2021 East Carolina Pirates football team
American college football season
The 2021 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Pirates, led by third-year head coach Mike Houston , play their home games at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium as members of the American Athletic Conference .
After compiling a 7–5 regular season record, the Pirates received a bid to the Military Bowl ,[ 1] where they were due to face the Boston College Eagles . On December 26, the Eagles withdrew from the game, due to COVID-19 issues; the bowl was subsequently canceled.[ 2]
Preseason
The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021.[ 3] Cincinnati , who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.
Media poll
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Cincinnati
262 (22)
2
UCF
241 (2)
3
SMU
188
4
Houston
181
5
Memphis
168
6
Tulsa
153
7
Tulane
132
т-8
East Carolina
85
т-8
Navy
85
10
Temple
46
11
South Florida
43
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance 7:30 p.m. vs. Appalachian State * ESPNU L 19–3336,752
September 11 12:00 p.m. South Carolina * ESPN2 L 17–2040,816
September 18 6:00 p.m. at Marshall * CBSSN Facebook W 42–3824,833
September 25 6:00 p.m. Charleston Southern * Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ESPN+ W 31–2839,218
October 2 3:30 p.m. Tulane Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ESPN+ W 52–2933,475
October 9 6:00 p.m. at UCF ESPN+ L 16–2041,649
October 23 9:20 p.m. at Houston ESPNews α L 24–31 OT 22,925
7:30 p.m. South Florida Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ESPN W 29–1432,015
November 6 3:00 p.m. Temple Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ESPN+ W 45–332,817
November 13 11:00 a.m. at Memphis ESPN+ W 30–29 OT 28,431
November 20 3:30 p.m. at Navy CBSSN W 38–3528,001
3:30 p.m. No. 4 Cincinnati Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC ABC L 13–3538,014
2:30 p.m. vs. Boston College * ESPN Canceled_
[ 4]
Notes
^α This game was initially scheduled for ESPNU at 4PM ET, but moved to 9:20PM ET on ESPNews because of a rain delay.
Game summaries
Vs. Appalachian State
Appalachian State vs. East Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
• Mountaineers
14
6 7 6
33
Pirates
6
0 3 10
19
Date: September 2, 2021Location: Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 7:33 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutesGame attendance: 36,752Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: S 8 MPH TV announcers (ESPNU ): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 09:26 ECU Keaton Mitchell 63-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick failed)(5 plays, 80 yards, 3:02) ECU 0–6
06:24 APP Thomas Hennigan 34-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(7 plays, 66 yards, 3:02) APP 7–6
00:50 APP Camerun Peoples 21-yard rush (Chandler Staton kick)(9 plays, 78 yards, 4:27) APP 14–6
2 09:13 APP Chandler Staton 21-yard field goal(11 plays, 80 yards, 4:11) APP 17–6
02:29 APP Chandler Staton 43-yard field goal(11 plays, 51 yards, 5:06) APP 20–6
3 08:53 ECU Owen Daffer 38-yard field goal(10 plays, 66 yards, 4:03) APP 20–9
08:19 APP Corey Sutton 18-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(2 plays, 86 yards, 0:34) APP 27–9
4 12:19 APP Camerun Peoples 12-yard rush (two-point conversion rush attempt failed)(3 plays, 60 yards, 1:29) APP 33–9
06:25 ECU Owen Daffer 39-yard field goal(11 plays, 59 yards, 4:50) APP 33–12
02:10 ECU Ryan Jones 38-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(6 plays, 76 yards, 1:54) APP 33–19
Pregame line
Over/under
APP –9.0
56
Statistics
Appalachian State
East Carolina
First downs
25
20
Total yards
485
381
Rushing yards
226
86
Passing yards
259
295
Turnovers
1
2
Time of possession
31:55
28:05
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Appalachian State
Passing
Chase Brice
20/27, 259 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Nate Noel
15 carries, 126 yards
Receiving
Thomas Hennigan
4 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
22/40, 295 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
4 carries, 50 yards
Receiving
Keaton Mitchell
5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD
Vs. South Carolina
Game Two – South Carolina Gamecocks (1–0) at East Carolina Pirates (0-1)
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
South Carolina
0
7
7 6 20
East Carolina
7
7
0 3 17
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina
Game information
First quarter
(14:49) ECU – Jsi Hatfield 75-yard pass from Tyler Snead (Owen Daffer Kick). East Carolina 7-0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11.
