Andrew Conrad's 55-Yard Field Goal at the Buzzer Lifts East Carolina Past South Florida 20-17

East Carolina beat South Florida 20-17 on Friday night in Greenville, North Carolina, when Andrew Conrad drilled a 55-yard field goal with two seconds left, the Associated Press reported. ECU said the kick, a career long for Conrad, set off a field storming at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The Pirates improved to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the American Conference. South Florida fell to 6-3 and 2-3.

South Florida vs. East Carolina: final score

How did the winning kick happen?

ECU took over at its own 14 with 1:42 left after the teams traded punts, according to the school’s recap. Emory Williams moved the offense with a third-down conversion to Jason Dickerson, a 14-yard completion to Ray Ray Joseph Jr., a pass interference penalty and an 18-yard catch and run by Ashton Gray.

With the ball at the South Florida 37 and two seconds showing, coach Blake Harrell sent out Conrad rather than Noah Perez, ECU said. South Florida coach Brian Hartline called a timeout as ECU lined up, but Conrad kicked anyway and made it, then made the real attempt too.

“I knew when I hit it, it had a very solid chance of going in,” Conrad said, per ECU Athletics. “You go out there and knew they were probably going to call a time out. I just wanted to hit the first one through just to get some confidence.”

ECU said Conrad, a fifth-year player, had a previous career best of 52 yards.

Backup quarterback and a big night for Landon Sides

ECU starting quarterback Mitch Griffis left in the first quarter after a hard hit, the school said, and the Pirates also lost an offensive lineman and leading rusher TJ Engleman Jr. to injuries in the first half. The school did not give updates on their conditions.

Williams came off the bench and completed 19 of 27 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, both to Landon Sides, the AP reported:

• A 15-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half tied it 10-10.
• An 8-yard touchdown gave ECU a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.

Sides finished with 14 catches for 126 yards, and Gray ran for 101 yards. “We’d seen him do it a hundred times in practice,” Sides said of Conrad, according to ECU.

How did South Florida stay close?

The Bulls scored on their opening drive on a 26-yard pass from Luke Kromenhoek to Brysin Rodgers, then did not reach the end zone again until Jason Collins Jr.’s 1-yard run tied it 17-17 with about 10 minutes left, the AP reported. Nico Gramatica added a 30-yard field goal before halftime.

Kromenhoek, starting in place of the injured Michael Van Buren according to ECU, went 17 of 21 for 179 yards. D.J. Crowther ran for 111 yards before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter, ECU said.

ECU’s defense held the Bulls to 1 of 10 on third down, recorded three sacks and 10 tackles for loss, and stopped a fourth-and-3 run at the ECU 29, according to the school. East Carolina outgained South Florida 361-329, the AP said.

What’s next?

• East Carolina: at Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 14. ECU said the win left the Pirates one victory from bowl eligibility.
• South Florida: hosts Memphis on Thursday, the AP reported.

FAQ