The Daily Reflector photo by Rhett Butler via AP
East Carolina's Giavanni Ruffin, right, runs past Rice's Willie Garley during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009.
GREENVILLE -- Rice was the perfect Homecoming guest for East Carolina. For one October afternoon, the hapless Owls made the Pirates look like kings.
Senior receiver Dwayne Harris scored three touchdowns, including a 92-yard kickoff return, to lead ECU to an easy 49-13 win over the winless Owls at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday.
The Pirates (4-3) scored more points (28) in the first half than they had in five games against Bowl Subdivision opponents this season. Harris finished with nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdown receptions. His 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown came after the Owls (0-7) cut the lead to 21-10.
"We finally finished a game," ECU coach Skip Holtz said. "That's something we've been waiting for all season."
Coming off a 28-21 road loss to SMU, the Pirates needed a pick-me-up in Conference USA. Enter the Owls. The NCAA ranks 120 teams in 13 statistical categories, both offense and defense, and the Owls rank in the 100s in 10 of them.
At 4-3 ECU's not where it wanted to be when the season began, but at 3-1, it leads C-USA's East Division by a half-game. They can only hope to carry over some confidence from Saturday's win into the wacky second half of the schedule which includes a Tuesday night game (at Memphis on Oct. 27), followed by a Thursday night game (Virginia Tech, Nov. 5), capped off by a Sunday night game (at Tulsa, Nov. 15).
The Pirates' defense, had their usual lapse against the pass, giving up an 80-yard touchdown strike from Nick Fanuzzi to Toren Dixon in the second quarter, but that was the only touchdown they allowed.
The offense got going early, scoring on the opening drive. A 23-yard reception by Harris set up his first score, a 16-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Pinkney to Harris. Pinkney entered the game with four touchdown passes in the first six games. He had three TDs, and 231 yards, on Saturday.
ECU's second drive, interrupted by an interception, also ended in a touchdown pass by Pinkney. Rice's Ronnie Lillard intercepted Pinkney at the Owls' 11-yard line but fumbled on the return, giving the ball back to ECU at the 33-yard line. Six plays later, Pinkney hit tight end Rob Kass for a 2-yard touchdown.
"It was a big game for our offense," Pinkney said. "We're capable of it, and we showed that today."
It wasn't all good news for ECU's offense. Senior running back Dominique Lindsay left the game in the second quarter with an injured left ankle. He had 78 rushing yards, on 12 carries, before he got hurt. Lindsay, the team's leading rusher, was coming off a 144-yard effort against SMU. His status will be re-evaluated during the week.
Even without Lindsay, ECU stretched its lead out to 21-3 on running back Brandon Jackson's 2-yard TD run.
Harris followed Dixon's 80-yard touchdown with the big kickoff return and ECU led 28-10 at the half. It's the second consecutive week Harris has scored on a kickoff return.
"He's a special player," Holtz said of Harris. "We got the ball to him early and often and he responded."
The Owls kicked a field goal in the third quarter and had a chance to make it a one-possession game but an interception by ECU linebacker Dustin Lineback set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Giavanni Ruffin.
Harris capped his productive day with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Pinkney before Holtz brought in the second-team offense, including the debut of redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Jordan, who completed all four of his pass attempts for 55 yards.
"It was a game we needed," Holtz said. "It was a great morale boost."
