Final Score: East Carolina 37, Houston 35

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Chris Johnson ran for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns in helping to lead the East Carolina Pirates over the Houston Cougars, 37-35, in Conference USA action from Robertson Stadium.

Johnson carried the ball 24 times for the Pirates (2-3, 1-1 CUSA) and also caught a team-best four passes for another 24 yards in the win. Quarterbacks Pat Pinkney and Rob Kass combined to hit 11-of-26 for 156 yards and two scores for ECU.

The Cougars (2-2, 1-1) were paced by Blake Joseph who missed on only five of his 29 pass attempts, leading to 250 yards and two touchdowns, while Case Keenum converted 6-of-11 for 95 yards and a TD, but was also picked off two times in the losing effort.

Houston scored the only points of the first quarter on a 64-yard pass play between Keenum and Donnie Avery. The receiver finished the night with nine catches for 189 yards and two scores.

A 14-yard touchdown run by Johnson and a 20-yard scoring pass from Pinkney to Dwayne Harris put the Pirates ahead at 13-7 following a failed two-point conversion on the second score.

Midway through the second period Avery collected a 36-yard TD pass, this time from Joseph, giving Houston the lead back at 14-13.

The squads traded touchdowns in the final minutes of the half as Brandon Simmons hit the end zone from a yard out for East Carolina and Anthony Alridge caught a five-yard TD pass from Joseph to give the Cougars a 21-20 advantage at the break.

Capping a five-play, 80-yard drive to open the second half, T.J. Lee collected a 34-yard scoring pass from Kass to push the Pirates back out front. Five minutes later it was Johnson who streaked into the end zone on a 43-yard run to make the score 34-21.

Alridge added a four-yard touchdown run for Houston and Avery returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score at the conclusion of the third frame, but in between Ben Hartman kicked a 33-yard field goal which proved to be the difference for ECU in the two-point decision.

Houston kicker T.J. Lawrence had an opportunity to give his team the win with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but he missed on a 38-yard field goal attempt. Lawrence missed two kicks on the night and had a third blocked.

The Cougars controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes in the contest and rolled up 484 yards of offense, compared to just 329 yards for the Pirates.