Charlotte runs for 6 TDs, steamrolls East Carolina 55-24 in AAC battle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hahsaun Wilson ran for 164 yards and three touchdowns and Charlotte steamrolled East Carolina 55-24 in an American Athletic Association battle Saturday.

The 49ers scored six touchdowns on the ground while amassing 311 yards on 52 carries.

Cartevious Norton scored the first of his two touchdowns to cap the game's opening drive, rushing the final 11 yards of an eight-play, 55-yard drive. His second score, a 62-yard run with 1:430 left in the half gave Charlotte a 31-10 halftime advantage. Wilson scored fourth-quarter touchdowns on runs of 23 and 65 yards less than three minutes apart and Jaren Handy raced 53 yards with a pick-6 a minute later.

Charlotte (3-3, 2-0) had 517 yards of offense. Norton had 10 carries for 88 yards and Terron Kellman carried 10 times for 44. Deshawn Purdie completed 13 of 22 pass attempts for 206 yards and added a touchdown on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.

London Montgomery scored on a 48-yard run on East Carolina's opening drive of the second half and Winston Wright Jr. returned a kick-off 94 yards for a touchdown as the teams combined to score 28 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Jake Garcia was 6-of-8 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown with an interception for East Carolina (3-3, 1-1) and Katin Houser was 11 of 28 for 84 yards and an interception. Montgomery carried three times for 56 yards and Chase Sowell caught four passes for 82.

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The Associated Press