Pirates Overcome Adversity, Stun Pitt 23–17 in the Military Bowl

In a game where ECU had all the excuses in the world, the Pirates stood tall and delivered a game Pirate Nation won't forget.

This time, unlike a year ago when the Pirates were more at full strength, ECU did so without its starting quarterback, its offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and several other key players on offense. Yet none of that rattled a team that has spent the last year building an identity around toughness and togetherness.

"This game wasn't just won this week, or won in the month of December," ECU head coach Blake Harrell said. "Our roster certainly looks different than it did compared to the very last ball game of the regular season. But what these guys have done such a great job of, is building a culture. That's tough to do in college football right now. But they've been at this thing for the past 12 months."

A Brutal Break… and an Even Better Response

As if the opt-outs weren’t enough, ECU also had to overcome one of the worst officiating moments of bowl season. Marlon Gunn Jr. ripped off what should have been a highlight-reel 68-yard touchdown run to put ECU up two scores, only for it to be wiped away because of an “inadvertent whistle.”

Two plays later, Pitt scooped up a strip-sack of Chaston Ditta and returned it for a touchdown, flipping the momentum and giving the Panthers a 14–10 lead.

Harrell didn’t sugarcoat his frustration, but he stayed poised.

"The official made a mistake. We all make mistakes in life," Harrell said. "I've made mistakes during the game, too. I felt bad for him. Unfortunately it didn't work out for our football team at that moment. Then two plays later, it works out for the other team, which makes it look like a bigger play. But, I think as coaches, we lose our composure, our players would as well. How we react, is how they react."

ECU reacted like a team that refused to fold.

On the next drive, backup QB Chaston Ditta connected with senior receiver Anthony Smith for a 72-yard bomb, flipping the lead right back to the Pirates. ECU never trailed again.

Smith Goes Out in Style

Anthony Smith earned Military Bowl MVP honors with a monster outing: 3 catches, 156 yards, and two touchdowns, including the 72-yard strike and a 43-yard score.

For the Maryland native, the game meant more than just statistics.

"This is the bowl game I wanted," Smith said. "I've been preparing for this game since I heard we were going to a bowl game. Just being able to come back here and go out with a bang in front of my family and one last time with the guys, it means everything."

Ditta finished 8-of-17 for 177 yards, with nearly all of that production going to Smith. It wasn’t pretty — but it was enough.

Defense Wins the Day

The Pirates were outgained 376–249, but the defense swung the game with timely takeaways and relentless effort. East Carolina forced multiple turnovers and made every yard difficult for Pitt.

Veteran safety Teagan Wilk summarized the mindset perfectly:

"There was never a flinch of, 'Oh, what are we going to do on offense? What are we going to do on defense?'" Wilk said. "It's always put the ball down and let's go to work."

And work they did, holding Pitt scoreless for the final 20 minutes while ECU scored the final nine points of the game.

A Season to Remember

The win gives ECU its ninth victory of the season, the most since 2013. It also marks three straight bowl wins for the first time since the program's legendary run of five from 1963–1992. For a team missing coaches, missing players, and taking gut-punches from officiating, the response said everything about the culture Harrell spoke of.

This wasn’t supposed to be ECU’s night.

But ECU didn’t care.

The Pirates walked into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium short-handed, punched back every time, and walked out Military Bowl champions.