Tulane University
East Carolina
Football Drops First Game Of The Season
Sep 14, 2002 | Football
Sept. 14, 2002
GREENVILLE, N.C. - A game Tulane defense held East Carolina to one second-half touchdown and just 92 passing yards on the night, but a pair of Green Wave drives were stymied in the last five minutes of the game as the Pirates held on for a 24-20 victory in Greenville. Neither team posted a score in the fourth quarter as defenses carried the day on a rainy North Carolina night.
East Carolina scored on its first possession of the game, but the Green Wave responded immediately as Mewelde Moore scored from one yard out for his first rushing TD of the year, tying the score at seven.
After the Green Wave defense forced ECU to punt, the Pirates turned an interception into three points on a 44-yard field goal by Kevin Miller.
Tulane then mounted an amazing 22-play, 82-yard drive that consumed 7:02. The Green Wave converted four third downs on the drive before Seth Marler hit a 30-yard field goal to tie the score at 10.
ECU again took the lead behind the rushing of Art Brown, who gained 185 yards on 27 carries on the night. Brown scored on a three yard run to give ECU a 17-10 halftime lead.
Tulane answered on its first drive of the third quarter as Tulane QB J.P. Losman completed three passes, and Moore closed out the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.
The Green Wave then took its only lead of the night after a 44-yard punt return by Lynaris Elpheage put Tulane on the ECU six-yard line. After a sack and an incompletion, the Green Wave had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Seth Marler and a 20-17 lead.
The teams traded punts before ECU's Brown got rolling again, picking up the last 40 yards of an eight-play 89-yard drive, and scoring from four yards out, to provide the final margin.
Running back Mewelde Moore gained 114 yards on a career-high 30 carries for Tulane and J.P. Losman completed 31 passes to tie for the ninth-highest single game total in Wave history. Tulane collected three sacks of ECU quarterback Paul Troth, dropping him for 46 yards in losses, but could not collect a turnover.
