Senior running back Chris Hairston rushed for a career-high 154 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead East Carolina to a 28-20 victory over feisty Towson in the opener for both teams Saturday night in Greenville, N.C.

The visiting Tigers threatened to score and send the game into overtime, but their last drive ended when quarterback Connor Frazier threw incomplete on fourth-and-7 at ECU's 16-yard line with less than two minutes left in the game.

The Pirates were able to run out the clock on the ensuing series when sophomore running back Anthony Scott gained 16 yards on a third-and-15 situation, and they needed only one more play to end it.

Hairston set his career-high on just 19 carries. He had rushed for 153 yards in five different games over the last two years and was one touchdown short of matching his career high in that category.

Junior quarterback Blake Kemp was 29 of 37 passing for 230 yards for East Carolina in his first start since redshirting last year after transferring from junior college.

Towson got 137 yards rushing from junior running back Darius Victor, and Frazier threw for 221 yards and one touchdown. He scored on a one-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to pull the Tigers to within one score.