Second quarter
(11:53) ECU – Holton Ahlers 3-yard run (Owen Daffer Kick). East Carolina 14-0. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:45.
(1:00) SC – Damani Staley 63-yard interception return (Parker White Kick). East Carolina 14-7.
Third quarter
(0:46) SC – Dakereon Joyner 13-yard pass from Zeb Noland (Parker White Kick). Tied 14-14. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 1:14.
Fourth quarter
(8:46) ECU – Owen Daffer 26-yard field goal. East Carolina 17-14. Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 7:00.
(6:46) SC – Parker White 39-yard field goal. Tied 17-17. Drive: 5 plays, 12 yards, 2:00.
(0:00) SC – Parker White 36-yard field goal. South Carolina 20-17. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:54.
Statistics
SC
ECU
First downs
15
12
Plays–yards
63–325
63–268
Rushes–yards
100
116
Passing yards
225
152
Passing: comp –att –int
13–24–1
12–25–2
Time of possession
18:57
41:03
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
SC
Passing
Zeb Noland
13/24, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
JuJu McDowell
11 carries, 71 yards
Receiving
Josh Vann
5 receptions, 127 yards
ECU
Passing
Holton Ahlers
11/24, 77 yards, 2 INT
Rushing
Rahjai Harris
14 carries, 70 yards
Receiving
Jsi Hatfield
2 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
At Marshall
East Carolina at Marshall
1
2 3 4 Total
• Pirates
7
14 0 21
42
Thundering Herd
10
14 14 0
38
Scoring summary 1 12:20 MRSH Andrew Sanders 29-yard field goal(9 plays, 63 yards, 2:40) MRSH 3–0
09:13 ECU Tyler Snead 24-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:07) ECU 7–3
05:20 MRSH Willie Johnson 19-yard pass from Grant Wells (Andrew Sanders kick)(6 plays, 37 yards, 1:42) MRSH 10–7
2 12:23 ECU Keaton Mitchell 88-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick)(3 plays, 96 yards, 1:24) ECU 14–10
10:28 MRSH Rasheen Ali 26-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick)(5 plays, 75 yards, 2:05) MRSH 17–14
07:31 MRSH Rasheen Ali 1-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick)(4 plays, 65 yards, 1:21) MRSH 24–14
00:08 ECU Shane Calhoun 5-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(13 plays, 53 yards, 3:25) MRSH 24–21
3 10:23 MRSH Rasheen Ali 49-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick)(4 plays, 63 yards, 1:34) MRSH 31–21
01:03 MRSH Grant Wells 6-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick)(6 plays, 90 yards, 2:00) MRSH 38–21
4 07:31 ECU Holton Ahlers 5-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick)(12 plays, 78 yards, 4:33) MRSH 38–28
02:31 ECU Holton Ahlers 27-yard pass from Tyler Snead (Owen Daffer kick)(6 plays, 80 yards, 2:16) MRSH 38–35
00:55 ECU Rahjai Harris 1-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick)(6 plays, 53 yards, 1:36) ECU 42–38
Pregame line
Over/under
MRSH –10.0
58
Statistics
East Carolina
Marshall
First downs
27
24
Total yards
563
648
Rushing yards
168
215
Passing yards
395
433
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
30:19
29:41
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
30/48, 368 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
14 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Shane Calhoun
8 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
Marshall
Passing
Grant Wells
24/39, 433 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing
Rasheen Ali
24 carries, 189 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Corey Gammage
8 receptions, 180 yards
Charleston Southern
Charleston Southern at East Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
Buccaneers
14
0 0 14
28
• Pirates
0
24 7 0
31
