GREENVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — Emory Williams threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, and East Carolina scored 42 points in a 42-9 victory over visiting North Carolina Central in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The Pirates improved to 2-2 with the win, while the Eagles fell to 2-3. East Carolina scored 35 points in the first quarter and never trailed after an early exchange. North Carolina Central scored three points in the first quarter and six in the third quarter. The Pirates controlled the line of scrimmage, generated pressure on defense and turned several drives into points. The Eagles, playing as the visiting team, could not keep pace after the opening quarter. East Carolina finished with 42 points, while North Carolina Central managed 9.

North Carolina Central opened the scoring when Riley Daniels made a 39-yard field goal. East Carolina answered with a 5-yard touchdown run by T. Engleman Jr., and Noah Perez made the extra point. The Pirates kept rolling when Williams completed a short right pass to Michael Allen for a 6-yard touchdown. Williams then found T.J. Engleman Jr. on a short left pass for an 8-yard score, and later connected with Kanen Hamlett on a deep right pass for a 22-yard touchdown. Engleman Jr. also broke free for an 88-yard touchdown run. Perez converted each kick. North Carolina Central’s third-quarter touchdown came through its passing game, with Cobey Thompkins and Nasim Cosby connecting for a score. The Eagles added six points in the third quarter, but East Carolina’s early surge was too much to overcome. The Pirates added seven more points after the first quarter to complete the scoring. The Pirates’ first-quarter scoring burst set the tone. East Carolina scored 35 points in the opening quarter, while North Carolina Central managed a field goal. The Eagles then added a third-quarter touchdown, but the Pirates answered with another score. The Eagles’ first-half points came on Daniels’ field goal, and they did not reach the end zone until the third quarter.

Williams, a 6-5, 220-pound quarterback from Milton, Fla., completed 25 of 36 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. He had completed 5 of 7 passes for 22 yards in his previous outing at Old Dominion. Against the Eagles, Williams spread the ball around and kept East Carolina’s offense moving. Williams’ three touchdown passes went to Allen, Engleman Jr. and Hamlett, and he also helped East Carolina control possession. Jason Dickerson caught one pass for 12 yards. Tomas O’Halloran punted four times for 193 yards. Angelo Ross intercepted a pass for the Pirates. Jasiyah Robinson made three tackles and 2.5 sacks, Preston Carr had four tackles and a half-sack, DeMarius Hines added four tackles, Alex Moye had five tackles, and Kevon Merrell Jr. finished with five tackles. The Pirates also received production from their defense in the second half as they protected the lead.

For North Carolina Central, Cobey Thompkins, a 6-1, 180-pound quarterback from Atlanta, completed 8 of 15 passes for 108 yards and rushed four times for 11 yards with one touchdown. Nelson Layne, a 6-3, 195-pound quarterback from Highland Springs, Va., completed 9 of 13 passes for 65 yards. Zion Dobson, a 5-10, 170-pound running back from Hampton, S.C., carried 14 times for 37 yards and caught one pass for a loss of 5 yards. Mehki Wall caught three passes for 8 yards, Gino Addison had one catch for 13 yards, Luke Bracey had two catches for 18 yards, Chance Peterson had three catches for 26 yards, Tyree Saunders had one catch for 34 yards, RJ Lancaster had two catches for 37 yards, and Nasim Cosby had two catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. Plez Lawrence caught two passes for a loss of 1 yard. Gerald Lawton returned two kickoffs for 29 yards and one punt for a loss of 1 yard. Jake Marcantel punted nine times for 371 yards.

The Eagles’ defensive effort included eight tackles from Joshua Truesdale, six from Tevin Tucker, four from Joshua Maxwell, and four from Brandon Sanders. Cameron Williams, a 5-8, 180-pound defensive back from Greensboro, N.C., made three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Jakarri Martin II, a 5-10, 185-pound defensive back from Atlanta, had three tackles. Zarion Walters, a 6-2, 255-pound defensive lineman from Richlands, N.C., had four tackles and one sack. Taeshawn Alston added two tackles and one sack. Camereon Cartlidge, Branden Palmer, Thomas Rominger, Emmanuel Hill, Trey Goodridge, Elijah Clark, Gary Dorsey Jr., Josh Pullen, D’Andre Artis-Boone, TrayVaughn Swanigan, and Wade Harris each contributed tackles or a quarterback hurry. M.J. Campbell, Jayden Walker, Mekhi Bigelow, and Cole Hamilton each made two tackles. Juju Laguerre and Amari Sifford each finished with three tackles.

East Carolina’s victory came after a nonconference schedule that included a win at Old Dominion, a home loss to Appalachian State and a road loss at Alabama. North Carolina Central entered after a loss at Gardner-Webb, a home win over North Carolina A&T, a home win over Elizabeth City State and a road loss at Texas Southern. The Eagles will next host Campbell. They also have upcoming home games against William & Mary and Howard, along with road contests at Delaware State, Norfolk State, South Carolina State and Morgan State. East Carolina next hosts Rice. The Pirates also have home games against Temple, South Florida and Florida Atlantic, plus road games at UAB, Memphis, Charlotte and Army. North Carolina Central will look to get back to .500, while East Carolina will try to build on the nonconference victory.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of East Carolina 36, North Carolina Central 19. Interstat’s ELO system had projected East Carolina with a 93.4 percent probability to win. North Carolina Central had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +35.5. The total score of 51 went over the over/under line of 56.5.