Florida fends off East Carolina, hangs on to early lead to win Birmingham Bowl

It was far from dominant and it wasn't always pretty, but Florida managed to edge out a 28-20 Birmingham Bowl win over East Carolina on Saturday. 

After a quick start that saw them jump out to an early 7-0 lead, East Carolina's defense surrendered 21 unanswered points to Florida and entered the second half down 21-7. 

But quarterback Shane Carden and the Pirates' offense seemed to rectify their first-half woes in the third quarter as they outscored the Gators 10-3 heading into the game's final frame.

Without quarterback Treon Harris who left the game with an apparent leg injury at the end of the third quarter, Florida was unable to get much going with Jeff Driskel under center as they saw their lead quickly shrink.  

Down 28-20 with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Carden managed to lead the Pirates down to Florida's 5-yard line, but was intercepted by Vernon Hargreaves in the end zone, effectively ending the game. 

Despite the loss, wide receiver Justin Hardy put on a show against the Gators' secondary as the senior wideout hauled in a game-high 11 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.

For the Gators, running back Adam Lane rushed for 109 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries while Driskel completed 8-of-17 passes for 48 yards.