NCAA Game Summary - East Carolina at NC State

Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Shane Carden threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as the East Carolina Pirates registered a 42-28 win over the NC State Wolfpack in non-conference play at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Carden converted 23-of-30 passes for 255 yards and carried the ball six times for six yards for the Pirates (9-2) as they won a fifth straight outing. Vintavious Cooper picked up a game-high 148 yards on 22 carries.

The Wolfpack (3-8) were led by Brandon Mitchell who connected on 28-of-44 passes for 312 yards and four scores, while Rashard Smith caught seven balls for a game-high 104 yards and a TD. Jumichael Ramos was responsible for five receptions for 38 yards and a couple of scores as the team lost a seventh straight contest.

ECU scored the first points of the afternoon on a three-yard pass from Carden to Justin Hardy on the opening drive.

NC State responded later in the frame when Mitchell capped a 14-play, 76-yard drive with a four-yard TD pass to Tony Creecy, knotting the score at 7-7 at the end of one period of play.

The Pirates then rattled off four straight touchdowns, two each in the second and third quarters. The run began with a five-yard TD pass between Carden and Bryce Williams, followed by a three-yard scoring run by Carden to make the score 21-7 at the break.

Carden began the scoring in the third when he crossed the goal line from a yard out at the 8:23 mark, while Breon Allen produced a three-yard TD run of his own to make the score 35-7.

With just over five minutes remaining in the fourth NC State began to show signs of life with a two-yard TD pass from Mitchell to Ramos. The duo combined on an 18-yard TD pass play in the final seconds of regulation, while the quarterback hit Smith with a 30-yard TD with just 51 seconds left in the contest.

However, in between the first two scores in the quarter for the Pack, East Carolina chimed in with a 25-yard TD pass play from Carden to Lance Ray.

Both teams generated just over 440 yards of total offense on the day.