GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) - East Carolina recorded 390 total yards and forced three turnovers as the Pirates defeated Appalachian State 35-13 at home Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
Rio Johnson threw for 242 yards and Michael Dobson added 78 yards rushing for the Pirates, who have won 32 of their last 37 games when scoring 30 or more points.
Appalachian State cut the deficit to 14-13 with 2:35 left in the third quarter. However, East Carolina's Lance Ray returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and Johnson threw for a TD and ran for another in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
The Pirates defense, led by Jeremy Grove, held the Mountaineers to just 4 of 15 on third down conversions. Grove finished with nine tackles and forced two fumbles.
Jamal Jackson led Appalachian State with 300 yards passing but his lone interception ended the Mountaineers' rally attempt.
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| Scoring Summary |
| APLST | Jamal Jackson 4 yd run (Drew Stewart kick) |
| ECU | Chip Thompson 45 yd fumble return (Warren Harvey kick) |
| ECU | Andrew Bodenheimer 11 yd pass from Rio Johnson (Warren Harvey kick) |
| APLST | Drew Stewart 26 yd FG |
| APLST | Drew Stewart 41 yd FG |
| ECU | Lance Ray 90 yd kick return (Warren Harvey kick) |
| ECU | Justin Hardy 4 yd pass from Rio Johnson (Warren Harvey kick) |
| ECU | Rio Johnson 6 yd run (Warren Harvey kick) |
| Team Stats | ||
| APLST | ECU | |
| First Downs | 20 | 25 |
| Third Down Efficiency | 4-15 | 9-16 |
| Fourth Down Efficiency | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Plays-Net Yards | 72-419 | 78-390 |
| Rushes-Yds | 32-119 | 35-148 |
| Passing Yds | 300 | 242 |
| Kick Return Yds | 96 | 90 |
| Punt Return Yds | 11 | 43 |
| Passes | 23-40-1 | 28-43-1 |
| Punts | 6-271 | 4-178 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 1-1 |
| Penalties-Yds | 11-100 | 2-25 |
| Time of Poss. | 26:42 | 33:18 |
| Individual Stats |
| RUSHING |
| APLST: Steven Miller 14-47, Rod Chisholm 9-37, Jamal Jackson 7-34, Ricky Fergerson 2-1 |
| ECU: Michael Dobson 19-78, Reggie Bullock 8-31, Hunter Furr 2-16, Rio Johnson 2-12, Shane Carden 1-8, Vintavious Cooper 3-3 |
| PASSING |
| APLST: Jamal Jackson 23-40-300-1 |
| ECU: Rio Johnson 28-43-242-1 |
| RECEIVING |
| APLST: Tony Washington 7-102, Andrew Peacock 5-77, Malachi Jones 5-69, Simms McElfresh 2-21, Drew Bailey 1-11, Tacoi Sumler 1-9, Steven Miller 1-7, Ricky Fergerson 1-4 |
| ECU: Reese Wiggins 6-45, Justin Hardy 6-38, Michael Dobson 4-35, Reggie Bullock 4-3, Justin Jones 2-45, Vintavious Cooper 2-40, Andrew Bodenheimer 2-14, Zico Pasut 1-12, Derrick Harris 1-10 |
