Nov. 22, 2008

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Brandon Simmons scored on a 2-yard run with 2:20 remaining in the game to lift East Carolina to a 17-13 Conference USA victory over UAB Saturday night at Legion Field. The Blazers were trying to keep their perfect record against the Pirates in Birmingham intact.

Simmons' touchdown capped a nine-play, 55-yard drive that was aided by a face mask penalty that gave East Carolina (7-4, 5-2 Conference USA) a first down at UAB's 11. Two plays later, Simmons scored to cap the drive, which was led by backup quarterback Rob Kass.

UAB (3-8, 2-5) moved to the East Carolina 40, but Pierre Bell intercepted Blazers quarterback Joe Webb at the 31 to preserve the victory after the ball skipped off the hands of tight end Zach Lankford.

Webb, who finished with 75 yards rushing and 116 through the air, had set the Blazers up at the Pirate 40-yard-line with back-to-back completions to Rashaud Slaughter (5 yards) and Mark Ferrell (22 yards on a 3rd-and-5).

"First of all I'd like to congratulate East Carolina on winning the football game," said UAB head coach Neil Callaway. "I take my hat off to them. We are very disappointed that we lost the game, but I'm extremely proud of the way our guys competed. I thought they played hard to the end.

"We made too many mistakes to win the football game. It was all phases of the game. Where we are at as a football team, there's not a lot of margin for error. We can't afford to make the mistakes we made. We made them in all phases. But I am proud of how hard the guys played and were fighting to the very end."

The win clinched the C-USA EAST Division title for the Pirates and a spot in the conference championship game.

UAB will conclude its season next Saturday with a road game at UCF (1:00 p.m. ET).