After a season which saw the Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) scrape by to bowl eligibility by the skin of their teeth (and one blowout win versus rival Georgia), the Florida football team came into Birmingham to face East Carolina (8-4, 5-3 AAC) and the Pirates 3rd ranked passing offense (367.3 passing ypg).
The Gators finished the regular season behind the workhorse team of running backs Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor. But on this Saturday, it was the legs of Adam Lane, Brandon Powell and Mack Brown who did most of the work.
FIRST QUARTER
ECU 7, Florida 0; 3 yard pass from Shane Carden to Justin Hardy
Scoring Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, Time of possession-3:50
ECU 7, Florida 7; Brian Poole pick-6, 29 yards
Scoring Drive: 1 play, 29 yards
*Florida defense tied for 1st in FBS for interceptions returned for touchdowns since 2008.
SECOND QUARTER
ECU 7, Florida 14; Adam Lane 2 yard TD run
Scoring Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards; Time of possession, 54 seconds (first play of second quarter)
And every bit of it was Adam Lane.
ECU 7, Florida 21; Treon Harris 13 yard pass to Brandon Powell
Scoring Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards; Time of possession, 6:23
THIRD QUARTER
ECU 14, Florida 21; Shane Carden 4 yard TD pass to Cam Worthy
Scoring Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, Time of possession, 42 seconds.
ECU 14, Florida 28; Treon Harris pass to Ahmad Fullwood, 86 yard TD (most of that yardage was after the catch)
Scoring Drive: 3 plays, 91 yards; Time of possession, 1:31
This set a new Birmingham Bowl record for longest touchdown from scrimmage. The previous record was set last year by Vanderbilt with a 67 yarder.
ECU 17, Florida 28; Warren Harvey 24yd Field Goal
Scoring Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards; Time of possession, 1:26
Comes after an Adam Lane fumble in which defense held Pirates to a field goal in redzone.
FOURTH QUARTER
ECU 20, Florida 28; Warren Harvey 23 yard field goal
Scoring Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards; Time of possession, 2:59
FINAL
Florida 28
ECU 20