East Carolina fall short in 28-20 loss to Florida

Florida linebackers Michael Taylor (51) and Dante Fowler (6) dunk Florida interim coach D.J. Durkin after they defeated East Carolina 28-20 in the Birmingham Bowl Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Birmingham, Ala. Florida linebackers Michael Taylor (51) and Dante Fowler (6) dunk Florida interim coach D.J. Durkin after they defeated East Carolina 28-20 in the Birmingham Bowl Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, in Birmingham, Ala.

By Associated Press January 3, 2015 4 min read

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Shane Carden fired pass after pass to move East Carolina’s offense swiftly down the field.

The Pirates racked up plays and yards but repeatedly stalled short of the goal line, including Carden’s late interception in the end zone, and ultimately lost 28-20 to Florida Saturday in the Birmingham Bowl. The result was a productive but disappointing day.

“We ran 101 plays, put up a ton of offensive yards, but we just needed to execute more,” Carden said. “We should have had that touchdown, but an interception in the end zone can’t happen.”

Carden was 34 of 66 for 427 yards for the Pirates, but Vernon Hargreaves III’s pick with 1:20 left ended his day. It was a school record for passing attempts and the most thrown against Florida.

The Pirates scored just two touchdowns on seven trips inside the Florida 20-yard line.