Nov 23, 2001

By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Jeff Kelly passed for one touchdown and ran for another score as Southern Mississippi beat East Carolina 28-21 Friday, possibly knocking the Pirates from bowl contention.

The Golden Eagles (6-3, 4-2 Conference USA) spotted East Carolina a 10-0 lead, then scored 25 points in the second quarter to take the lead for good to move into the bowl picture with games left against Alabama and Texas Christian.

The victory also guaranteed Southern Miss its eighth straight winning season.

The Pirates (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) were playing for the league title last Thursday against Louisville, but their bowl hopes are in question after consecutive home losses.

The Southern Miss defense, ranked in the nation's top 10 in four categories, held C-USA's top scoring team to just one second-half field goal and forced four turnovers.

East Carolina lost three fumbles and an interception, and snapped the ball high on a punt that gave Southern Miss the ball at the 21 that led to Brant Hanna's 30-yard field goal with 11:17 left to help seal it.

Kelly, coming off a school-record 400-yard passing day last week against Tulane, was 18-for-25 for 167 yards, while Dawayne Woods added 106 yards on the ground in beating the Pirates for the fourth straight time at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Kelly threw a 7-yard TD pass to Woods to start the Golden Eagles' big second-quarter. He also ran one in from the 4.

The Golden Eagles drove to the East Carolina 31, 38 and 42 in the third quarter but came away with no points as the Pirates closed to 25-21 on a 29-yard field goal by Kevin Miller.

But the Golden Eagles defense sealed it late.

David Garrard and the Pirates started with a bang as they have all season, bolting to a 10-point lead and outgaining the Golden Eagles 162-18.

Leonard Henry's 1-yard run on East Carolina's first possession gave him 18 touchdowns and 108 points to break the single-season scoring marks of Carlester Crumpler set in 1972. And Garrard completed his first nine passes.

In 11 games, East Carolina has outscored opponents 112-25 in the first quarter.

But it was downhill from there for the East Carolina defense as Southern Mississippi scored 25 points over a span of 10:37.

Ten of those points came after a fumbled exchange by Garrard and a fumbled kickoff by Marvin Townes that gave the Golden Eagles the ball on the East Carolina 33 and 15.

The Pirates closed the halftime gap to 25-18 on a 51-yard flea-flicker from wide receiver and former quarterback Richard Alston to Torey Morris.