Hurricanes Blown Away by East Carolina

East Carolina staged a stunner Saturday night at the Orange Bowl, giving the Miami Hurricanes back-to-back home losses for the first time since 1984.

Marcus Crandell threw three touchdown passes and the Pirates beat 12th-ranked Miami, 31-6, shutting out the Hurricanes over the final 57 minutes for perhaps the biggest victory in school history.

“There were a lot of people around the world who didn’t think East Carolina was going to win this game,” Crandell said. “It’s a glorious one.”

The unranked Pirates (4-2), who were 17-point underdogs, beat Miami for the first time in nine tries. East Carolina’s highest-ranked victim previously was No. 15 Syracuse in 1991.

“This is the biggest win in our careers,” senior linebacker B.J. Crane said. “And it’s only the beginning.”

Miami (4-2), trying to bounce back from a 34-16 loss last week to Florida State, instead got stuffed. The Hurricanes hadn’t dropped two in a row at the Orange Bowl since Jimmy Johnson’s first season as coach, when Maryland and Boston College beat them.

Maryland’s victory that year was the last time an unranked team had defeated Miami in the Orange Bowl.

“Oh, baby!” East Carolina cornerback Tabari Wallace shouted as he ran off the field. “We own the Orange Bowl!”

Miami Coach Butch Davis said, “There is no excuse. I take full responsibility for the preparation and execution of our team, and I didn’t get it done tonight.”

The Hurricanes lost quarterback Ryan Clement in the first half with a partial shoulder separation, and replacement Scott Covington failed to produce any points.

A crowd of 31,909 booed repeatedly during the second half, when the Pirates forced turnovers on four consecutive possessions, giving them six for the game. The Hurricanes’ six-point total was their worst in a regular-season game since a 38-3 loss to Florida State in 1984.

“Devastation is definitely not the word,” Clement said. “We felt a lot worse last week. We’re going to be OK.”

The Hurricanes are in danger of losing three in a row for the first time since that season, although Clement may be available when they play at No. 15 West Virginia (7-0) Saturday.

Crandell completed 17 of 27 passes for 230 yards with no interceptions for the Pirates, who bounced back from a 28-7 loss at home to Southern Mississippi last week. He threw touchdown passes of two and 19 yards to Mitchell Galloway and 33 yards to Jason Nichols.

“Marc Crandell is the best quarterback in the country,” East Carolina Coach Steve Logan said. “I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

Miami’s Covington completed 21 of 36 passes for just 168 yards with two interceptions.