TicketsGREENVILLE, NC - Three receivers pulled in touchdown passes, including a 75-yard strike to Khalil Lewis from Hayden Moore, but it was not enough as the University of Cincinnati football team dropped a 48-20 American Athletic Conference road game Saturday afternoon to ECU in a game played at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The loss dropped the Bearcats to 3-8 overall and 1-6 in league play while the host Pirates improved to 3-8 on the year with a 2-5 AAC record.
Moore connected on 15 of his 28 passing attempts for 187 yards and three scores while being intercepted once. He found Lewis (75 yards), JaQuay Savage (10 yards) and Jerron Rollins (6 yards) in the end zone for the Bearcats' three scores on the day. Lewis led the UC wideouts with 84 yards on two receptions as 10 different receivers pulled in at least one pass on the day. Mike Boone was the top rusher for the Bearcats as he carried the ball 15 times for 62 yards while Michael Warren and Moore each recorded seven carries, tallying 51 and 30 yards, respectively.
Defensively, Perry Young led the way for UC with nine tackles, including a team-high seven solo tackles. Mark Wilson and Chris Murphy each tallied one tackle for loss.
The Pirates accumulated 578 yards of total offense in the game, led by Gardner Minshew, who threw for a career-high 444 yards and four touchdowns while Trevon Brown accounted for an ECU school-record 270 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Minshew, who was 31-of-45 on the day, found eight different receivers in the contest with three players each recording at least one scoring grab.
Both teams will close out their seasons next Saturday as each will play at noon. The Bearcats will play host to UConn in a game that will be televised on ESPNews live from Nippert Stadium while the Pirates will travel to Memphis, Tenn., to face the Tigers.