SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 20, 2014
East Carolina 70, No. 25 North Carolina 41: Shane Carden threw for 438 yards and four touchdowns while Breon Allen ran for 211 and a pair of scores as the Pirates routed the visiting Tar Heels.
Carden completed 30-of-48 passes and East Carolina (3-1) rolled up a school-record 789 yards – besting the former mark of 690 in 1975 against Virginia. Trevon Brown caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns while Isaiah Jones grabbed eight for 116 and a score for the Pirates.
Marquise Williams went 14-of-25 for 127 yards through the air for the Tar Heels (2-1), who surrendered the most points in school history. Romar Morris rushed for a pair of scores and Mack Hollins had 92 receiving yards for North Carolina.
Punter Tommy Hibbard connected with Eric Albright for a 29-yard touchdown on a fake field-goal attempt to give the Tar Heels a 20-14 early in the second quarter. East Carolina responded with three touchdowns for a 35-20 halftime lead, capped by Carden’s 19-yard strike to Brandon Bishop with 8 seconds left.
Linebacker Zeek Bigger returned an interception 46 yards for a 42-20 lead and the Tar Heels answered with a 75-yard drive, capped by Morris’ 7-yard TD run. Allen ran 84 yards to set up Carden’s touchdown dive from the 2, though, and the senior hit Jones for a 25-yard score with 1:46 left in the third for a 56-27 edge.
GAME NOTEBOOK: East Carolina was without WR Cam Worthy, who came in leading the team in receiving yards (302), after it was announced Saturday he was suspended two games for a student code violation. … North Carolina CB Brian Walker recorded his third interception of the season in the first quarter, setting up WR Ryan Switzer’s 35-yard pass to WR T.J. Thorpe for a touchdown on the next play. … Pirates WR Justin Hardy, who had six receptions for 92 yards, has caught at least two passes in all 40 collegiate games and boasts 295 overall, tops in East Carolina history.