In the 1978 Independence Bowl, the

East Carolina Pirates The East Carolina Pirates are the athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division ...

defeated the

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters, commonly abbreviated La. Tech and Dawgs, refer to the sports teams of Louisiana Tech University, in Ruston, Louisiana. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports. Since 2013, Louisiana Tech has been ...

Game summary

The East Carolina Pirates forced four fumbles and intercepted Louisiana Tech Bulldogs quarterback Eric Barkley three times en route to victory. ECU took control of the game early, scoring twice in the first quarter. The Pirates pushed their lead to 21-0 on a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

run early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs answered less than two minutes later with a 32-yard touchdown strike. Tech cut the lead to 21-10 with a 36-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

less than a minute before the end of the half. Tech's Swilley kicked another 36-yard field goal six minutes into the third quarter. Pirate running back Theodore Sutton ran 45 yards for a touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the quarter. The Pirates scored another touchdown late in the game. ECU totaled 278 yards rushing, while holding the Bulldogs to 12 yards on the ground.

Scoring summary

Statistics

References

{{East Carolina Pirates bowl game navbox

Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl ...

Independence Bowl East Carolina Pirates football bowl games Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football bowl games December 1978 sports events in the United States 1978 in sports in Louisiana