Pirates Dominate Campbell in 56-3 Home Opener
East Carolina returned to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday night and delivered exactly what the Pirate faithful wanted to see: a fast start, offensive balance, and a dominant victory. Behind a strong performance from quarterback Katin Houser and a suffocating defense, ECU rolled past Campbell 56-3 to even its record at 1-1 on the season.
Houser and Passing Game in Command
The Pirates wasted little time setting the tone. On their opening drive, Houser connected with Desirrio Riles for an 18-yard touchdown to cap a crisp 75-yard march. The next possession ended with a London Montgomery goal-line plunge, and ECU was rolling.
Houser finished the night 25-of-35 for 314 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball to 15 different receivers. Brock Spalding made the highlight play of the first half with a 55-yard touchdown catch to make it 21-3. Freshman quarterback Chaston Ditta also saw action, tossing his first career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Dillion Lorick.
“Obviously, there are some things we have to fix,” Harrell said. “But we started how we wanted to tonight.”
Balanced Attack on the Ground
The run game came alive after struggling in the opener against NC State. ECU racked up 172 yards rushing and five touchdowns on the night. Montgomery led the way with two scores, while Marlon Gunn Jr., Parker Jenkins, and DeJuan Lacy each found the end zone.
On paper, the numbers looked strong, but Harrell still wants more:
“On paper, it looks good, but we still have a lot to clean up,” he said about the rushing attack.
Defense Stifles Campbell
Defensively, ECU kept Campbell bottled up all evening. The Pirates allowed just 172 total yards, including only 56 passing. ECU tallied nine tackles for loss and two sacks while forcing nine punts.
Justin Benton, Preston Carr, and Ryheem Craig all flashed in the trenches, while Teagan Wilk and Ja’Marley Riddle anchored the secondary. The Camels managed just a single first-quarter field goal before being shut out the rest of the way.
Special Teams Sharp Too
The Pirates also impressed in the kicking and return game. Freshman Khristian Pearson provided a spark with 47 yards on three punt returns, while punter Tomas O’Halloran averaged 43.7 yards per kick with a long of 52.
Harrell credited the atmosphere inside Dowdy-Ficklen for helping energize his team.
“It was awesome to be back home tonight,” he said. “The student section was packed out, and they were rowdy down there.”
Looking Ahead
The win gives ECU a surge of confidence heading into next week’s road trip to Coastal Carolina. At 1-1, the Pirates have a chance to stack momentum before coming back home for a top 25 game vs BYU.
Full Blake Harrell interview below.