Summers helps East Carolina beat Virginia Tech 35-28
GREENVILLE, N.C. — James Summers accounted for three touchdowns, two coming on the ground in a huge rushing performance, to help East Carolina beat Virginia Tech 35-28 on Saturday.
The backup quarterback ran for 169 yards in a bigger-than-expected role amid rainy conditions, going from the change-of-pace option behind Blake Kemp to the guy powering the Pirates (2-2) to their first home win against the Hokies (2-2) in 23 years.
Trevon Brown and Isaiah Jones each had touchdown catches for East Carolina, which ditched its passheavy ways and kept the ball on the ground. Summers carried the ball on 21 of ECU’s 43 run plays, more than double their pass attempts in an unusual look under Ruffin McNeill.
Brenden Motley ran and threw for a score for the Hokies, who jumped to a 14-0 lead by capitalizing on two early turnovers only to squander that lead by the end of the opening quarter.
Virginia Tech had won two straight since an opening loss to top-ranked Ohio State, and was coming off a big offensive performance in last week’s win at Purdue. But they ended up losing to the Pirates for the second straight season, both coming by seven-point margins, while ECU ended its own two-game skid.
The Pirates secured this one with a final-drive stop, with Motley’s desperation heave downfield falling incomplete and well short of the end zone to end it.
Coach Ruffin McNeill had said this week Summers — a one-time major instate recruit who ended up in junior college — would get some work against the Hokies despite Kemp’s solid play of late. But no one could have predicted he’d put on the kind of show he did Saturday, befuddling Bud Foster’s defense with his mobility and just enough on-target throws sprinkled in to keep the Hokies off balance.
The highlight came late in the third when Summers spun off a would-be tackler, shoved another to the ground and sprinted to the end zone for a 41-yard run that put the Pirates up 35-21 with 3:43 left in the third.
Summers completed 5 of 8 passes for 110 yards and a 26-yard TD to Jones on a fourth down.
Kemp shook off a disastrous start that included turnovers on his first two drives, which gave the Hokies short fields that they converted into touchdowns for a 14-0 lead. But Kemp bounced back in leading a pair of scoring drives, with his 11-yard TD throw to Trevon Brown — who was back from a three-game suspension — tying it at 14 to end the first quarter.
Virginia Tech linebacker Sean Huelskamp was ejected for targeting when he tackled a sliding Summers midway through the fourth.
Navy 28, UConn 18: Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds ran 28 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns and threw for another score as Navy beat UConn 28-18.
The win is the seventh in a row for the Midshipmen, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2006.
Reynolds had touchdown runs of 10, 4 and 10 yards to give him 73 for his career, second in NCAA history behind former Wisconsin star Monte Ball, who ran for 77.
The senior threw the ball just four times, but completed three of those, including a 19-yard touchdown to Jamir Tillman.
Navy had 343 yards of offense, 303 of them on the ground. Fullback Chris Swain ran 10 times for 58 yards.
Bryant Shirreffs threw for 219 yards and two scores for UConn, which falls to 2-2 after a 2-0 start this season. Freshman receiver Tyraiq Beals caught six passes for 63 yards and a score for the Huskies.
Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46: Sam Craft scored a 3-yard run with 53 seconds left to lift Memphis past Cincinnati 53-46 on Thursday night in a game marred by an injury to Bearcats starting quarterback Gunner Kiel.
Kiel was injured on a hit in the first quarter when he turned up field and was hit from the side by Chauncey Lanier. Kiel’s neck and head were immobilized and he was helped off the field on a cart and taken to Methodist University Hospital.
The teams traded touchdowns on the first four possessions of the fourth until Memphis turned it over on downs with 3:11 left. Cincinnati was forced to punt with 2:27 remaining and Memphis marched down the field in six plays for the go-ahead score.
Leonard Pegues intercepted a tipped pass to seal it.
Paxton Lynch threw for 412 yards and two touchdowns for Memphis (4-0, 1-0 American Athletic Conference). The Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 1961.
Freshman Hayden Moore passed for a school-record 557 yards and threw four touchdown passes for Cincinnati (2-2, 0-2).
James Madison 48, SMU 45: Vad Lee found John Miller with a 17-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds left to rally James Madison past SMU, 48-45, Saturday night.
The Mustangs (1-3) rallied from 10-points down on a pair of Matt Davis touchdowns in the final 4 minutes, but left 2:04 for James Madison (4-0), the top Football Championship Subdivision offense in three categories (scoring offense, total offense and first downs), enough time for the go-ahead rally and Lee led the Dukes 75 yards in 8 plays.
Lee hit Deane Cheatham with a 52-yard strike early in the fourth quarter to give James Madison a 41-31 lead, but was picked off by Jordan Wyatt at the SMU 1-yard line. Wyatt returned it 27 yards to give the Mustangs a first down at the 28.
Davis drove SMU 72 yards for a touchdown and the Mustangs recovered an on-side kick and drove 52 yards for the lead.
Houston 59, Texas State 14: Greg Ward Jr. accounted for six touchdowns — four passing and two running — and Houston overwhelmed Texas State 59-14 Saturday night.
Ward was 17 of 21 for 274 yards and led the Cougars (3-0) in rushing with 91 yards on 10 carries.
Tyler Jones threw for 288 yards but had two interceptions for Texas State (1-3).
Ward gave Houston a 7-0 lead when he found Chance Allen from 32 yards. Jones tied the score at 7-7 on a 4-yard run near the end of the first quarter. Houston’s four second quarter touchdowns put the game out of reach.
William Jackson III had a pick-6 when he intercepted Jones and ran 35 yards to make it 42-7 just before halftime. It was the most points Houston scored in the first half since a 54-7 lead over Texas State on Sept. 4, 2010.
With 689 yards offense, the Cougars now average 591 per game.