TicketsBearcat Running Game Leads To Win Over East Carolina
Benton registers 127 yards in triumph
Contact: Tom Hathaway
9/25/2004
Hannibal Thomas caught one of Gino Guidugli's two scoring passes. |
GREENVILLE, N.C.--Gino Guidugli threw two touchdown passes and freshman Butler Benton picked up his first career 100-yard rushing game to help Cincinnati to a 24-19 win over East Carolina on Saturday night in the Conference USA opener for both teams.
Benton ran for 127 yards and Richard Hall added 98 against the worst run defense in Division I-A. Hannibal Thomas and Brent Celek each caught Guidugli's TD tosses, as the Bearcats rolled up 372 total yards of offense. The Bearcats? ground attack finished with 217 yards on 57 carries.
The Bearcat defense was also up to task as they held East Carolina to just 203 yards of total offense, including just 11 yards rushing. East Carolina quarterback James Pinkney, who hadn?t been sacked in either of the Pirates? first two games, was the victim of six UC sacks in the game, including three by senior Trent Cole. One of Cole?s three sacks went for a safety that brought UC within a point in the second quarter at 13-12.
The Pirates (0-3, 0-1 C-USA) have now lost 16 of their past 17 games including 14 of 15 with coach John Thompson and they travel to No. 24 Louisville next week.
Pinkney led the Pirate offense, finishing 10-for-25 for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while Damarcus Fox caught five passes for 161 yards, both career highs. Fullback Jermarcus Veal caught the other TD pass, the first of his career.
After trailing early by a 3-0 score, the Bearcats came back to take a 7-3 advantage when Guidugli found Celek for a 10 yard scoring strike to cap off a 6-play, 49-yard drive. The score came with just 1:08 remaining in the first quarter and set off a scoring fury that lasted until the half.
Cincinnati came back to stretch its lead to seven on a Kevin Lovell 25 yard field goal just 1:19 into the second frame. East Carolina then scored 10 straight points to take a 13-10 lead, the first three coming on a Cam Broadwell 21 yard field goal. With just over eight minutes to play before the half, Pinkey hooked up with Veal from five yards out and Broadwell?s PAT lifted ECU up three.
That set the stage for Cole?s safety that brought UC within a point at the 4:29 point of the second quarter. With just under a minute to play, Benton found the end zone for the first time in his short college career to give the visitors an 18-13 advantage. A Bearcat two-point attempt failed, sending UC into the lockerrom with a five-point halftime lead.
In the second half, the Bearcats drove 92 yards down the field in 14 plays to extend their advantage to 11 points. Thomas hauled in a five-yard Guidugli toss to culminate the drive, but Lovell?s extra point missed leaving the Bearcats? lead at 24-13.
East Carolina quickly struck back as Pinkney found Fox for a 75-yard score at the 5:20 mark of the third, just 16 seconds after Thomas? touchdown. The two-point try by the Pirates was unsuccessful, however, leaving the home team with a five-point deficit entering the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter neither team was able to crack the scoreboard, but it wasn?t for lack of trying as the Bearcats worked the final 8:05 off the clock with a 17-play, 77-yard drive. With less than a minute to play and UC facing a fourth and one at the ECU three, Benton appeared destined for his second touchdown on a run off left tackle. But the true freshman fumbled the ball at the one, where he quickly recovered it, giving UC a first down. Instead of trying to punch the ball in again, head coach Mark Dantonio called for Guidugli to take a knee, running out the clock and sealing the win for the Bearcats.
In addition to his three sacks, Cole shared team-high honors in tackles with Jamar Enzor as each played registered seven. Enzor also had four tackles for loss and a sack, while Jason Russell (one), Doug Monaghan (one-half) and Adam Roberts (one-half) were also credited with sacks.
Now with a 1-0 record in C-USA, the Bearcats will return home to face UAB next Saturday (Oct. 2). Kickoff from Nippert Stadium is set for 7 p.m. The Blazers will enter the contest with a record of 2-1 after a 35-28 win over Memphis on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.