Pirates Fall at Houston, 34-24

Pirates Fall at Houston, 34-24

11/06/2004

Final Stats

Postgame notes

Postgame quotes

HOUSTON (AP) ? Kevin Kolb threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, and Anthony Evans ran for 156 yards and a TD as Houston beat East Carolina 34-24 Saturday.

Kolb threw for 251 yards and ran for 47 yards as Houston (3-5, 3-3 Conference USA) improved to 3-1 at home.

A two-yard TD run by Kolb late in the third quarter put Houston up for good, then he added a one-yarder to put the Cougars ahead 28-17.

East Carolina (2-6, 2-4) pulled to within 34-24 on James Pinkney's 58-yard touchdown pass to Will Bland with 2:58 left. The Pirates then recovered an onside kick but couldn't move the ball.

Pinkney completed 21 of 34 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns.

Harold Taylor caught five passes for 100 yards for Houston, which totaled 487 yards of offense.

Houston's Will Gulley had three interceptions.

East Carolina led 17-14 at halftime on Pinkney's four-yard touchdown pass to Jemarcus Veal and Cameron Broadwell's 45-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

Postgame Notes

Defensive end Lorenza Pickett made his first career start, which snapped Richard Koonce's string of seven consecutive starts.

Tight end Guy Whimper's 37-yard reception was his longest career reception. His previous high was a 30-yard catch against Army last week.

Running back Art Brown's 15-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was the sixth of his career, tying an ECU record for career touchdown catches by a running back. It was his first touchdown reception of the year and matched the longest reception of the year for Brown.

Quarterback James Pinkney has a thrown a touchdown pass in eight consecutive games, the longest span since David Garrard threw a touchdown strike in eight straight games during the 2001 season.

Pinkney threw three touchdowns passes today to bring his single season total to 15, which ranks tied for the seventh most touchdown passes during one season.

Pinkney's 267-yard passing effort was his eighth straight triple-digit passing effort ? the longest such streak by a Pirate signal-caller since Garrard threw for 100 or more yards in 13 consecutive games between the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Pinkney has passed for over 200 yards in a game four times this season.

Pinkney completed 21 passes for 147 completions this season which ranks as 11th most pass completions in a single season in school history.

East Carolina scored first on the road for the first time this season.

The Pirates' didn't allow any first quarter points for the first time this season.

Senior cornerback Donald Whitehead's second quarter interception his second of the year and second of his career. He also intercepted a pass in the season opener against West Virginia.

Pinkney's first interception of the second quarter ended his streak of consecutive passes without an interception at 101.