GREENVILLE
Dwayne Harris showed again that he can score from anywhere on the field. Darryl Freeney, a fellow wide receiver, was more than willing to help.
Harris caught eight passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a touchdown to lead East Carolina to a 37-21 win over Alabama-Birmingham yesterday.
Harris, who finished with 254 all-purpose yards, caught touchdown passes of 23 and 59 yards. He also scored on a 99-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Freeney added seven catches for 118 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown for the Pirates (7-4, 6-1 Conference USA).
"Dwayne is a special player, and we keep saying that. We have to get the ball in his hands," said Coach Skip Holtz of East Carolina. "But having Freeney step up and emerge is really helping Dwayne. Having two playmakers out there on the perimeter really gives you some weapons because they can't turn and double one."
Patrick Pinkney went 20 for 25 for 250 yards and three touchdowns for East Carolina, which can clinch the conference East Division title with a win next weekend over Southern Mississippi.
Joe Webb was 19 for 27 for 247 yards, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns and an interception for the Blazers (5-6, 4-3), who had their three-game winning streak snapped even though they outgained the Pirates 520-325.
Webb also had 132 yards rushing in the loss.
"It was the ultimate bend, don't break, " Holtz said. "When you look at the stat sheet, you go, ‘How in the world do you win that football game?' But when you look at what this team did, they did the things you have to do to win."
That included blocking. Harris' second touchdown came on a quick pass to the perimeter, where two defenders were matched against Freeney and Harris. Freeney cut-blocked the first UAB defensive back, then got up and blocked the other as Harris raced down the sideline untouched on East Carolina's longest pass play of the season.
"We've got a thing going on. We're both out there eating," Harris said. "That blocking he did was great. It was just a good job, good hustle."
The Pirates built a 23-3 halftime lead by forcing two turnovers and outplaying the Blazers on third and fourth downs.
Harris' 23-yard touchdown catch on the first possession of the game came on third and 10, but the Blazers failed to convert any of their three third downs in the first half. UAB also missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter, and Webb was stopped for no gain on fourth and 1 from the East Carolina 19 in the second quarter.
"It's disappointing, and we're disappointed," UAB coach Neil Callaway said. "But at the same time, we don't have anybody to blame but ourselves."
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