GREENVILLE, N.C. — C.J. Wilson returned a blocked extra point for the tiebreaking defensive two-point conversion that lifted East Carolina past Southern Mississippi, 25-20, yesterday and back into the Conference USA championship game.

Patrick Pinkney was 25 of 41 passing for 269 yards and Dwayne Harris and defensive tackle Linval Joseph had scoring runs for the Pirates (8-4, 7-1).

The defending league champions claimed home-field advantage for next week's title game against No. 25 Houston by beating the Golden Eagles (7-5, 6-2) in Greenville for the first time since 1994.

Damion Fletcher had 60 yards rushing for Southern Miss, and his 3-yard touchdown pass to Leroy Banks made it 20-all with 7:35 to play.

But Wilson burst through the middle to block Daniel Hrapmann's PAT, scooped it up near the 25-yard line and raced downfield while being escorted by a convoy of blockers to put the Pirates up 22-20.

Ben Hartman made it a five-point game with his third field goal of the day, a 47-yarder with 4:37 remaining. Martevious Young couldn't bring the Golden Eagles past midfield in both of their possessions after that, with Steve Spence sacking him on the final play of the game.

ACC

WAKE FOREST 45, DUKE 34

Riley Skinner passed for a career-high 372 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to help the visiting Demon Deacons (5-7, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Blue Devils (5-7, 3-5).

The Demon Deacons ended their season by snapping a five-game losing streak, while the Blue Devils ended the season on a four-game skid after starting the season 5-3.

BOSTON COLLEGE 19, MARYLAND 17

Montel Harris ran for 142 yards, Dave Shinskie threw a 66-yard touchdown pass, and the visiting Eagles (8-4, 5-3) sealed the Terrapins' (2-10, 1-7) first 10-loss season.

Steve Aponavicius kicked four field goals, including a 42-yarder with 3:59 left — the Eagles' only points of the second half. A 28-yard touchdown pass from Jamarr Robinson to Torrey Smith closed Maryland to 19-17 with 1:34 left, but Boston College recovered the onside kick.

BIG 12

MISSOURI 41, KANSAS 39

Missouri got a late safety and Grant Ressel kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the host Tigers (8-4, 4-4 Big 12) over the Jayhawks (5-7, 1-7) in a wild Border Showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.

Missouri had 553 total yards, but needed a safety with 2:39 left and Ressel's fourth field goal of the game to beat its biggest rival and potentially end coach Mark Mangino's eight-year stint at Kansas.

TEXAS TECH 20, BAYLOR 13

Taylor Potts threw a pair of touchdown passes to Lyle Leong less than two minutes apart midway through the third quarter, and the defense made a goal-line stand in the final minutes as the visiting Red Raiders (8-4, 5-3 Big 12) held off the Bears (4-8, 1-7).

BIG EAST

CONNECTICUT 56, SYRACUSE 31

The tailback tandem of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon combined for 196 yards rushing and four touchdowns as the host Huskies (6-5, 2-4 Big East) beat the Orange (4-8, 1-6) to become bowl eligible.

Todman ran for 123 yards and a score, while Dixon had three touchdowns and 73 yards rushing. Greg Paulus threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns in his final game for Syracuse.

CONFERENCE USA

CENTRAL FLORIDA 34, ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM 27

Brett Hodges threw two touchdown passes and Brynn Harvey ran for 130 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown that gave the visiting Knights (8-4, 6-2) a 31-14 lead in their victory over the Blazers (5-7, 4-4).

Hodges went 24-for-38 for 230 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kamir Aiken and a 5-yarder to Billy Giovanetti for the Knights.

UTEP 52, MARSHALL 21

Trevor Vittatoe passed for 517 yards and five touchdowns to power the host Miners (4-8, 3-5) over the Thundering Herd (6-6, 4-4).

Jeff Moturi led all receivers with 179 yards, including an 80-yard scoring pass from Vittatoe, who also connected for TDs with Tufick Shadrawy, Kris Adams, Jonny Moore and Donavon Kemp.

PACIFIC-10

ARIZONA 20, ARIZONA STATE 17

Alex Zendejas kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the visiting Wildcats (7-4, 5-3 Pac-10) over the Sun Devils (4-8, 2-7) to retain the Territorial Cup.

Arizona took advantage when ASU's Kyle Williams — who had caught the tying TD pass minutes earlier — muffed a punt to give the Wildcats the ball at the Sun Devils' 22-yard line.

SEC

TENNESSEE 30, KENTUCKY 24

Montario Hardesty ran for three touchdowns, including a 20-yard game winner in overtime, as the visiting Volunteers (7-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) outlasted the Wildcats (7-5, 3-5) for their 25th straight victory against their border rivals.

Hardesty, who also ran for a career-high 179 yards, scampered up the middle for the final score after Kentucky's Lones Seiber missed a 49-yard field goal in the Wildcats' overtime chance.

NOTES

Akron: J.D. Brookhart was fired as Akron's head football coach. Athletic director Tom Wistrcill announced the move yesterday, one day after the Zips beat Eastern Michigan, 28-21, to finish at 3-9. Wistrcill said in a statement that four straight seasons with the team finishing below .500 in the Mid-American Conference played into his decision.

Louisville: Steve Kragthorpe was fired as football coach after finishing the year at 4-8, the school's worst season in more than a decade. Kragthorpe went 15-21 in three seasons after replacing Bobby Petrino in January 2007. He had two years remaining on a contract that paid him about $1.1 annually.

Memphis: An LSU official says Tigers assistant Larry Porter has accepted an offer to become the next head coach at Memphis. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Porter did not plan to inform the Tigers' players of his decision until after last night's game against Arkansas.