Date: September 25, 2021Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 6:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4 hours and 33 minutesGame attendance: 39,218Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Edwin LeeTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Connor Onion (play–by–play) and Stanford Routt (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 10:29 CHSO JD Moore 6-yard rush (Sam Babbush kick)(15 plays, 75 yards, 4:31) CHSO 7–0
06:18 CHSO Kale Anderson 38-yard pass from Jack Chambers (Sam Babbush kick)(8 plays, 98 yards, 2:17) CHSO 14–0
2 13:10 ECU Keaton Mitchell 74-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick)(2 plays, 80 yards, 0:33) CHSO 14–7
07:38 ECU Owen Daffer 33-yard field goal(11 plays, 39 yards, 3:59) CHSO 14–10
05:00 ECU Mason Garcia 3-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick)(5 plays, 55 yards, 1:56) ECU 17–14
02:31 ECU C. J. Johnson 60-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(3 plays, 66 yards, 0:39) ECU 24–14
3 11:09 ECU Ja'Quan McMillian 23-yard interception returned (Owen Daffer kick)(3 plays, 12 yards, 0:49) ECU 31–14
4 13:58 CHSO Jack Chambers 8-yard rush (Sam Babbush kick)(10 plays, 81 yards, 1:59) ECU 31–21
01:50 CHSO Geoffrey Wall 2-yard pass from Jack Chambers (Sam Babbush kick)(8 plays, 86 yards, 1:21) ECU 31–28
Pregame line
Over/under
ECU –24.5
59
Statistics
Charleston Southern
East Carolina
First downs
34
14
Total yards
536
388
Rushing yards
131
150
Passing yards
405
238
Turnovers
1
2
Time of possession
31:27
28:33
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Charleston Southern
Passing
Jack Chambers
38/61, 405 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
JD Moore
14 car, 58 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
Garris Schwarting
8 rec, 94 yds
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
17/26, 238 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
13 car, 125 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
C. J. Johnson
3 rec, 95 yds, 1 TD
Tulane
Tulane at East Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
Green Wave
0
7 16 6
29
• Pirates
17
14 0 21
52
Date: October 2, 2021Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: Game attendance: 33,475Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely and Barrett Brooks
Scoring summary 1 10:49 ECU Owen Daffer 23-yard field goal(10 plays, 70 yards, 4:11) ECU 3–0
5:03 ECU Holton Ahlers 17-yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(7 plays, 55 yards, 3:55) ECU 10–0
1:21 ECU Keaton Mitchell 68-yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(2 plays, 80 yards, 0:40) ECU 17–0
2 13:18 ECU Tyler Snead 53-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(4 plays, 61 yards, 1:28) ECU 24–0
9:38 TUL Ygenio Booker 16-yard pass from Michael Pratt (Merek Glover kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 3:40) ECU 24–7
0:36 ECU Rahjai Harris 3-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(11 plays, 76 yards, 3:27) ECU 31–7
3 10:43 TUL Michael Pratt 7-yard run (Michael Pratt pass to Tyrick James for two-point conversion) (7 plays, 75 yards, 4:17) ECU 31–15
3:39 TUL Cameron Carroll 1-yard run (Michael Pratt run for two-point conversion)(10 plays, 91 yards, 3:22) ECU 31–23
4 13:33 ECU Rahjai Harris 1-yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 5:06) ECU 38–23
8:15 ECU Ryan Jones 14-yards pass from Mason Garcia (Owen Daffer kick)(7 plays, 30 yards, 3:51) ECU 45–23
6:53 TUL Michael Pratt 2-yard run (two-point run conversion failed)(4 plays, 75 yards, 1:22) ECU 45–29
1:06 ECU Keaton Mitchell 30-yard run 3 plays, 61 yards, 1:34) ECU 52–29
Pregame line
Over/under
TULN –3.0
64.5
Statistics
Tulane
East Carolina
First downs
19
25
Total yards
404
612
Rushing yards
124
310
Passing yards
280
302
Turnovers
4
0
Time of possession
25:41
34:19
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Tulane
Passing
Michael Pratt
22/36, 268 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing
Cameron Carroll
