BOCA RATON, FL – East Carolina dismantled Florida Atlantic 42-3 on Saturday afternoon at Schellenberger Field, scoring all of its points in the first half to improve to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in American Conference play. The six conference victories represent the most in program history since joining the American in 2014.

Quarterback Katin Houser directed the offensive attack, completing 20 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns while adding 67 yards and two more scores on the ground. Running back Marlon Gunn Jr. rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt as East Carolina finished with 524 total yards of offense.

The Pirates needed just 4:33 to score on their opening possession, driving 75 yards on 13 plays before Gunn Jr. plunged in from one yard out with 10:27 remaining in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Florida Atlantic fumbled the ball away after a short reception by Easton Messer. Linebacker Jordy Lowery forced the fumble and defensive back Jasiyah Robinson recovered at the FAU 27-yard line.

One play later, Houser hit Desirrio Riles for a 27-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 just 17 seconds after the first score. The quick-strike sequence set the tone for a dominant first half.

East Carolina struck again following a FAU punt, marching 84 yards on six plays in 2:14. Houser connected with Brock Spalding for a 22-yard touchdown pass at the 7:04 mark, pushing the lead to 21-0. The three scoring drives consumed a total of just 7:17 of game time.

Florida Atlantic (4-8, 3-5 American) got on the board with a 33-yard field goal by Garrison Smith with one minute left in the opening quarter, but that would be the Owls' only score of the afternoon.

The second quarter brought more of the same for East Carolina. After a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took 5:06 off the clock, Houser scored on a four-yard run to extend the lead to 28-3. The Pirates converted six of six third-down attempts in the second quarter alone, keeping Florida Atlantic's defense on the field.

Defensive back Teagan Wilk intercepted FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp in the second quarter and returned it 35 yards to the Florida Atlantic 39-yard line. The turnover led to another East Carolina touchdown drive, this one covering 61 yards on 10 plays. Running back Rion Roseborough scored from one yard out to make it 35-3 with 3:10 left in the half.

East Carolina saved its most efficient drive for last in the opening half. Starting from their own 24-yard line with 1:42 remaining, the Pirates drove 76 yards on nine plays in just 1:28. Houser capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left before halftime, sending the Pirates to the locker room with a 42-3 advantage.

The first-half dominance was evident in the statistics. East Carolina converted nine of 10 third-down attempts in the first 30 minutes while rushing for 197 yards on 35 carries. The Pirates controlled possession for 20:56 of the first half and built an insurmountable lead.

Riles finished with seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Spalding caught five passes for 76 yards and a score. Running back London Montgomery added 53 yards on 17 carries as East Carolina averaged 4.8 yards per rush as a team.

The East Carolina defense forced three turnovers and recorded four sacks. Safety Ja'Marley Riddle intercepted Veltkamp twice, returning one for 10 yards in the third quarter and recovering a fumble in the fourth quarter at the ECU four-yard line to snuff out Florida Atlantic's best scoring opportunity of the second half.

Veltkamp completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards with two interceptions and was sacked four times. Backup quarterback Zach Gibson entered in the second half and completed 12 of 20 passes for 116 yards with one interception. The Florida Atlantic offense managed just 39 yards rushing on 22 attempts, averaging 1.8 yards per carry.

Defensive end Zion Wilson recorded two sacks for the Pirates, while linebacker Kevon Merrell led the team with eight total tackles. East Carolina held Florida Atlantic to three of 15 conversions on third down and recorded nine tackles for loss totaling 43 yards.

The second half became a formality with East Carolina's large lead. The Pirates played conservatively and did not score after halftime, instead running clock and giving playing time to reserves. Backup quarterback Mike Wright Jr. saw action and also handled punting duties.

Florida Atlantic's most sustained drive came late in the third quarter and extended into the fourth. The Owls drove from their own 26-yard line to the East Carolina four-yard line, covering 70 yards on 11 plays over nearly 14 minutes. However, Gibson fumbled on a rush from the one-yard line, and Riddle recovered to end the threat.

Messer led Florida Atlantic with 10 receptions for 86 yards, and running back Gemari Sands had 34 rushing yards on nine carries to pace the ground game. The Owls finished with 338 total yards but could not capitalize on their 34:39 time of possession advantage.

