Smith’s 5 passing TDs sends Tulsa to win over E. Carolina

Nov 30, 2019, 08:45 pm

GREENEVILLE, N.C. -- Zach Smith threw a career-high five touchdown passes, Shamari Brooks ran for a career-high 202 yards and Tulsa beat East Carolina 49-24 on Saturday.

Brooks, a junior, finished the season with 1,086 yards rushing.

The Pirates led for 36 seconds when Jake Verity kicked a 51-yard field goal with 1:42 left in the first quarter. With 66 seconds left in the first, Smith threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Sam Crawford Jr. Smith followed with two more TD passes, one to Keylon Stokes for 29 yards and the other to Keenen Johnson for 4 yards and the Golden Hurricane (4-8, 2-6 American Athletic Conference) led 21-3 at intermission. T.K. Wilkerson's 10-yard scoring run 3 1/2 minutes into the third made it 28-3.

Holton Ahlers led East Carolina (4-8, 2-6) with 308 yards passing and three touchdowns. C.J. Johnson had 141 yards on six receptions and a touchdown and Blake Proehl caught a pair of touchdowns.