East Carolina Falls Short At Cincinnati, 31-19

Saturday, October 22

Cincinnati, Ohio

7:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

2-5 , 0-3

Cincinnati

4-3 , 1-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

East Carolina

Cincinnati

October 22, 2016 | Football

Box Score

Notes | Game Book (PDF) l Photo Gallery

CINCINNATI, Ohio – As the losses mount, so does the frustration. And when a desperately needed win is as close as it was Saturday night for East Carolina, defeat becomes even more bitter.

The Pirates fell short against Cincinnati 31-19 to drop their fifth straight and remain winless in American Athletic Conference play. But unlike three consecutive games that got out of hand, ECU put itself in position to win in a game featuring 1,017 total yards and a bevy of missed opportunities on a brisk night at Nippert Stadium. The crucial play just never came.

A big play surrendered by the defense in the final minute of the first half, an overturned interception, a drive-killing fumble and a failed fourth-down attempt – change any one, and head coach Scottie Montgomery knows the result could have been different.

"It's getting to a point now where the frustration has to change into victories," Montgomery said. "The frustration is a lot.

"Our guys gave great effort," Montgomery said. "Effort doesn't win games when you get to this level. You've got to have great detail and execution. Unfortunately, we didn't have it."

What the Pirates (2-5, 0-3 AAC) did have was some life on offense after a week off due to Hurricane Matthew gave quarterback Philip Nelson time to recuperate from a couple of crushing hits that had knocked him out of two games.

After managing just three points in the first half and trailing 14-3, the Pirates scored on their first three possessions of the second half to seize the momentum but never forge ahead.

Nelson completed 28 of 43 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns but also was picked off twice. He also added 56 yards rushing on 10 attempts.

James Summers led a rushing attack that gained 221 yards, finishing with 95 yards on 21 carries, but was stopped short on a crucial fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter. Anthony Scott added 70 yards on 13 carries but had a crucial fourth-quarter fumble in the red zone.

Zay Jones turned in his 14th career double-digit catch game with 11 receptions but was limited to 69 yards. Jimmy Williams provided a spark with seven catches for 129 yards (his third career 100-yard-plus game) and a pair of touchdowns.

But the Bearcats (4-3, 1-3 AAC) counterpunched with quarterback Gunner Kiel and the backfield duo of Tion Green and Mike Boone. Kiel, a senior making his first start of the year, completed 23 of 40 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns – three to Kahlil Lewis (11 catches, 150 yards). Boone rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries and added one big reception for 54 yards to set up a first-half score.

Green finished with 71 yards on 15 carries.

The Bearcats had a 513-504 edge in total yards and did not turn the ball over. ECU had three turnovers and now is minus-12 for the year.

The Pirates, trailing 17-13, thought they had an interception late in the third period, but Corey Seargent was flagged for pass interference. Instead of the Pirates taking over at the UC 31, the Bearcats quickly regrouped with Kiel throwing completions of 47 and nine yards to Lewis for a 24-13 lead.

Montgomery said the overturned interception was a crucial swing of momentum.

"It's critical because there's a lot of momentum in the game," he said. "I thought that their sideline did a good job of yelling and screaming and doing everything and putting a lot of pressure on officiating. In the end, it proved to be a good tactic."

Still, the Pirates had opportunities.

A 37-yard pass from Nelson to Williams on a fourth-and-3 play got the Pirates within 24-19 with 13:01 to play, but Summers was stuffed on a two-point conversion try.

ECU then forced a punt and drove from its 8 to the Cincinnati 27 when Scott darted 11 yards but fumbled when he was hit by Kevin Mouhon. The Bearcats' Eric Wilson came up with the ball at the 14.

UC would have to punt from its 5, however, after head coach Tommy Tuberville was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. ECU apparently had been flagged for pass interference on third down, but the officials waved it off, sending an irate Tuberville off the sidelines.

ECU took over at midfield and gained nine yards, but Summers was stopped short on fourth down.

UC then sealed it with Kiel's third touchdown connection with Lewis from 32 yards with 2:44 to go.

"We did a lot in that second half, got the ball back, got some stops by our defense, drove the ball down, fumbled the ball, come back and defense gets a great stop and get to fourth and about a half a yard and can't get a half a yard, call a defensive play from the sideline, misalign and give up a touchdown. All that combined, you lose games," Montgomery said.

ECU pieced together a nice 16-play drive on the opening series, primarily on the arm and legs of Nelson, to take a 3-0 lead on Davis Plowman's 26-yard field goal. Nelson hooked up with Jones six times on the nearly five-minute drive, including a nine-yard pass on fourth-and-5 from the Bearcats' 35.

But the offense, plagued by poor field position and a few dropped passes, sputtered the remainder half. After gaining 67 yards on the opening series, the Pirates managed just 44 yards on 13 plays on the next three possessions and punted each time.

ECU's best starting field possession in the first half was the 25 on the opening series, and four first-half possessions started at the 15 or inside (1, 9, 12 and 15).

Nelson completed 18 of 27 passes in the first half but managed just 106 yards for a 3.9 average. He threw his fifth interception of the year late in the half.

Cincinnati amassed 292 total yards in the first half on the strength of Boone and Green and a couple of big plays in the passing game.

The Bearcats took a 7-3 lead on a 14-yard pass from Kiel to D.J. Dowdy. A 23-yard pass to Devin Gray and 10-yard toss to Nate Cole on third down sparked the drive.

Cincinnati threatened to extend the lead, but a 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

It looked as if the four-point margin would stand going into the half after Alex Thomas' interception at the Bearcats' 7, but Boone turned a third-and-8 screen pass into a 54-yard gain. Kiel then threw an 18-yard strike to Lewis to make it 14-3 just 28 seconds before halftime.

Despite coming to life in the second half, the Pirates couldn't shake their frustration of coming up short.

Now they must regroup for UConn next Saturday at noon in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

"It's tough because our guys are good enough," Montgomery said. "We're running out of personnel to keep trying in different positions. The more that we can put guys in positions to win like we did tonight and we keep coming out unsuccessful makes it really, really frustrating.

"I think we didn't give our guys a good enough chance from a coaching standpoint in the first half to win the game. And then in the second half, we didn't make enough plays and the things that coaching wanted us to do."