The ECU football team got back in the win column with a 17-9 victory over Temple on Saturday. See video interviews and our Fifth Quarter Call-In Show below.
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Photo and story by ECU Sports Information
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium turned into a haunted house in the fourth quarter of a Halloween clash between East Carolina and Temple on a serene Saturday afternoon. Fortunately for the Pirates, they found more treats than tricks to escape with a 17-9 American Conference victory.
ECU, looking to shake off the effects of consecutive overtime losses on the road, had to survive the twists and turns of a bizarre final 15 minutes filled with turnovers, waved-off penalties and reviews for their sixth straight win in the series. Although the Pirates (4-4, 2-2) controlled the game throughout, they didn’t drive the final nail into the pesky Owls (2-6, 1-3) until an Ashton Levells-Mitchell interception with 3:45 to play.
“The last two weeks have been rough, of course,” Levells-Mitchell said. “Just kind of emphasizing just finishing. We’ve been putting together a lot of two- and three-quarter games. We’re just trying to put it together a full four quarters, and I feel like we did that tonight.”
A defense that forced three turnovers – all interceptions of quarterback Ajani Sheppard – and held Temple to a season-low rushing total of 121 yards enabled ECU avoid letting another win slip away. The Pirates seized 14-point leads in each of the last two games before falling in overtime, so excuse head coach Blake Harrell for having flashbacks when the scoreboard reflected a 17-9 ECU lead in the fourth quarter – the same score at UAB before the Blazers roared back to force overtime and win 30-17.
“I think that goes through everybody’s mind,” Harrell said. “When you’re up 17-9, like you go back to the last time you were in this situation, it’s UAB. Are we going to fall back into what happened at UAB or are we going to stand up, take on the challenge and answer it? And I thought the defense did that. I thought the offense did that.”
An aggressive approach also was key. The Pirates came up with an empty bag with a bit of trickery on an onside kick and fake punt but converted a pair of fourth downs, including a 5-yard run by Ashton Gray to seal the game.
“You know, at the end of the game, you can kick a field goal, you can go up two scores, or you can go get one yard and you can go win the game,” Harrell said. “… Let’s put it on the O-Line, trust in our players. We’ve got good players that we’ve got trust. Put the ball in their hands, and go make plays, and I thought that was a time to do that and we certainly did. ”
For much of the night, ECU rode another monster game from TJ Engleman Jr., who eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season with 107 yards on 16 carries. Since seeing limited action in the first two games, Engleman has churned out at least 92 yards in each of the last six games. He had four runs of at least 11 yards Saturday, highlighted by a 19-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.
The Pirates finished with 222 yards on the ground on 45 attempts.
“I was just waiting on my opportunity really,” Engleman said. “I’ve still got work to do, but to see it come to fruition, it feels good, so I’m blessed.”
Quarterback Mitch Griffis, back in the starting role, completed 17 of 30 passes for 130 yards. Landon Sides matched a career high of seven catches for the second-straight week for 58 yards, and Brock Spalding made his first appearance of the year and collected one catch for nine yards. Spalding, the only returning starter on offense, has been sidelined with a back injury.
“We’re excited to have him back, not from just what he does on the football field, but what he means to our football team, the energy, the passion, the edge he plays with is what we need to be contagious within our locker room, within our offensive side of the ball,” Harrell said.
Spalding’s catch came on the opening play of ECU’s second possession, which started a 13-play, 77-yard drive after ECU’s defense dug in for an early stand.
A 33-yard punt return by Jojo Bermudez set up the Owls at the ECU 38. Temple picked up one first down at the 23 before settling for a 41-yard field goal try by Raleigh native Carl Hardin, whose line-drive kicked sailed wide left.
The Pirates’ offense responded, relying on the ground game to take a 7-0 lead. Engleman ripped off 25 yards on two carries, then Gray toted the pumpkin the last six plays, pushing in from inside the one. Gray apparently scored on the previous play but was ruled short on the third review of the series.
ECU then tried a sleight of hand – or foot – and nearly caught Temple napping by recovering an onside kick. Yet another review detected an illegal block before the ball traveled 10 yards and forcing a re-kick.
The Pirates threatened again on their next drive, reaching the Temple 15 before Griffis threw behind Sides on fourth-and-5 to turn the ball over on downs.
Temple proceeded to mount its best drive of the half and moved to the ECU 15 before a third-down sack by Cade Law forced another Hardin 41-yard attempt. This time, the right-footer was accurate, drawing the Owls within 7-3.
Ray Ray Joseph Jr. immediately shifted the momentum back to the Pirates, racing 56 yards with the ensuing kickoff to the Temple 41. Completions of 16 and 10 yards from Griffis to Sides moved the Pirates inside the 10, but three runs failed to reach the end zone. Noah Perez trotted on a booted a 20-yard field goal to send the Pirates to the half up 10-3.
ECU padded its cushion to 17-3 with a methodical 14-play, 75-yard drive to open the third period. The Pirates, just 1-of-5 on third down in the first half, converted both third downs on the drive, Engleman did the scoring honors with a 19-yard burst up the gut for his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.
Hardin kept Temple’s hopes alive with a 46-yard field goal with 5:12 left in the third quarter and his second 41-yarder with 10:12 to play, closing the gap to 17-9. Then things got wacky in the fourth.
First, a Tyler Johnson 47-yard reception was reviewed and overturned. Another long pass to Johnson on the next play drew a flag, but officials waved off pass interference waved off.
The Owls regained possession and took a shot at the end zone, but Zyeir Gamble picked off Sheppard’s heave at the 4 as a flag hit the turf. Again, the penalty was waved off. Temple’s Saboor Karriem picked off Griffis three plays later, giving the Owls one final chance, but Levells-Mitchell cradled a ricochet off the hand of Ryder Kusch to clinch it and keep ECU’s bowl hopes alive.
Next up is a home date with South Florida on Friday night.
“We control everything in front of us,” Harrell said. “Four games to play. The most important one’s the next one. And I think we’ve always said something around here like they remember November, and I think next week’s November. Might as well be tonight.
“We’ve obviously got to get better every single day until next Friday and then worry about the next one after that. But there’s a lot of football left to play. We can still go finish this thing the right way. We can still get ourselves to a bowl game. But again, it starts one game at a time, one day at a time, our preparations.”