A quick strike by East Carolina resulted in an overwhelming response by Southern Mississippi, which raced to a 48-28 victory against the Pirates on Saturday.
East Carolina scored on the second play of the game — a career-long 72-yard pass from quarterback Dominique Davis to Reese Wiggins — and was on the verge of scoring again when Southern Miss snapped into action with the first of four first-half returns for touchdowns.
Southern Miss' Jamie Collins scored on a school-record 97-yard interception return after he picked off a pass by Davis that bounced off the intended receiver and a defender. His touchdown made the score 7-7 with 9:19 left in the first quarter.
Two defensive stands by Southern Miss set up the next two touchdowns off East Carolina punt attempts. First, Tracy Lampley raced 60 yards for a touchdown after fielding a punt at the Golden Eagles' 40. Another stop resulted in a blocked punt by Southern Miss' Reggie Hunt that Emmanuel Johnson scooped up and returned 15 yards for a 21-7 lead.
The Golden Eagles later added a 79-yard interception return by Deron Wilson with 3:27 left in the second quarter to make the score 38-14. The 38 first-half points were a season high.
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