 This season the East Carolina Panthers hope to end that streak against the Arkansas Razorbacks on January 2, 2010. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will host its second game in January with this game. East Carolina won the East Division of Conference USA with a 7-1 conference record and a 9-4 record overall. The team experienced a real turnaround after tripping over their feet in the non-conference schedule to begin the year. The team can score through the air or on the ground. They average 218 passing yards and 149.6 rushing yards a game. Patrick Pinkey engineers the passing game as the quarterback. He threw for 2,739 yards, but only managed to throw 14 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. Running Back Dominique Lindsay eclipsed 1,000 yards and scored five touchdowns on 5 yards per carry. Receiver Dwayne Harris is a dangerous pair of hands with 79 receptions on the season, 915 yards, and six touchdowns. Arkansas came through at the end of the season with four wins in five games. That single loss was a great game in which the team pushed No. 15 LSU to the limit before losing 33-30 in overtime. This is a pass heavy team. Quarterback Ryan Mallet threw for 3,425 yards along with 29 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. He was incredibly adept at spreading the ball out among the receivers. Seven players had 10 or more catches and 12 players caught touchdown passes. The team is not incapable of running the ball. Despite no player rushing for more than 400 yards, four players ran for more than 300. Running back Broderick Green even had the honor of ending drives with 11 touchdowns. This is going to be clash of styles that might force the East Carolina Panthers to start to throw the ball to play catch up. The bowl game should be a fun one as Conference USA continues to try and earn respect in college football. Get your AutoZone Liberty Bowl tickets for a great low price for amazing seats from OnlineSeats.
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