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CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Leonard Henry rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns as East Carolina held on for a 28-26 Conference USA victory over Cincinnati to set up Thursday's showdown against Louisville. The Pirates (6-3, 5-0 C-USA) escaped when Cincinnati's Jonathan Ruffin missed a 52-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining. East Carolina remained tied for first place with Louisville in Conference USA and hosts the Cardinals on Thursday. A week after having his streak of six consecutive 100-yard rushing games snapped, Henry put the Pirates (6-3, 4-0) up, 7-0, with a four-yard TD reception just 73 seconds into the contest. Nearly 10 minutes later Henry struck again, this time on a six-yard TD run to give East Carolina a 14-0 lead. Ruffin's 27-yard field goal got the Bearcats (5-4, 4-2) on the board with 54 seconds left in the first quarter. Henry's 72-yard burst set up quarterback David Garrard's 15-yard TD scamper that gave East Carolina a 21-3 lead just 35 seconds later. East Carolina gained 259 yards in the first quarter alone, with Henry amassing 168 in the opening 15 minutes of just 15 carries. Just over eight minutes into the second quarter, Henry scored on another six-yard TD run to make it 28-3. After Ruffin's second field goal, backup quarterback George Murray directed three scoring drives in the second half. Murray, an option quarterback, replaced freshman Gino Guidugli, who completed 12-of-25 passes for 167 yards before suffering a bruised left shoulder. Murray scored on a four-yard TD run to pull the Bearcats within 28-13 with 10:28 remaining in the third quarter. Following DeMarco McClesky's five-yard run TD three minutes into the fourth quarter, Murray's eight-yard TD scamper made it 28-26 with 46 seconds left. But the Bearcats failed on the two-point conversion and were forced into an onside kick. The Bearcats recovered and opted to go for the game-winning field goal. But Ruffin, who was last year's Lou Groza award winner, came up short on his long attempt.
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