9 car, 80 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
Duece Watts
4 rec, 79 yds
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
21/32, 288 yds, 2 TD
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
15 car, 222 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
Tyler Snead
4 rec, 78 yds, 1 TD
At UCF
East Carolina at Central Florida
1
2 3 4 Total
Pirates
0
3 10 3
16
• Knights
0
3 7 10
20
Date: October 9, 2021Location: Bounce House Orlando, FL Game start: 6:04 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutesGame attendance: 41,649Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 9 MPH Referee: Nate BlackTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Courtney Lyle and Brandon Weeden
Scoring summary 2 14:57 UCF Daniel Obarski 35-yard field goal(12 plays, 62 yards, 5:09) UCF 3–0
10:25 ECU Owen Daffer 29-yard field goal(10 plays, 64 yards, 4:32) TIED 3–3
3 10:34 ECU Owen Daffer 23-yard field goal(6 plays, 23 yards, 2:57) ECU 6–3
7:59 UCF Johnny Richardson 4-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 2:35) UCF 10–6
2:43 ECU Audie Omotosho 27-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(5 plays, 53 yards, 2:43) ECU 13–10
4 7:01 ECU Owen Daffer 34-yard field goal(16 plays, 66 yards, 8:16) ECU 16–10
5:06 UCF Daniel Obarski 40-yard field goal(6 plays, 53 yards, 1:55) ECU 16–13
0:23 UCF Mark-Antony Richards 1-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick)(11 plays, 64 yards, 3:16) UCF 20–16
Pregame line
Over/under
UCF –10
64.5[ 5]
Statistics
East Carolina
UCF
First downs
21
16
Total yards
360
359
Rushing yards
141
165
Passing yards
219
194
Turnovers
3
1
Time of possession
32:42
27:18
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
20/32, 219 yards, TD, INT
Rushing
Rahjai Harris
13 carries, 73 yards
Receiving
Tyler Snead
6 receptions, 82 yards
UCF
Passing
Mikey Keene
23/35, 194 yards, INT
Rushing
Johnny Richardson
16 carries, 104 yards, TD
Receiving
Ryan O'Keefe
10 receptions, 73 yards
At Houston
East Carolina at Houston
1
2 3 4 OT Total
Pirates
10
0 0 14 0
24
• Cougars
17
7 0 0 7
31
Date: October 23, 2021Location: TDECU Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT (Kicked at 9:20 p.m. – delayed 5 hours and 20 minutes to kickoff due to lightning ) Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutesGame attendance: 22,925Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 9 MPHReferee: Edwin LeeTV announcers (ESPNews ): Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 11:39 ECU Owen Daffer 33-yard field goal(9 plays, 60 yards, 3:21) ECU 3–0
6:56 HOU Dalton Witherspoon 21-yard field goal(11 plays, 70 yards, 4:43) TIE 3–3
5:46 ECU Jsi Hatfield 40-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(3 plays, 78 yards, 1:10) ECU 10–3
5:34 HOU Marcus Jones 98-yard kickoff return (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12) TIE 10–10
1:38 HOU Christian Trahan 2-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(5 plays, 32 yards, 2:47) HOU 17–10
2 3:12 HOU Nathaniel Dell 14-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(2 plays, 13 yards, 0:22) HOU 24–10
4 6:59 ECU Holton Ahlers 1-yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(6 plays, 71 yards, 2:40) HOU 24–17
5:43 ECU Audie Omotosho 13-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(2 plays, 16 yards, 1:01) TIE 24–24
OT HOU Alton McCaskill 25-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(1 play, 25 yards) HOU 31–24
Pregame line
Over/under
HOU –13.5
57
Statistics
East Carolina
Houston
First downs
20
16
Total yards
360
256
Rushing yards
82
87
Passing yards
278
169
Turnovers
3
1
Time of possession
29:13
30:47
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
23/37, 278 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
11 rushes, 38 yards
Receiving
Tyler Snead
7 receptions, 114 yards
Houston
Passing
Clayton Tune
