ANNAPOLIS, MD – East Carolina secured a 23-17 victory over Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, claiming its ninth win of the season and second consecutive bowl victory.
True freshman Chaston Ditta, making his first career start at quarterback, completed 8 of 17 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Both scoring strikes went to wide receiver Anthony Smith, who was named the game's MVP after catching four passes for 156 yards. Smith's touchdown receptions of 47 and 72 yards proved to be the difference in a game that featured five Pittsburgh turnovers.
The Pirates improved to 9-0 when scoring first this season after Nick Mazzie connected on a 42-yard field goal with 11:42 remaining in the second quarter to give East Carolina a 3-0 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a 10-play, 77-yard drive capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mason Heintschel to Raphael Williams Jr. with four seconds left in the first half, sending the Panthers into the break with a 7-3 advantage.
The third quarter belonged to East Carolina. After Pittsburgh had driven to the East Carolina 44 on the opening possession of the second half, Heintschel was sacked and fumbled. Kendrick DuJour recovered at the Pittsburgh 47, and on the very next play, Ditta found Smith for a 47-yard touchdown pass. The extra point gave the Pirates a 10-7 lead just seven seconds into the drive.
Pittsburgh answered quickly when Rasheem Biles returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown at the 4:33 mark of the third quarter, putting the Panthers back in front 14-10. The lead lasted only 35 seconds. Ditta connected with Smith again, this time for a 72-yard touchdown on a two-play, 75-yard drive that gave East Carolina a 17-14 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Pirates extended their lead to 20-14 on Mazzie's 33-yard field goal with 14:18 remaining in the game, capping a seven-play, 19-yard drive that started after another Pittsburgh turnover. Mazzie added a 28-yard field goal with 6:41 left to push the margin to nine points at 23-14.
Pittsburgh mounted a furious rally in the final minutes. Heintschel, who finished 25 of 40 for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception, led a 14-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in a 21-yard field goal by Trey Butkowski with 1:23 remaining. The Panthers' onside kick attempt traveled only seven yards and was recovered by East Carolina at the Pittsburgh 42.
The Pirates ran three plays and punted with 57 seconds left, giving Pittsburgh one final chance from its own 20-yard line. Heintschel completed passes to Justin Holmes and Justin Cook to move the chains, but a pass interference penalty on Raphael Williams Jr. pushed the ball back to the Pittsburgh 34. Heintschel's final rush ended at the 38-yard line as time expired.
Pittsburgh's ground game produced 120 yards on 40 carries, led by Ja'Kyrian Turner's 93 yards on 16 attempts. However, the Panthers' four fumbles lost proved costly. Turner fumbled twice, while Kenny Johnson and Heintschel each lost one fumble. East Carolina's defense also recorded an interception by Kevon Merrell, who returned it 70 yards to set up the Pirates' third field goal.
Heintschel was sacked four times by the East Carolina defense. DuJour led the pass rush with two sacks for 18 yards, while Jasiyah Robinson added 1.5 sacks for 12 yards. The Pirates finished with seven tackles for loss totaling 45 yards.
For Pittsburgh, Holmes led all receivers with six catches for 100 yards, while Cook added six receptions for 30 yards and rushed for 28 yards on eight carries. Williams caught five passes for 57 yards and the Panthers' only receiving touchdown.
East Carolina's ground game managed just 72 yards on 42 attempts, with Marlon Gunn Jr. leading the way with 50 yards on 18 carries. The Pirates' offensive success came through the air, where Ditta averaged 22.1 yards per completion.
Teagan Wilk paced the East Carolina defense with nine tackles, including six solo stops, and forced a fumble. Fumble recoveries by DuJour, Jordy Lowery, Jackson Barker and J.D. Lampley gave the Pirates four takeaways on fumbles alone.
Pittsburgh controlled time of possession 33:05 to 26:55 and held advantages in first downs (24-11) and total offense yards (376-249). The Panthers converted 5 of 15 third-down attempts and 3 of 5 fourth-down tries. East Carolina converted just 2 of 15 third downs but capitalized on Pittsburgh's mistakes.
The victory marked East Carolina's 12th bowl win in program history and improved the Pirates' all-time bowl record to 12-11. The nine-win season was the program's first since 2013 when the Pirates won 10 games. East Carolina has now won three consecutive bowl games, matching the program's longest bowl winning streak set from 1963-65.
Top Performers:
- Anthony Smith (ECU): 4 receptions, 156 yards, 2 TDs
- Mason Heintschel (Pitt): 25-40, 256 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Chaston Ditta (ECU): 8-17, 177 yards, 2 TDs
- Justin Holmes (Pitt): 6 receptions, 100 yards
- Ja'Kyrian Turner (Pitt): 16 carries, 93 yards
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