Pirates Battle Owls On Night Of The Boneyard

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina attempts to move one step closer to bowl eligibility Thursday when it welcomes Florida Atlantic to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the Pirates’ annual “Night of the Boneyard” and “Paint it Black” contest.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. The game will air live to a national audience on ESPN2 with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline) handling the broadcast duties.
 
ECU (4-4, 2-2 AAC) is under the direction of interim head coach Blake Harrell.
 
Last Time Out
East Carolina 56, Temple 34
(Oct. 26 @ Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.)
Football became fun once again for East Carolina on a Homecoming Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The re-energized Pirates, playing loose and confident after a tumultuous week brought on by a coaching change, mixed some long-awaited offensive fireworks with an opportunistic defense in overwhelming Temple 56-34. ECU took the field for the first time under the direction of Blake Harrell, elevated to interim head coach on his birthday last Sunday after sixth-year coach Mike Houston’s tenure ended following consecutive lopsided road losses to Charlotte and Army. Harrell spent the week focused on keeping the team together, generating positive energy and rallying around the seniors. ECU responded with its best performance of the season, pulling away from an early shootout in which Temple, who led 21-13 before the Pirates reeled off 22 consecutive points. A 29-point third quarter and three second-half interceptions ultimately delivered the knockout. McKenzie joined a plethora of Pirates participating Saturday’s winning production that featured eight different players finding the end zone and the most points ever scored by an ECU team in an AAC game. Katin Houser, making his second start and first in front of the home fans, built on the momentum of a strong second half last week with a career-best five touchdown passes to five different receivers. Running backs Rahjai Harris and Marlon Gunn Jr. each scored, and freshman Ja’Marley Riddle gave ECU’s defense its third pick-six of the year with the first of his two interceptions. Harris finished with 130 yards on just 11 carries, highlighted by a 55-yard dash to set up his 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Chase Sowell caught four passes for a team-high 117 yards, and Anthony Smith had four catches for a career-best 107 yards – ECU’s first duo of 100-yard receivers since 2019 against Cincinnati. Houser repeatedly took shots down the field to spark an offense that burned the Owls with six plays of at least 33 yards. Harrell credited a rushing game that piled up a season-high 231 on 36 carries for creating opportunities through the air. Houser finished 16 of 29 for 269 yards as ECU amassed 500 total yards – just six yards shy of the season high against Norfolk State. After two Simon-to-Allen touchdowns put Temple up 21-13, Houser flipped a 9-yard, fourth-down pass to Winston Wright Jr. The Pirates then seized the momentum heading into halftime on Houser’s 45-yard heave to Sowell with just 8 seconds left. Harris and Gunn triggered the big third quarter before the defense joined in. Riddle’s pickoff and 50-yard return put ECU up 49-28, then McKenzie’s interception two plays later set up freshman Yannick Smith’s first career touchdown catch. All that remained was a Gatorade bath for Harrell in his debut and a locker room celebration.
 
About The Owls
Florida Atlantic (2-6, 0-4 AAC) has dropped its last three to North Texas (41-37), UTSA (38-24) and, most recently, South Florida (44-21). The Owls arrive in Greenville searching for their first road win of the campaign with losses at Michigan State, Connecticut and UTSA. In the setback to the Bulls last Friday, FAU put up 485 yards of total offense but allowed South Florida to rack up 319 rushing yards and 525 altogether. The Owls led the game 14-7 at halftime and 21-14 in the third quarter before the Bulls scored 30 unanswered points to pull away. Florida Atlantic currently ranks eighth in The American in scoring defense (30.1) and 11th in scoring offense (24.0). Individually, CJ Campbell Jr. slots eighth in the league in rushing yards per game (61.3) while Omari Hayes is seventh in receiving yards per contest (63.4).
 
