ECU capped a big weekend with a victory over Charlotte on Saturday in American Conference action.
The Pirates improved to 6-3 overall, 4-1 in the conference, and qualified for a bowl game with the win. More details below from ECU Sports Information. Videos are from Pirate Radio.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
Three prime objectives filled East Carolina’s Homecoming game plate against in-state rival Charlotte on a picturesque Saturday inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Although the performance fell short of flawless, the Pirates easily pulled off the trifecta by dominating the 49ers 48-22. With its third-straight win, ECU not only stayed in the hunt for a spot in the American Conference Championship, it clinched bowl eligibility for fourth time in five years and earned a measure of redemption in the process.
Losses to Charlotte (1-8, 0-6), in just its 13th year as program, the last two years gnawed at players and the fan base alike. The 49ers won 13-10 in 2023 in their first trip to Greenville and rolled 55-24 last season in Charlotte.
“Those last two years really bothers you, and it really makes you want to stick one in there (at the end), but I don’t guess that’s the right thing to do,” said head coach Blake Harell, who served as defensive coordinator during the first two meetings with Charlotte before taking over as head coach seven games into last season.
The memory of last year certainly stuck with quarterback Katin Houser, who assumed the starting job when Harrell took over.
“Last year was not fun, so we had that thought in our mind,” said Houser, who dented the 49ers defense Saturday with two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground.
Running back London Montgomery, who turned in his third consecutive solid performance with 85 yards and on 11 carries, expressed a similar sentiment.
“It feels good to get that bad taste out of our mouth,” said Montgomery, who scored on the opening possession for his fifth touchdown of the year.
But the Pirates’ first Saturday home game since Sept. 20 stacked up as much more than payback. On a day when ECU honored its newest Hall of Fame class and issued rings to returning members of last year’s bowl championship team, the Pirates (6-3, 4-1) secured bowl eligibility while remaining in a logjam of five one-loss teams at the top of the league.
“It’s my fourth year in college; it’s my second bowl game,” said Houser, a transfer from Michigan State. “I had a long road trying to get here, and last year was my first bowl game. Having a chance to go to another one is just huge. It just shows how much hard work you put into this and how it can pay off.”
Houser and his teammates put the certainty of that sixth win to rest early with a dominating first half and surpassed 40 points for the third straight game. ECU matched season highs with 21 first-quarter points and 35 first-half points in building a 35-14 lead then snuffed out any Charlotte hopes in the second half with three fourth-down stops and a fumble recovery.
The offensively challenged 49ers did not pick up a first down until the 11:44 mark of the second quarter and managed just two rushing yards through three quarters. Quarterback Grayson Loftis provided the lone spark by completing 20 of 31 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pirates finished with 407 total yards, reaching 400 yards for the 13th time in 15 games under Harrell. They finished with a 29-13 advantage in first downs and ran 88 offensive plays.
“I told our guys at halftime we were up 21, and we weren’t happy with ourselves,” Harrell said. “We weren’t satisfied, and that’s because we have raised the bar. … We thought we played pretty good in the first half at times, probably about 25 minutes of the first half. The last five we kind of did some silly things there. We’ve got to put our foot on the gas and go finish that thing and go be a good football team.”
ECU scored on its first two possessions, driving 65 yards in 12 plays for a 7-0 lead, then boosted the lead to 14-0 on Houser’s 3-yard pass to Anthony Smith. The second touchdown came courtesy of a fourth-down penalty on Charlotte as ECU lined up for a field goal.
The Pirates’ next possession ended on downs at the Charlotte 39, but TaMir Brown jumped an out route on the ensuing play, picked off a Loftis pass and raced 45 yards untouched for a 21-0 lead.
“I couldn’t even tell you what I was thinking at the moment,” Brown said. “It just happened so fast.”
The Pirates got versatile Mike Wright Jr. into the mix to spark a scoring drive that made it 28-0. Wright lined up at quarterback and handed off to Houser, who split out wide to the left. Wright then headed down the left sideline and hauled in a pass from Houser but was forced out at the 1.
Houser capped off the drive with a keeper on the next play.
“When it left my hand there was no doubt; I thought he was going to score,” Houser said. “He was just being a team guy because I scored on the next play on a rushing touchdown. He’s a team guy and let me score so I appreciate that.”
ECU answered Charlotte’s first score with a 14-play, 75-yard drive capped off by Yannick Smith’s fifth touchdown catch of the season.
Nick Mazzie sandwiched field goals of 40 and 50 yards around a Houser 11-yard run in second half.