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C-USA roundup
Conference USA Game of the Week
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No. 24 East Carolina 48, Cincinnati 34 |
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David Garrard threw three touchdown passes and Keith Stokes returned a punt for another score as Pirates (8-2, 4-2) beat the Bearcats (3-7, 0-5) for the third straight time to the. Cincinnati, starting only four seniors, has never won in Greenville. Despite a late Cincinnati rally, East Carolina's lead was never in jeopardy after the Pirates took a 31-9 lead at halftime.
Stokes, who had 133 yards on four punt returns, ignited East Carolina's offense the first time he touched the ball, returning Cincinnati's first punt 94 yards for a touchdown 2:47 into the opening quarter. The Pirates had not scored on a punt return since 1992, and the Bearcats had allowed only eight punt returns this season for a total of 19 yards, the best punt return defense in the nation. |
Other C-USA action
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Houston 20, LSU 7 |
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Ketric Sanford, who broke the Houston school rushing record last week, rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and had another 28 yards receiving as the Cougars kept their bowl hopes alive while extending LSU's misery. The loss was the eighth straight for the Tigers (2-8) -- their longest losing streak in the 106 years they have played football. |
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No. 21 Southern Miss 48, Louisiana-Lafayette 0 |
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Jeff Kelly found Todd Pinkston for scoring catches of 28, 45 and 43 yards and RBs Derrick Nix and Dewayne Woods each banked two TDs as Southern Miss (7-3, 5-0) rolled in its final tune-up for next week's date at Louisville. That game will be for the Conference USA championship, with the winner moving on to face the Mountain West Conference champion in the Liberty Bowl. The game marked the fifth time this year the Golden Eagles did not allow their opponents to score an offensive TD and the third time the Ragin' Cajuns (1-9) have been shutout. |
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Navy 45, Tulane 21 |
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Tied at 21 at halftime, Tulane (3-7, 1-5) could do nothing for the rest of the game, getting outscored 24-0 and watching Navy (4-6) turn the game into a laugher. His status was uncertain entering the game, but Tulane QB Patrick Ramsey did play. Perhaps he shouldn't have. He completed 36 of 52 passes for 291 yards and two TDs, but was intercepted five times, tying a school record. The most damaging of the picks came on Tulane's first two series of the second half and set up short Navy scoring drives. The Middies ran for a season-high 417 yards against the Green Wave, ranked No. 110 against the rush nationally entering the game. Navy QB Brian Madden ran for 144 yards and three TDs while also throwing a scoring pass. |
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Louisiana Tech 41, Alabama-Birmingham 20 |
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Louisiana Tech (8-2) kept its bowl hopes alive while ending UAB's. The Blazers (4-6, 3-2) had to win out in order to gain bowl eligibility, but could not stop Tim Rattay, who threw four TD passes on the day. The Blazers trailed just 14-12 at the half, but were outscored 20-0 in the third quarter and could not recover. The win was the eighth straight for the Bulldogs, who close the regular season in two weeks at Southern California. |
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Memphis 14, Army 10 |
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Neil Subor scored on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Memphis ahead for good against the Cadets. Memphis (4-6, 3-2) closes its season out nest week, traveling to face Cincinnati. Army (3-6, 1-4), meanwhile, finishes up with home dates against Houston and Navy. |
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