The Pirates now await their bowl destination, having secured postseason eligibility for the fourth time in the last five years. Be sure to check Carolina Gridiron’s Bowl Season page for the latest information.

CHARLOTTE – With six minutes left in the game, it was looking like Charlotte was on its way to a third-straight loss. The 49ers, who had dropped two straight games against FAU and Western Kentucky, were reeling from the sixteen-play, nine-and-a-half-minute drive the Rice Owls had just forced down their throats.

Looking at the scoreboard and seeing a ten-point deficit, Charlotte coach Will Healy looked over at Chris Reynolds and smiled, knowing his senior quarterback would know what to do. Reynolds was up to the task, leading the 49ers to two consecutive scoring drives and forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Reynolds hit freshman receiver Elijah Spencer over the middle for the go-ahead score. When Luke Martin came down with the interception on Rice's possession, the 49ers stormed the field, celebrating the 31-24 victory and securing a Homecoming memory for years to come.

Charlotte RB Calvin Camp races to the end zone Photo Credit: Ed Conway

Reynolds was 20-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three scores. Six different receivers hauled in a pass for the 49ers on Saturday, led by Spener and Grant DuBose with six catches each. Calvin Camp had the long reception for the day, a fifty-nine catch and run to open the scoring in the first quarter. Shadrich Byrd led the team with fifty-four yards and a score on the ground.

Geo Howard led a Charlotte defense that found itself in a bend-don't-break mentality late in the fourth quarter. Howard, a junior defensive back who transferred from Purdue, had eleven tackles on the day.

Ari Broussard was punishing on the ground for the visiting Owls. The sophomore running back from New Orleans had 186 yards and two touchdowns on twenty attempts. Charlotte native Christian VanSickle was 3-of-3 on extra points and kicked a twenty-five-yard field goal for the visitors.

Charlotte and Rice had met twice previously in the 49ers' first two seasons of FBS football. Being from different divisions in Conference USA, scheduling had precluded the two teams from meeting since 2016. Rice won the two prior meetings, and with the win, Will Healy is now 5-0 against teams from Conference USA's West Division.

With the win, Charlotte is now 4-1 at home this season and 10-3 under Will Healy.

 

Up Next

Charlotte (5-4, 3-2) travels to face Louisiana Tech (2-7, 1-4) while Rice (3-6, 2-3) hosts Western Kentucky (5-4, 4-1).

BUIES CREEK – No.-11 Kennesaw State scored 21 unanswered points around halftime and held on for a 38-35 win over Campbell Saturday at Barker-Lane Stadium.

Campbell (6-3, 3-1 Big South) twice cut the Owls (8-2, 3-1) advantage to three in the final period, but could not regain the lead.

Kennesaw backup quarterback Tommy Bryant came off the bench to run for 105 yards on 27 carries and add 91 more in the air on 5-of-7 completions in the Owls’ option attack.  Shaquil Terry had all five receptions for Kennesaw, good for 91 yards and two scores, while gaining 28 on the round on six attempts.

Campbell finished with a 386-343 advantage in total offense, and ran 71 plays to 61 for the visitors, but Kennesaw converted a pair of interceptions into 14 points in the second half.

Hajj-Malik Williams ran for 110 yards and threw for 233 more for the Camels, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this year.  Caleb Snead had 99 receiving yards on six catches.

Campbell WR Caleb Snead had 99 receiving yards on six catches Photo Credit: Bennett Scarborough

Justice Galloway-Velazquez had 18 tackles and Dorian Jones 10 stops for Campbell.  Le’Vonte Larry led Kennesaw with eighth tackles.

The Camels led 21-10 with 1:57 led in the second quarter after Williams scored on a five-yard run.  However KSU drew with seven on Bryant’s 20-yard pass to Terry with just 30 seconds left in the second period.

Markeith Montgomery’s interception gave Kennesaw the ball at its own 20 with 10:53 left in the third, and the Owls drove 80 yards on 12 played to grab the lead on Bryant’s two-yard run.

On the next possession, Bryson Armstrong intercepted a tipped pass and returned it to the Camel 26.  Bryant then hit Terry on a 26-yard scoring pass to extend the margin to 31-21 with 2:33 left in the third.