19/29, 169 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Alton McCaskill
12 rushes, 60 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Christian Trahan
6 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD
South Florida
South Florida at East Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
Bulls
0
14 0 0
14
• Pirates
0
6 13 10
29
Scoring summary 2 14:55 ECU Rahjai Harris 13-yard run(14 plays, 83 yards, 6:45) ECU 6–0
8:43 USF Jaren Mangham 24-yard (Spencer Shrader kick)(6 plays, 87 yards, 2:45) USF 7–6
8:12 USF Xavier Weaver 13-yard pass from Katravis Marsh (Spencer Shrader kick)(3 plays, 25 yards, 0:25) USF 14–6
3 10:30 ECU Audie Omotosho 17-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(11 plays, 57 yards, 4:22) USF 14–13
2:38 ECU Malik Fleming 31-yard interception ECU 19–14
4 10:26 ECU Keaton Mitchell 25-yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(10 plays, 80 yards, 4:34) ECU 26–14
5:23 ECU Owen Daffer 37-yard field goal(6 plays, 13 yards, 2:20) ECU 29–14
Pregame line
Over/under
ECU –9.5
55.5[ 6]
Statistics
South Florida
East Carolina
First downs
19
30
Total yards
391
471
Rushing yards
199
251
Passing yards
192
220
Turnovers
4
3
Time of possession
21:38
38:22
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
South Florida
Passing
Katravis Marsh
15/30, 192 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing
Kelley Joiner
12 carries, 103 yards
Receiving
Xavier Weaver
5 receptions, 91 yards, TD
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
21/35, 220 yards, TD
Rushing
Rahjai Harris
22 carries, 100 yards, TD
Receiving
C. J. Johnson
5 receptions, 84 yards
Temple
Temple at East Carolina
1
2 Total
Owls
0
Pirates
0
Date: November 6, 2021Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: TBD EDT Elapsed time: Game attendance: Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle, Brandon Weeden
Statistics
Temple
East Carolina
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Temple
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
East Carolina
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
At Memphis
East Carolina at Memphis
1
2 Total
Pirates
0
Tigers
0
Date: November 13, 2021Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: TBD EST Elapsed time: Game attendance: Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPN+): Richard Cross, Brandon Weeden
Statistics
East Carolina
Memphis
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
East Carolina
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Memphis
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
At Navy
East Carolina at Navy
1
2 3 4 Total
• Pirates
14
10 0 14
38
Midshipmen
7
14 0 14
35
Date: November 20, 2021Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MDGame start: 3:30 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours, 10 minutesGame attendance: 28,001Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Chilly, clear skies • Wind: S 10–25 MPHReferee: Luke RichmondTV announcers (CBSSN ): John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline)
Scoring summary 1 12:14 ECU Keaton Mitchell 10–yard run (Owen Daffer kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 2:46) ECU 7–0
2:46 NAVY Mychal Copper 4–yard pass from Tai Lavatai (Bijan Nichols kick)(10 plays, 78 yards, 5:13) TIE 7–7
2:58 ECU Tyler Snead 40–yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(7 plays, 78 yards, 4:03) ECU 14–7
2 11:13 NAVY Chance Warren 4–yard pass from Tai Lavatai (Bijan Nichols kick)(11 plays, 75 yards, 6:45) TIE 14–14
5:29 ECU Owen Daffer 37–yard field goal(12 plays, 58 yards, 4:44) ECU 17–14
2:11 NAVY Isaac Ruoss 19–yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)(7 plays, 70 yards, 3:18) NAVY 21–17
0:18 ECU Ryan Jones 5–yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(7 plays, 85 yards, 1:53) ECU 24–22
