After a week of distractions, disruptions and adversity, East Carolina considered a quick start essential in its first road test of the year.

The "Conley Connection" made sure it happened.

Senior quarterback Holton Ahlers and junior wide receiver C.J. Johnson, high school teammates at Greenville's D.H. Conley, teamed up for four touchdowns – three in a decisive first half – as the Pirates seized control early on an overcast Saturday afternoon and held on for a 48-28 American Athletic Conference win over South Florida.

The Pirates (3-2, 1-1 AAC) unleashed a dominant first-half performance, building a 41-7 lead, on the heels of a double-overtime loss to Navy that ended a season-opening, four-game homestand and a week of uncertainty surrounding Hurricane Ian. The powerful storm forced a South Florida team already wobbled by a rash of injuries and a 1-3 start to shift its practices to Fort Lauderdale and prompted the game to be moved from a 7 p.m. start in Tampa to a 2:30 kickoff at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, where a Covid-like crowd of about 300 gathered.

None of that seemed to faze ECU.

"It's great to get the win with the challenges this week," fourth-year head coach Mike Houston said. "Some of our players had some personal challenges this week. Just the way that they've handled everything, some of the unknowns, some of the changes in schedules, the flight (Friday), just really pleased with the way we played to get the win."

Especially in the first half, when the Pirates piled up 397 total yards and scored on six of their eight possessions. Ahlers tossed five first-half touchdown passes on the way to equaling the six he compiled against SMU in 2019, raising his career total to 84. He completed 31-of-41 passes overall for a season-high 465 yards, the sixth time he has eclipsed 400 in his career, and the first time since that same 2019 game against SMU.

Johnson hauled in four of those -- covering 9, 14, 60 and 74 yards – to tie the single-game school and American Athletic Conference record, giving him 17 career touchdowns and 130 total receptions. Ahlers, who needs just 141 yards to unseat Shane Carden as the school's all-time leader in passing yards, also threw scoring passes of 21 yards to Ryan Jones and 22 yards to Isaiah Winstead.

Jones finished with six catches for 84 yards and now has multiple catches in 13 straight games. Winstead had six receptions for 73 yards. Johnson had team highs of seven catches for 197 yards, and now trails Tyler Snead by 121 yards for fifth place in school history.

"The offensive line gave us a lot of time," Ahlers said. "We've always felt like we had really good matchups at receiver, and they just went out there and performed really well. I'm just super proud of the guys."

The Pirates finished with a season-high 575 total yards, eclipsing 500 yards for the third time this season. They leaned heavily on the air attack with leading rusher Keaton Mitchell sidelined with a hip pointer and Rahjai Harris being limited to 40 yards on 11 carries before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

Freshman Marlon Gunn Jr., used in a couple of late-game mop-up duties, provided some punch with 61 yards on 15 carries, including a 34-yarder.

"We felt very comfortable with him going into the ballgame," Houston said. "I knew he was ready to play, I could just tell. He's going to be special, and it was great to see him get some significant carries today."

But the Ahlers-Johnson combo set the tone as ECU looked laser focused from the outset and delivered an early knockout punch.

Ahlers and Johnson teamed up twice on the opening drive, both converting third downs, as ECU grabbed an early 7-0 lead. The touchdown came on a 60-yarder as Johnson got behind defensive back Jaelen Stokes and hauled in a perfect toss from Ahlers.

The Pirates boosted the lead to 14-0 on their third possession, converting two third downs and a fourth down before Ahlers hit Winstead, a Toledo transfer, with a 22-yard scoring strike.

The Bulls, limited to two yards in their first two possessions, threatened to cut their deficit in half late in the first quarter, but Julius Wood stripped the ball from quarterback Gerry Bohanon at the ECU 2, where Xavier Smith recovered. The Pirates needed just three plays to cash in the turnover, with Ahlers and Johnson teaming up for their second touchdown - this time covering 74 yards.

South Florida countered in just two plays and 47 seconds, scoring on a 91-yard catch and run by Jimmy Horn Jr. that gave Bohanon his first touchdown pass of the season and first of three on the day.

The Pirates controlled the remainder of the half, scoring three more times in the final seven minutes for a 41-7 halftime lead. A 21-yard touchdown catch by Jones capped a seven-play, 71-yard drive, then Harris bulled in from five yards on the first play following a 60-yard punt return by Malik Fleming.

Johnson registered his third touchdown just 18 seconds before the half on a 14-yard toss from Ahlers.

Bohanon and the Bulls, who lost their fourth-straight AAC opener, showed some life in the second half by scoring on their first two possessions to draw within 41-21. Bohanon and Horn (8 catches 180 yards) hooked up for the second time on a 21-yard pass, then Sean Atkins caught a four-yard pass.

Johnson's nine-yard touchdown catch with 3:40 left in the third quarter briefly stopped the momentum. Bohanon, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 253 yards and rushed for another 74 yards, scored on a one-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Bulls, who finished with 455 total yards, threatened to get within two touchdowns after Jayden Curry recovered a Jones fumble at the ECU 35. Clemson transfer Michel Dukes apparently scored as he dove for the pylon, but a review placed the ball inside the one.

ECU then stuffed three-straight plays – their fourth goal-line stand this season. The Pirates stopped N.C. State inside the 2 twice in a 21-20 loss in the opener and stopped Navy at the one on the opening possession last week.

After rebuffing the Bulls, the Pirates were able to run out the clock.

"Thank goodness we finally had a goal-line stand and won the ballgame," Houston said. "I thought that was the ballgame right there - the goal-line stand and then the drive by the offense."