East Carolina 41, Memphis 7

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Shane Carden tossed five touchdowns and threw for 308 yards as East Carolina trounced Memphis 41-7 Saturday in Conference USA action. Despite posting minus-9 yards rushing in the first half, East Carolina (4-3, 3-1) outgained Memphis (1-5, 1-1) 236-105 before the break as the Pirates built a 17-0 advantage. Shane Carden was 16 of 21 for 245 yards with two passing scores in the half. Justin Hardy was Carden's favorite target, pulling in five passes for 126 yards and a score in the first half. Hardy caught just one ball in the second half -- an 11-yard touchdown. Carden's other first-half score went to Justin Jones for 39 yards. That duo would hook up twice more in the second half, as Jones reeled in scoring catches of 14 and 4 yards. Marcus Rucker caught seven passes for 88 yards for Memphis, which has lost seven straight to East Carolina.