Interim Head Coach Blake Harrell
Harrell was named interim head coach at East Carolina on Oct. 20, 2024. He joined the Pirate program as the defensive coordinator on Jan. 29, 2020, after spending a year with Kennesaw State (2019). He has spearheaded a turnaround for a unit that surrendered just a combined 27.3 points per game from 2020-23 (ECU’s highest four-year total since 2012-15) and forced 75 turnovers. In addition, East Carolina has tallied at least one takeaway in 43 of 53 contests since his arrival in Greenville. Harrell has helped the Pirates earn bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons – a first since the 2013-14 campaigns – which included a bowl win over Coastal Carolina (53-29) in 2022. Last year, he had guided a defensive unit that established new seasonal bests since 2019 at East Carolina including points per game allowed (22.4), pass yards allowed (219.2) and total yards allowed (341.1). The North Carolina native has also had coaching stops at Western Carolina (2001-02), McDowell HS (2003), Fuquay-Varina HS (2004), Franklin HS (2005-06), Lenoir-Rhyne (2007-13), The Citadel (2014-18) and Kennesaw State (2019) before joining the Pirate program.
 
East Carolina Records, Streaks and Trends

• The Pirates are 3-1 at home this season with victories over Norfolk State (42-3), UTSA (30-20) and Temple (56-34) as well as a narrow loss to Appalachian State (21-19).
• East Carolina enters the week in a three-way tie with North Texas and South Florida for fifth place in the American Athletic Conference standings.
• ECU set a program modern-day record for points scored in a quarter with 29 in the third against. Temple, also representing the sixth most by any Football Bowl Subdivision team in a quarter this season. The Pirates also had eight different players (seven offense/one defense) score a touchdown in the game, tying a school record.
• The Pirates currently rank 65th nationally in total offense (396.8 yards per game) and 94th in total defense (392.5 yards allowed per game).
• Twenty-two (22) different ECU defenders have recorded at least a half tackle for loss through eight games. In all, the Pirates have tallied 62.0 tackles for loss for minus 210 yards and rank ninth nationally in tackles for loss per game at 7.8.
• East Carolina stands 51st in scoring offense (sixth in the AAC) at 30.4 points per game and 94th nationally (sixth in the AAC) in scoring defense (28.4 points allowed per game).
• The Pirates have forced at least one turnover in 45 of their last 51 games (and in 57 of the last 65) – including three against Temple.
• ECU currently ranks sixth among FBS institutions and second in The American with three defensive touchdowns.
• Since the start of 2023, the Pirate defense has scored six touchdowns.

 
The Series
East Carolina leads the all-time series with Florida Atlantic by a 2-0 count. The Pirates defeated the Owls 31-13 in Greenville back on Sept. 5, 2013, before registering a 22-7 victory in Boca Raton Nov. 11, 2023.
 
Last Meeting
East Carolina 22, Florida Atlantic 7
(Nov. 11, 2023 @ FAU Football Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla.)
East Carolina rode a stout defense and a superb performance on special teams for a 22-7 victory over Florida Atlantic at FAU Stadium. A swarming defense that bottled up the Owls all day, combined with a blocked punt and Andrew Conrad’s school-record five field goals, made it possible. For the third straight week, ECU got off to a strong start, but this time never relented. The Pirate defense smothered an FAU offense that had scored at least 38 points in three of the last four games and boasted the nation’s leading receiver in terms of total receptions. The Owls struggled from the outset, failing to pick up a first down until early in the second period and finishing with 172 total yards, including just 21 on the ground. ECU chalked up season highs in both tackles for loss (10) and sacks (five by five different players). FAU’s only scoring drive started at the ECU 41. The Owls turned the ball over on down on their final four possessions. Leading receiver LaJohntey Wester, coming off a career-best 219 yards against UAB, finished with six catches for just 36 yards. The redshirt junior entered with six 100-yard games this season and 11 for his career. Quarterback Daniel Richardson, a Central Michigan transfer under pressure all day, completed 24 of 35 passes for 151 yards. He was intercepted once. Conrad was better than ever. The sophomore from Kernersville, who had converted 11 of 17 field goals this season, nailed all five of his field goals Saturday – all from at least 40 yards, including a pair of 46-yarders and two from 47. ECU kickers have booted four field goals in a game 11 times, the most recent by Jake Verity against William & Mary in 2019. ECU’s defense flexed its muscle in a dominant first quarter, forcing four consecutive three-and-outs. The Owls did not pick up a first down until three minutes into the second quarter, and that came with the aid of a facemask penalty that erased a third-down sack. The Pirates’ special teams also pitched in with a huge play to set up the game’s first score. Julien Davis darted in from the left side and got a hand on the punt of Logan Lupo, and Jackson Barker recovered at the 27. Gerald Green, seeing his most extensive action of the season (15 carries, 33 yards), gained five yards on first down then slipped through the right side of the line on third down and raced the final 18 yards for his second touchdown of the year and ECU’s longest scoring play of the season.
 