3 No scoring plays.
4 14:03 NAVY Carlinos Acie 90-yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)(1 plays, 90 yards, 0:13) NAVY 28–24
8:47 ECU Owen Daffer 25–yard field goal(11 plays, 58 yards, 5:16) NAVY 28–27
8:33 NAVY Maquel Haywood 98–yard kickoff return (Bijan Nichols kick)(0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) NAVY 35–27
5:01 ECU Tyler Snead 28–yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Holton Ahlers pass to C.J. Johnson for Two-Point Conversion)(7 plays, 70 yards, 3:32) TIE 35–35
0:00 ECU Owen Daffer 54–yard field goal(4 plays, 44 yards, 1:11) ECU 38–35
Pregame line
Over/under
ECU –3.5
46.5
Statistics
East Carolina
Navy
First downs
24
17
Total yards
563
382
Rushing yards
158
345
Passing yards
405
37
Turnovers
0
0
Time of possession
32:40
27:20
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
East Carolina
Passing
Holton Ahlers
27/32, 405 yards, 3 TD
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
18 carries, 94 yards, TD
Receiving
Tyler Snead
5 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD
Navy
Passing
Tai Lavatai
4/4, 37 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
Carlinos Acie
6 carries, 155 yards, TD
Receiving
Mychal Copper
2 receptions, 31 yards, TD
No. 4 Cincinnati
Cincinnati at East Carolina
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Bearcats
0
21 0 14
35
Pirates
3
0 3 7
13
Date: Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 3:50 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutesGame attendance: 38,014Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 20 MPHReferee: Hank JohnsTV announcers (ABC): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Scoring summary 1 5:29 ECU Owen Daffer 35-yard field goal(12 plays, 56 yards, 4:37) ECU 0–3
2 13:48 CIN Leonard Taylor 44-yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Christian Lowery kick)(5 plays, 76 yards, 1:31) CIN 7–3
10:32 CIN Jerome Ford 2-yard run (Christian Lowery kick)(3 plays, 58 yards, 1:09) CIN 14–3
4:40 CIN Alec Pierce 28-yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Christian Lowery kick)(7 plays, 88 yards, 3:19) CIN 21–3
3 2:18 ECU Owen Daffer 44-yard field goal(11 plays, 51 yards, 5:58) CIN 21–6
4 11:17 CIN Sauce Gardner 60-yard return of blocked field goal (Christian Lowery kick)(9 plays, 30 yards, 4:04) CIN 28–6
9:38 ECU Jai Hatfield 12-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick)(5 plays, 75 yards, 1:39) CIN 28–13
1:44 CIN Ryan Montgomery 2-yard run (Christian Lowery kick)(5 plays, 39 yards, 1:35) CIN 35–13
Pregame line
Over/under
−14.5
56.5
Statistics
Cincinnati
East Carolina
First downs
20
19
Total yards
444
282
Rushing yards
143
54
Passing yards
301
228
Time of possession
27:42
32:18
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Cincinnati
Passing
Desmond Ridder
17/28, 301 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
Jerome Ford
20 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Alec Pierce
8 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD
ECU
Passing
Holton Ahlers
19/38, 228 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Keaton Mitchell
17 carries, 55 yards
Receiving
Tyler Snead
6 receptions, 91 yards
References
^ "East Carolina To Play In 2021 Military Bowl" . ecupirates.com (Press release). November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021 .
^ Adelson, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Military, Fenway Bowls Canceled Because of COVID-19 Issues" . ESPN . Retrieved December 26, 2021 .
^ "Cincinnati Chosen as Favorite in American Preseason Media Poll" . theAmerican.org . Retrieved August 4, 2021 .
^ "2021 East Carolina Football Schedule" . FBS Schedules . Retrieved February 20, 2021 .
^ "East Carolina Pirates vs UCF Knights" . Odds Shark . Retrieved October 9, 2021 .
^ "USF Bulls vs East Carolina Pirates" . Odds Shark . Retrieved October 28, 2021 .
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