Final
East Carolina 37
(2-3, 1-1 C-USA)
Houston 35
(2-2, 1-1 C-USA)
7:00 PM ET, September 29, 2007
Robertson Stadium, HOUSTON, TX
Top Performers
Passing: B. Joseph (SHSU) - 250 YDS, 2 TD
Rushing: C. Johnson (ECU) - 24 CAR, 147 YDS, 2 TD
Receiving: D. Avery (HOU) - 9 REC, 189 YDS, 2 TD
HOUSTON (AP) -- Chris Johnson rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns to lead East Carolina to a 37-35 win over Houston on Saturday night.
East Carolina (2-3, 1-1 Conference USA) led 34-21 in the third quarter and held on late as Houston (2-2, 1-1) missed two field goals in the game's final two minutes.
Houston's Donnie Avery returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to cut East Carolina's lead to 37-35 on the final play of the third quarter.
Avery also caught nine passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
But Houston's comeback fell just short as T.J. Lawrence missed a 37-yard field goal with 1:55 left. His 38-yard attempt with three seconds remaining went wide right.
East Carolina trailed 21-20 at halftime, but took the lead for the good on its first possession of the third quarter.
Rob Kass threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Lee to put East Carolina ahead 27-21 with 13:24 left in the third.
Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 43-yard run that gave the Pirates a 34-21 cushion.
Houston cut into the lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Anthony Alridge with 4:26 left in the third.
Alridge rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Houston's Case Keenum threw two interceptions in the first half that set up East Carolina's first two touchdowns.
Keenum, who threw a 64-yard TD to Avery in the first quarter, was replaced by Blake Joseph in the second quarter.
Keenum's second interception set up Patrick Pinkney's 20-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Harris that gave the Pirates a 13-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Joseph, who was 24-of-29 for 250 yards, threw a 36-yard TD pass to Avery to put Houston ahead 14-13.
East Carolina took a 20-14 when C.J. Wilson blocked a 49-yard field attempt, and Zack Slate returned it to the Houston 11.
Two plays later, Brandon Simmons scored on a 1-yard run.
Joseph threw a 5-yard TD pass to Alridge to give the Cougars a 21-20 halftime lead.
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Team Stat Comparison
| ECU | HOU | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 14 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 329 | 484 |
| Passing | 156 | 345 |
| Rushing | 173 | 139 |
| Penalties | 9-65 | 8-72 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 6-16 | 6-20 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Possession | 24:59 | 35:01 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | ECU | HOU | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TD | 03:33 | Donnie Avery 64 Yd Pass From Case Keenum (T.J. Lawrence Kick) | 0 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER | ECU | HOU | |||
 | TD | 14:53 | Chris Johnson 14 Yd Run (Ben Hartman Kick) | 7 | 7 |
| TD | 12:23 | Dwayne Harris 20 Yd Pass From Patrick Pinkney (Two-Point Conversion Failed) | 13 | 7 |
| TD | 07:38 | Donnie Avery 36 Yd Pass From Blake Joseph (T.J. Lawrence Kick) | 13 | 14 |
| TD | 02:15 | Brandon Simmons 1 Yd Run (Ben Hartman Kick) | 20 | 14 |
| TD | 00:09 | Anthony Alridge 5 Yd Pass From Blake Joseph (T.J. Lawrence Kick) | 20 | 21 |
| THIRD QUARTER | ECU | HOU | |||
| TD | 13:24 | T.J. Lee 34 Yd Pass From Rob Kass (Ben Hartman Kick) | 27 | 21 |
| TD | 08:15 | Chris Johnson 43 Yd Run (Ben Hartman Kick) | 34 | 21 |
| TD | 04:26 | Anthony Alridge 4 Yd Run (T.J. Lawrence Kick) | 34 | 28 |
| FG | 00:10 | Ben Hartman 33 Yd | 37 | 28 |
| TD | 00:00 | Donnie Avery 100 Yd Kickoff Return (T.J. Lawrence Kick) | 37 | 35 |