Chris Cromartie recovered Bryant’s fumble on a hand off to set up the Camels at the KSU 34.  Williams connected with Snead on a 21-yard pass to set up Cameron Davis’ 3-yard run and trim the margin to 31-28 with 12:38 remaining.

Antavius Grier returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to the Campbell 37 and the Owls ran 5:38 off the clock before Bryant dove across from one yards out to again stretch the margin to 10 (38-28) with 6:51 remaining.

The Camels drove 74 yards to cut the gap to 38-35 on Williams’ 7-yard scoring pass to Snead with 3:01 to play.  However, Kennesaw was able to run out the clock to seal the win.

The Camels jumped in front with 5:04 left in the opening quarter on a two-yard run by Johnathan Hawkins.  Williams’ 20-yard run and a 33-yard completion to Jalen Kelsey set up Campbell with a first down on the two.

Nathan Robertson’s 43-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter cut the Campbell lead to 7-3.

Campbell answered with a 7-play, 79-yard drive capped by Williams’ nine-yard run to push the margin to 14-3.

However, the Owls responded with an 11-play drive to trim the margin to 14-10 on Bryant’s 8-yard rush with 6:27 to play in the half.

The Camels close out their home schedule next Saturday against Monmouth at 1:00 p.m. Kennesaw State travels to Hampton.

CHARLOTTE – The 2017 season has not been good to the Charlotte 49ers. In 2016, the 49ers went 3-5 in Conference USA play and hopes were high that this was the year that Charlotte would turn the corner and possibly secure the program's first-ever bowl bid. One of the teams that Charlotte defeated in 2016 was Florida Atlantic. The Owls, looking for a new direction, hired former Tennessee and USC coach Lane Kiffin and the results were exactly what the FAU fans were hoping for. So, when the 1-10 Forty-Niners and 8-3 Owls met up Saturday at Charlotte's Jerry Richardson Stadium, it was a tale of two teams heading in polar opposite directions and the scoreboard indicated so throughout the afternoon. By the final whistle, Florida Atlantic completed its undefeated conference slate with a 31-12 win over Charlotte and the 49ers were packing up equipment and looking towards the offseason.

Photo Credit: Ed Conway

Florida Atlantic opened the scoring with a first quarter, 6-yard run by Devin Singletary, the first of his two scores of the day. A Greg Joseph field goal and 20-yard pass from Jason Driskel to Kamrin Solomon saw the visitors with a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

Charlotte tried to respond with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Hasaan Klugh to Benny LeMay, but a quick 41-yard strike from Driskel to Willie Wright shut down any chance at Charlotte keeping the momentum before the half. After Singletary's second touchdown of the day, Hasaan Klugh led Charlotte on the final scoring drive of the season and scored with a 6-yard run.

Notable North Carolinians

Benny LeMay (So., Butler) – scored the 49ers' first touchdown of the day, finished the season with 732 yards rushing
Hasaan Klugh (RS-Jr., Central Cabarrus) – ran for the 49ers' last touchdown of the 2017 season, finished the season with nine rushing TDs, ten passing TDs, and 1529 passing yards
Jeff Gemmell (RS-So., Heritage) – had thirteen tackles on the day, making it six straight games with double-digit tackles.

What the Coaches are Saying

Charlotte coach Brad Lambert

I told the seniors thank you, they believed when no else did. I really appreciate all they have done, how hard they've worked. This week in practice was a good a week as we've had, getting ready for a good football team that just won our division. We had some opportunities to win some games. We've got to look at what we're doing in the offseason because the one that that really hurt was untimely penalties. Those are drive killers for us. I like where we are. I don't like our record, though. There's 25 guys in the junior class who are coming back. I challenged them this week. This game means a lot for 2018. Every game is meaningful and all wins count.

Worth Noting

Charlotte celebrated senior day at today's game. The 2017 class include the program's all-time leading punter, all-time leading kick returner, a pair of all-time games played record holders and a 1500-yard receiver

Next Week

Florida Atlantic will host North Texas in the Conference USA championship game while Charlotte has completed its 2017 season.