ECU’s football team took care of business in Philadelphia in impressive fashion, beating Temple 45-14 on Saturday.
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Photo credit: London Montgomery (ECU Sports Information)
PHILADELPHIA – East Carolina rode the strength of fresh legs and a dominant ground game Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, thrusting itself into the thick of the American Conference championship race with a 45-14 thrashing of Temple.
Playing their first Saturday game since Sept. 20, the Pirates showed no rust from a 16-day layoff with a second straight offensive explosion, scoring on five consecutive possessions to pull away from a 14-14 second-quarter tie and extend their win streak to five against the Owls.
ECU (5-3, 3-1) now finds itself as one of six one-loss teams in the American with four games to play, including consecutive home dates against Charlotte and Memphis. A win at Temple was vital to heightening the importance of those games.
“We came out to practice every day with a certain type of edge and a certain type of intent to work toward this game and not use the bye week as a time to get away in a sense but to use it as a time to sharpen our tools and prepare for this game,” center Darius Bell said.
That’s what head coach Blake Harell saw and dismissed concerns about a hangover from the long break.
“I wasn’t worried about that,” Harrell said.” Our young men were eager to get back out there, get back between the lines and play a football game, and you could see it in their preparation, the way they go about their business, the way they practice every single day. They were just excited to get back to work. Almost half a month off from football, and they’re ready to make a run here in November, and I think today was a good start.”
Indeed, the Pirates put together their most complete game with the exception of two first-half turnovers that enabled the Owls (5-4, 3-2) to hang around until the midpoint of the second quarter.
ECU seized command with two touchdowns in the final 6:15 of the second quarter and delivered the knockout blow early in the third.
By game’s end, the Pirates amassed 614 total yards, the most since piling up 612 yards against Tulane on Oct. 2, 2021, and the seventh time with 500-plus total yards under Harrell.
A rugged ground game featuring four determined runners spearheaded a balanced attack that shredded a Temple defense, surrendering an average of 360.9 yards per game. The Pirates finished with 358 rushing yards, their second straight game over 200 and the most yards since 326 against NC State in last December’s Military Bowl.
Quarterback Katin Houser turned in another efficient outing, completing 19 of 24 passes for 256 yards, the 12th time in his ECU career that he has surpassed the 250-yard mark. Six of his completions covered at least 19 yards to go along with a big-play attack that also produced 10 runs of 10-plus yards.
“I think those guys are doing a really good job on that side of the ball, and I think it starts up front,” Harrell said. “We talked about what our culture’s about, who we are, and it starts up front with the offensive line and being able to run the football.”
London Montgomery, back in his home state and coming off a career-best 125 yards against Tulsa, started as the feature back and gained a team-high 84 yards, highlighted by a 19-yard touchdown run. T.J. Engleman Jr. bounced back from an early fumble and finished with a career-best 77 yards on eight carries.
Marlon Gunn Jr. powered for 64 yards on 10 carries, including a 1-yard score. Mike Wright Jr., who flashed his skills on both sides of the ball, made the most of his one chance with a 15-yard touchdown dash. Wide receiver Anthony Smith even got in on the party, taking his first career carry to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep.
“I feel like all of us bring a different thing to the table, but we’re definitely scary in the backfield,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery helped get the Pirates off to a quick start, picking up 33 yards on four carries in a 75-yard drive that put ECU up 7-0. Anthony Smith hauled in a 35-yard strike from Houser – his sixth catch of at least 35 yards this year – to set up House’s 7-yard scoring pass to Yannick Smith.
Anthony Smith’s 45-yard dash boosted the lead to 14-0 on the first play after Ja’Marley Riddle dealt Temple quarterback Evan Simon his first interception of the year. Simon, who completed 11 of 20 passes for 80 yards, had thrown 212 consecutive passes without being picked off.
The Owls bounced back to pull even with the aid of ECU’s second lost fumble this season and one of its few sustained drives of the day.
Jay Ducker scored Temple’s first touchdown on a 4-yard run, cashing in a fumble recovery by Jamere Jones at the ECU 47. A third-down pass interference penalty kept the drive alive.
Keveun Mason tied it at 14-14 with a 29-yard run, capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive with 11:24 left in the half.
But ECU would dominate the rest of the way, closing the half with a pair of touchdowns and scoring on its first three second-half possessions.
Wright’s 15-yard run finished off a 12-play, 73-yard drive featuring Gunn and Engleman doing the bulk of the work, putting ECU in front 21-14. Yannick Smith then scored on a career-long 59-yard catch and run, matching his career best for TD catches in a game.
Special teams played their part in the third quarter in extending the lead. The Pirates punted on fourth-and-6 from their 28, but a Temple substitution penalty set up a fourth-and-1. Rion Roseborough, a 6-2, 295-pound defensive tackle, took the snap and rumbled 21 yards for a first down.
“Really good job by him and that punt team,” Harrell said. “We talked about it at halftime. We actually flipped the way we were going to run it, and they did a good job of executing it, and Rion did a good job of running the football.”
ECU did not waste the chance. Houser converted a fourth-and-3 with a 20-yard pass to Yannick Smith, who finished with five catches for a season-high 100 yards, then Montgomery ran through a Temple defender on the way to his 19-yard score.
Gunn’s 1-yard run put ECU up 42-14, and Nick Mazzie matched his career long with a 46-yard field goal.
ECU’s defense more than held up its end, limiting Temple to 82 yards rushing and 233 total yards. The Pirates registered eight tackles for loss, boosting their total to 66 for the year, including a pair of sacks.
ECU preserved a second-half shutout with a stand inside the 5-yard line in the final 6 minutes.
Additional ECU Notes:
- ECU’s 367 rushing is ninth most all-time on the road.
- ECU’s 614 total yards is the sixth most all-time on the road.
- ECU held Temple to American season lows in: total yards (233), passing (151), rushing (82), first downs (11) and points (14).