Saturday evening, East Carolina throttled Tulane, 34-6, with suffocating defense and efficient, methodical offense. On any other night, the effortless Pirate win over a conference foe would have been the story taken from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. But with 5:45 remaining in the second quarter, senior Justin Hardy became the sole owner of the FBS career receptions record with an eight-yard grab delivered by quarterback Shane Carden.

There was nothing flashy about his record breaking 350th catch which broke Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles’s (2008-11) mark of 349; it was just vintage Justin Hardy — hard work and wisdom paying off to find the soft spot in the coverage for a humble gain off a curl route near the sideline. Hardy, who is sitting on 355 receptions, will be a model for how a possession receiver in college football can take over a game for years to come.

“Over the 34 years and 3000-plus athletes I’ve coached, that young man is one of the best,” said ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill after the game. “How he carries himself, how he goes about his daily business and how he goes about his life.”

Shortly following the catch that set up an ECU field goal, a graphic commemorating his record showed up on the scoreboard, a banner was dropped over the Murphy Center opposite the scoreboard; fans and players from both sidelines shared in a respectful reception for number two. For a couple minutes, everyone in the stadium was lost in the moment — except Hardy.

“I really was kind of mad that we didn’t score on the drive,” said the Vanceboro-native after the game. “That was really my main focus.

“That’s just the guy he is,” said Carden. “That shows exactly what he’s about, where his mind is. Throughout his career, he’s always just been about the team, getting himself better and just playing the game.”

Hardy, who was playing in front of “30 or 40” family members, stated that the dominant emotion for him was relief.

“I’m very [relieved] that it’s over,” he said. “I don’t have to answer questions about it any more. I can just go out there and play.”

He broke the record when ECU was leading 10-3 in the second quarter and the tension that naturally comes with a record of such gratitude seemed to ease as the Pirates were able to coast to a 24-3 score from that moment on.

Carden had his typical, productive home game, going 24-for-34, 289 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns — one on the ground. Hardy was his favorite target with eight catches and 98 yards but Cam Worthy played a big role operating on the outside. The senior, who is proving to be the second ECU receiver with a possible NFL future, hauled in six catches for 100 yards.

As usual, when ECU’s passing game is in rhythm, the rushing attack opens up and Saturday was no different. Breon Allen’s 76 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries helped the Pirates gain 368 total yards on the day.

ECU’s defense, which was the subject of criticism during the Pirates’ first back-to-back losing streak since 2011, couldn’t have responded any better. The Pirates held an opponent to under seven points for the first time since 2008, allowing just 193 total yards. The Green Wave’s 22 rushing yards on 24 carries put it under one yard per carry.

“That was a great performance by our guys,” said McNeill. “They just kept stepping up and playing good football. They each had the opportunity to make plays. We got a very, very good performance out of our defense tonight.”

The win guarantees an above .500 season for McNeill and ECU for the third time in his five seasons in Greenville. For the first time this season, the Pirates will have a short week of preparation before taking on 2-9 Tulsa in Oklahoma on Friday at 8:30 p.m.