Pirates stop Tigers, snap losing streak

GREENVILLE — East Carolina finally snapped its losing streak after scoring 23 unanswered points in the second half to beat Memphis, 30-10. 

Rob Kass threw two touchdowns for the Pirates and completed nine of 17 passes for 167 yards. Jonathan Williams rushed for 108 yards for ECU, which moves to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Conference USA play.

THIRD QUARTER: While Memphis’ top two quarterbacks remained sidelined, Rob Kass stepped into the spotlight for East Carolina.

He connected with Brandon Simmons on a 42-yard catch-run TD, then hit Dwayne Harris on a play covering 28 yards for another score.

That enabled the Pirates to mount a 20-10 advantage heading into the final period.

Conversely, the Tigers couldn’t gain any offensive traction and ECU’s defense seemed to gain more confidence as the afternoon wore on.

SECOND QUARTER: ECU’s offense needed a spark and Jon Williams provided it midway the second quarter.

Finding a crease in the left side of Memphis line, the Pirates sophmore shifted into a nother gear and dashed 68 yards for the tying touchdown.

This came after East Carolina’s defense had thwarted a Memphis threat at the Pirates’ 22 yard line. The Tigers had a first down at the ECU 17 after recovering their second fumble of the day.

It remained  tied until the final minuted, when Memphis’ Vinny Zaccario booted a 20-yard field goal, giving the Tigers a 10-7 halftime lead.

FIRST QUARTER: Before the first period ended, it looked as if Memphis might run out of quarterbacks.

Both starter Arkelon Hall and backup Will Hudgens suffered injuries and went to the sidelines.

Then No. 3 man Brett Toney took over for the Tigers, who gained a 7-0 lead with 1:12 left in the quarter.

Memphis got a break when ECU's Darryl Freeney fumbled a punt at the Pirates 7, setting up a Tigers TD by running back Curtis Steele.

ECU coach Skip Holtz started Patrick Pinkney at quarterback, then brought Rob Kass off the bench on the Pirates' third offensive series.