By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke coach Carl Franks won five Southeastern Conference titles and a national championship while he was an assistant at Florida.

Yet few of those victories were as memorable as this one.

The Blue Devils ended a 23-game losing streak Saturday, beating East Carolina 23-16 behind Alex Wade's 109 rushing yards and Brendan Dewan's 28-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Blue Devils players dumped a cooler of ice water on the fourth-year coach, who improved to 4-30 at the school.

"We got into territory we hadn't been in before in a long time," Franks said. "This has to be one of the biggest wins I've been involved with."

Duke, which hadn't won since beating Wake Forest in November 1999, ended the nation's longest losing skid by jumping to a 20-point lead in the first half and holding off the Pirates in a steady rain at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Fans milled around the sideline as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Once the game ended, many charged to the middle of the field to celebrate with the team, while others tore down both sets of uprights.

"It was great to see them excited," quarterback Chris Dapolito said. "We're not really used to that."

Wade helped seal it for Duke, often requiring several defenders to bring him down behind an offensive line that controlled the Pirates' front seven.

With his team nursing a 20-16 lead early in the fourth quarter, the 260-pound fullback carried the ball nine straight times for 46 yards, leading to Brent Garber's 41-yard field goal with 2:57 to play.

It was the first 100-yard game for Wade, a junior.

"I told Alex I was going to run him until he dropped," Franks said. "With that kind of game, that kind of weather and that kind of situation, it was made for him."

East Carolina had a chance to tie it, but Matt Zielinski sacked Paul Troth on fourth down with 1:15 to play, setting off a sideline celebration for the Blue Devils.

"I've never been a part of something like this," Wade said. "I was getting scared for a while - there were nine seconds on the clock and the whole school was on the field."

Franks didn't name a starter until gametime, and rotated Dapolito and Adam Smith under center. They combined for just 86 yards passing, but both stayed away from costly mistakes.

Troth, making his first career start, looked uncomfortable early before leading the Pirates on two scoring drives in the second quarter and one in the third. He finished 13-for-34 with 130 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

East Carolina had 155 total yards and four turnovers.

"They played well and took advantage of our mistakes," Pirates coach Steve Logan said. "They took care of the ball, and we didn't, and that was just about the end of the game right there."

Dapolito gave the Pirates trouble with his running ability in the first half. He scrambled 29 yards on a fourth-down keeper, then finished the eight-play, 52-yard drive with a 4-yard scoring run for a 10-0 lead.

After a 56-yard field goal by Garber, Dewan picked off Troth and returned it for a score with 8:44 remaining in the first half for a 20-0 lead.

Troth settled down, leading East Carolina on a 13-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Art Brown. The Pirates scored again just before halftime, getting a 31-yard field goal by Kevin Miller to close to 20-10 at the break.

Duke did its part to help the Pirates climb back into the game, with a pair of third-down penalties. On the first scoring drive, Temo George was called for a facemask while tackling Brown, giving the Pirates a first-and-goal at the 10.

The Blue Devils were also whistled for illegal participation with 5 seconds remaining in the half, setting up Miller's kick.

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