At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
East Carolina’s all-time record at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is 204-119 (.632). The Pirates opened the facility on Sept. 21, 1963, with a 20-10 win over Wake Forest in front of 17,000 fans, celebrated the stadium’s 50th anniversary in 2013 and recently hosted its 300th game vs. Tulane in 2020. ECU played seven home games in 2022, posting a 4-3 record. Before a 4-2 clip in 2021, a 1-3 record two years ago and a collective 13-19 mark from 2015-2019, ECU was 5-1 in 2014, 2013 and 2012 (15-3) and won a combined 10 of 12 home matchups in 2009 (6-1) and 2008 (4-1). With its 34-13 win over UCF (Oct. 22, 2022), ECU has posted 41 winning campaigns at DFS since 1963.
 
The Pirate Nation – Over 9 Million Strong
East Carolina has usually been able to claim plenty of hometown support when playing at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium – establishing itself among conference attendance leaders on a near annual basis. In all, a total of 9,785,027 fans have seen the Pirates in action since 1963, and since the completion of a 7,000-seat expansion project in 2010 (to push capacity to 50,000), the Pirates have drawn 3,513,738 fans.
 
Non-Saturday Exploits
East Carolina is 23-31 (.426) in non-Saturday games since 2000. Oddly, the Pirates have fared better on the road (16-15; 7-16 at home). In terms of days (including bowls), ECU is 5-1 on Sundays, 1-1 on Mondays, 3-1 on Tuesdays, 0-3 on Wednesdays, 8-13 on Thursdays and 6-12 on Fridays. ECU is 12-16 when deviating from the normal Saturday routine since 2010. The Pirates had one non-Saturday game in 2023, hosting SMU on Oct. 12 (loss/31-10). In 2022, ECU played three non-Saturday contests, posting a 2-1 ledger (win at BYU/27-24, win vs. Coastal Carolina/53-29; loss at Cincinnati/27-25).
 
Among American Athletic Conference Attendance Leaders
East Carolina has reigned among the leaders in attendance every season since becoming a member of the American Athletic Conference in 2014. The Pirates have led the AAC in regular season attendance average three times – 2014, 2016 and 2017. ECU finished the 2023 season ranked 66th in average attendance and 68th in total attendance as well as second in the conference in average attendance and third in total attendance.
 
Comparing 10-Year, Eight-Game Results
East Carolina’s 56-34 win over Temple marks the third time in the last 10 years that the Pirates own a 4-4 record through eight games.
 
A Starters’ Log
DL Chad Stephens enters the Florida Atlantic contest having started 27 consecutive games as a member of the defensive unit. OL Hampton Ergle currently posseses the longest starting streak on the offense at 21. ECU has had 15 first time starters in a Pirate uniform this season: LB Zakye Barker, OL Darius Bell, LB Ryheem Craig, LB Samuel Dankah, QB Jake Garcia, DB Gavin Gibson, QB Katin Houser, TE Casey Kelly, DB Devon King, OL Jimarion McCrimon, OL Emmanuel Poku, DB Ja’Marley Riddle, WR Anthony Smith, LB Dameon Wilson and WR Winston Wright Jr.
 
2024 Graduates
OL Hampton Ergle, OL Dustyn Hall, DS Alex Harper, RB Rahjai Harris, LB Noah Holmes, DB Jordan Huff, TE Casey Kelly, P Luke Larsen, Dl Jaden McKenzie, DB Kingston McKinstry, OL Parker Moorer, TE Tyler Savage, DL Chad Stephens and WR Winston Wright Jr. each have earned their degrees heading into the 2024 season.
 
Up Next
East Carolina plays its second consecutive Thursday night affair Nov. 14 when it travels to Tulsa. Kickoff at H.A. Chapman Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPN.