Pinkney, McQueen Earn Conference USA Honors

IRVING, Texas — East Carolina junior quarterback James Pinkney and senior special teams performer Markeith McQueen have earned Conference USA Player-of-the-Week honors for their play against Duke Saturday according to a release from the league media relations office Tuesday afternoon.

Pinkney, who directly accounted for all three of ECU's touchdowns and 266 yards of total offense during the Pirates' 24-21 win over Duke at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, also completed nearly 81 percent of his passes (17-of-21) for 235 yards and one TD while adding 31 rushing yards on 11 carries and a career-high two scores. He personally averaged 8.3 yards per play while directing a Pirate offense which racked up 338 yards on 57 plays - an average of nearly six yards per snap (5.9) — to lead ECU to its first opening day win in five years (2000).

He opened the scoring with his first career touchdown rush, a 1-yard effort in the first quarter, while also helping to seal ECU's victory with the Pirates' last TD, also a 1-yard run, to extend the lead to 24-14. Pinkney was also involved in a pair of big pass plays with receiver Aundrea Allison, hooking up with the junior on a 50-yard TD strike midway through the opening period before making a key 31-yard completion in double coverage on a 4th-and-5 play at the Duke 33-yard line which set up his scoring run at the end of the third quarter

McQueen, opened the contest in impressive fashion, taking Duke's opening kickoff and returning it a career-long 45 yards which ranked as the longest kickoff return by an ECU player in two seasons or since Damarcus Fox logged a 94-yarder vs. Memphis Nov. 1, 2003.

He also turned in a notable effort on ECU's punt defense squad, helping keep Duke deep inside its own territory during the second half. After posting a solo tackle on Blue Devil returner Chris Davis for zero yards at the Duke 12-yard line on ECU's first punt of the third quarter, he then downed the ball inside the Blue Devil 5-yard line on a pair of punts in the fourth quarter to help preserve the win. McQueen finished off Ryan Dougherty's 59-yard punt at the Duke 5-yard line with 10:34 to play before downing a punt at the Blue Devil 1-yard line with just 2:29 remaining.

UTEP linebacker Thomas Howard garnered top defensive honors after registering 10 tackles (five solo), two tackles for losses (-12 yards), a sack (-9 yards), an interception (20 yards), two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery in a win at New Mexico State Saturday night. He also helped the Miners hold an opponent to negative rushing yardage for the first time since 1966 and the fourth time in school history.