeney, who had five receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Hartman, 2-for-7 on field goals the previous two games, converted all four of his chances Saturday. But he missed the first extra point attempt of his career after hitting 77 straight.
Even though UTEP's heralded quarterback Trevor Vittatoe finished with 313 passing yards, ECU's defense excelled again. The Pirates came up with four sacks and three interceptions.
SECOND QUARTER: The Pirates didn’t sit on the two-TD lead.
The defense kept going hard after Trevor Vittatoe, one of Conference USA’s top passers, and recorded its third sack.
Patrick Pinkney and the offense kept moving and the Pirates surged ahead 30-7 at the break.
Ben Hartman -- who converted just 2 of seven field goal tries in the last two games -- kicked a 22-yarder to push the ahead 17-0.
Then, after Nick Johnson intercepted a pass that bounced off a UTEP receivers’ hands, ECU’s offense rolled downfield again.
Pinkney had good protection, receivers found the open spaces in the Miners’ secondary, and ECU moved ahead 24-0.
The TD came on six-yard run by Brandon Simmons, his second touchdown of the game.
UTEP, averaging 34.5 points per game, averted a first-half shutout when Terrell Jackson darted 32 yards for a TD.
On the ensuing kickoff, ECU freshman Michael Bowman rambled 61 yards. He broke into the clear past midfield, but was tripped up by the Miners’ last tackler.
Moments later ECU added another TD when Simmons scored for the third time, that one coming on a pass from Pinkney.
FIRST QUARTER: East Carolina took charge early, bolting to a 14-0 lead early with a defiant, sack-minded defense and an offense that flashed new life.
After stopping explosive UTEP on its first possesssion, the Pirates drove 70 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead.
The methodical march included a 4-for-4 passing performance by quarterback Patrick Pinkney and ended with Brandon Simmons spinning away from a UTEP tackler before darting into the end zone.
Moments later ECU's Travis Simmons intercepted a deflected pass from Trevor Vittatoe at the Miners 46-yard line.
Capitalizing quickly on the turnover, Pinkney connected with wide receiver Darryl Freeney on a 32-yard touchdown pass.
