By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
For the second straight game the East Carolina offense got the job done as the Pirates rolled over Memphis 38-19 in a Conference USA clash on Tuesday.
Running back Dominique Lindsay overcame a sprained ankle to lead the Pirates with 139 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Lindsay had practiced sparingly all week, but looked strong against Memphis as he gashed the Tigers’ defense.
Lindsay’s big night helped East Carolina put forth its best rushing effort of the season as it tallied 275 yards on the ground.
Backup running back Giavanni Ruffin teamed up with Lindsay to provide a dangerous duo for the Pirates.
Ruffin, whose previous longest run as a Pirate was nine yards, ran for a 19-yard TD in the third quarter. The junior carried the ball 14 times for 82 yards.
Ruffin entered Tuesday night’s game with only 78 rushing yards all season.
Quarterback Patrick Pinkney also got involved in the ground game as he ran for touchdown runs of 3 and 23 yards.
Pinkney had two carries for 26 yards and two scores, while hitting on 14 of his 26 pass attempts for 216 yards, one TD and one interception. The win put the Pirates in sole possession of first place in the Conference USA East Division with a 5-3 (4-1) record.
Pinkney’s 3-yard run along with an 8-yard TD run by WR Dwayne Harris gave the Pirates a 14-3 lead after the first quarter.
Pinkney’s second touchdown run gave ECU a 21-3 lead in the second, but Memphis answered with a Will Hudgens 14-yard TD pass to 6-9 wide receiver Carlos Singleton with :43 seconds left in the second quarter.
After Ruffin’s TD run in the third, Pinkney connected with wide receiver Darryl Freeney for a 31-yard TD pass down the left sideline to take a 35-13 lead.
Freeney had a monster game as he caught five passes for 116 yards.
The Pirates defense created several opportunities for the offense as it forced three fumbles and picked off a Hudgens pass.
Starting only his seventh game of his career, the Tigers’ senior quarterback threw for 313, hitting on 33 of his 49 attempts.
Memphis’ two big receiving threats Singleton (9-70) and Duke Calhoun (9-91) had big nights, but could not take over the game.
While the Tigers’ passing numbers were big, they struggled to run the ball. East Carolina’s defense kept all-conference running back Curtis Steele in relative check holding him to 80 yards.
The Pirates will be back in action on Nov. 5 when it hosts No. 14 Virginia Tech.