Pirates Rally Late but Fall to NC State, 24–17
East Carolina opened its 2025 season in Raleigh Thursday night and nearly pulled off another upset of NC State, but a slow start doomed the Pirates in a 24–17 loss inside Carter-Finley Stadium.
A Rough Start
The Pirates’ first four drives ended in punts, totaling just -25 yards during that stretch. By the time ECU’s offense finally found its rhythm, NC State had built a 17–0 lead.
Head coach Blake Harrell admitted the slow start hurt.
“The first four times we had the ball we went three and out. We gotta do better than that,” Harrell said.
The Wolfpack struck on a Nick Koniecznski 29-yard field goal, a CJ Bailey 11-yard touchdown run, and a 48-yard strike to Wesley Grimes to build their lead.
Conner’s Big Play
ECU finally broke through late in the second quarter. Katin Houser found tight end Jayvontay Conner streaking down the seam for a 79-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17–7. The Pirates nearly closed the gap further before halftime but missed a 53-yard field goal as time expired.
Second-Half Battle
Hollywood Smothers extended NC State’s lead to 24–7 with a short touchdown run late in the third quarter. But ECU didn’t fold.
Houser orchestrated a 9-play, 72-yard drive capped by Marlon Gunn Jr.’s 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth to bring the Pirates back within 24–14.
On the next possession, kicker Nick Mazzie drilled a 34-yard field goal to make it 24–17. ECU got the ball back one final time and marched 61 yards in 12 plays, but the Wolfpack defense held on downs at its own 10-yard line in the closing seconds.
“They were in cover zero and we tried to get a pick for Desirrio Riles,” Harrell explained of the final play. “If we scored there we were gonna go for two and go for the win.”
Post Game Thoughts
Head Coach Blake Harrell
“We didn’t get off to a great start early. We battled back in the fourth quarter with a chance to win. Anytime you have a chance to win a game that’s where you want to be. Our kids fought till the end, we have a lot to clean up. Shoutout to Coach Doeren and his football team, they executed better than we did.”
“We let the crowd affect us a little bit. We gotta do a better job about getting ahead of the sticks.”
“When you play a 60-minute game in this environment it’s tough. The biggest improvement from a team is usually after the 1st game or the 1st loss and both of those are true tonight. It’s just one game. Win or lose, this game wasn’t going to define our season.”
Quarterback Katin Houser
“Definitely a disappointing loss. The defense got some big stops late. Our motto is start fast and we didn’t do that today.”
“The first couple drives we were trying to figure things out. The second half we just ran out of time. We had a chance to win but we didn’t capitalize.”
“I missed some throws but I put that on me… We practice with hands in our face. I gotta make those plays.”
Receiver Brock Spalding
“It’s disappointing, to see us fight like that I can respect all my brothers for that. It starts with the first snap and we didn’t do that tonight.”
“We have rules on our team, and rule 6 is Pirates don’t beat Pirates. We are a lot better than that.”
“We came out to a slow start and at the end of the day we will make plays.”
Safety Teagan Wilk
“We struggled early but we bounced back. I think that on everyone’s face nobody was scared. Everybody was ready to fight for the win.”
“I hate taking credit for the pick, everything goes to God. Any turnover is good for the morale of the team. We should have had three.”
“It’s important but I feel like we didn’t get off the field on third down enough. We’ve got to always be on our toes—there’s never an excuse to not be in our spot.”
“I’ve played in big week one games, this is one of the biggest, but it’s nothing like Greenville.”
“We are going to be great, this is week one. I’m not making any excuses, but this is how week one is.”
By the Numbers
Houser: 30/44, 366 yards, 1 TD
Conner: 2 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD (79-yarder)
Spalding: 6 catches, 97 yards
Anthony Smith: 6 catches, 66 yards
Defense: Dameon Wilson led with 8 tackles, Xavier McIver added a sack, Teagan Wilk had an interception
The Takeaway
ECU showed resilience after falling behind 17–0, clawing back to within a touchdown late. But the early miscues, struggles on third down, and missed opportunities in the red zone proved costly.
The Pirates will look to regroup next week when Campbell visits Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the home opener.