ECU's Football Season Ends With Loss to Cincinnati
December 06, 2002 | Football
By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Gino Guidugli threw four touchdown passes -- three to Jon Olinger -- as Cincinnati beat East Carolina 42-26 Friday night to clinch a share of the Conference USA championship.
The Bearcats (7-6, 6-2) earned a bid to the New Orleans Bowl, where they will face North Texas on Dec. 17. Cincinnati finished tied with TCU for the C-USA title and clinched its first league championship since winning the Missouri Valley Conference in 1964.
A loss would have sent the Bearcats home for the holidays.
"We've overcome a lot this year," Bearcats coach Rick Minter said. "Things haven't always gone our way. ... And here we are fighting to be champs or chumps in the same night."
Guidugli threw touchdown passes of 78, 49 and 48 yards to Olinger and finished with 323 yards. He also threw a 26-yard scoring pass to George Murray midway through the fourth quarter.
Olinger finished with four catches for 194 yards.
Cincinnati's DeMarco McCleskey rushed for 161 yards, and the defense scored two touchdowns as the Bearcats snapped a four-game losing streak to the Pirates (4-8, 4-4).
"Our offensive line was opening big holes for (McCleskey) to run into, so I felt confident we could move the ball against them," said Guidugli, who set single-season records for passing yards, completions, attempts and total offense.
Linebacker-turned-running back Christshawn Gilliam rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns for East Carolina. Gilliam made his second career start on offense in place of Art Brown, a 1,000-yard rusher who missed the last two games with a groin injury.
The Pirates could have spoiled the Bearcats' bowl hopes and created a four-way tie for second place with the win. But Cincinnati made big plays when needed and answered every East Carolina score.
It was a frustrating end to the season for the Pirates, who finished with a losing record for the first time since going 5-6 in 1997. The Pirates had earned bowl bids in each of the past three seasons.
On Friday, they had two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, dropping them to 0-8 in games when turnover margin was even or in their opponent's advantage.
"I pointed out to our team how close but also how far away we are from re-establishing ourselves," head coach Steve Logan said. "We just have too many youngsters in key positions on our football team."
The Bearcats jumped to a first-half lead behind the 78-yard scoring toss from Guidugli to Olinger and a 12-yard interception return for a TD by Blue Adams.
The Bearcats maintained a slim lead as the teams traded scores in the second half. The Pirates closed to within 28-26 on a 54-yard TD pass from Paul Troth to Richard Alston with 12:22 left.
But Guidugli found Murray over the middle, and Murray raced in for the 26-yard score and a 35-26 lead on the next possession. Six minutes later, Zach Norton intercepted Paul Troth's pass and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown to seal it.
"When you have a big game like this, you've got to have playmakers step up," Minter said.
After the Pirates took an early lead on a 40-yard field goal by Kevin Miller, the defense put the Bearcats ahead to stay with Adams' interception return.
After Olinger's 78-yard TD catch, East Carolina closed to within 14-6 on a 45-yard field goal from Miller just before halftime.
