ECU Battles AAC Newcomer UTSA In San Antonio

East Carolina (1-6, 0-3 AAC) at UTSA (4-3, 3-0 AAC) (Game 8)
Date	Saturday, October 28th
Time	3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Location	San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome) (36,582)
Live Game Coverage	Radio: WNCT 107.9FM Stream: ESPN+
Internet Options	Live Stats
Official Web Sites	East Carolina \| UTSA \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| UTSA \| The American
2023 Statistics	East Carolina \| UTSA \| The American
ECU Football Central	East Carolina Media Hub \| Roster \| NCAA Football \| College Scoreboard

Official Social Media Sites
Facebook	East Carolina \| The American
Twitter	East Carolina \| ECU Football (in-game updates) \| The American
Twitter Hashtags	#PirateNation \| #AmericanFB
Instagram	East Carolina \| The American

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina makes its second appearance of the campaign in Texas Saturday, traveling to San Antonio and the Alamodome to face off with American Athletic Conference newcomer UTSA. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will stream live via ESPN+ with Ted Emrich (play-by-play), Doc Holliday (color analyst) and Smacker Miles (sideline) on the call.

ECU is under the direction of fifth-year head coach Mike Houston.

The Pirates (1-6, 0-3 AAC) fell to Charlotte 10-7 last Saturday on Homecoming at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Alex Flinn provided a brief spark in the second half, connecting on 11 of 18 passes for 69 yards. ECU scored its only touchdown after a muffed punt at the 10, which Kingston McKinstry recovered. Flinn then fired a 10-yard pass to Shane Calhoun to get the Pirates within 10-7. East Carolina mustered just 49 total yards in the first half and 127 yards for the game. The Pirates averaged just 2.5 yards per play, finished with 10 first downs, rushed for 39 yards and converted only two of 14 third-down attempts.

The Roadrunners (4-3, 3-0 AAC) remained atop the conference standings by cruising to a 36-10 victory over Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton last Saturday night. UTSA has won 11-straight regular season contests. The Roadrunners limited the Owls (3-4, 2-1) to a season-low 162 yards of offense behind a stiff rush defense. UTSA surrendered just 20 yards on the ground and registered 13 tackles for loss, including five sacks. Frank Harris completed 26 of 35 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Joshua Cephus, who had seven receptions for 57 yards, while Devin McCuin made five grabs for 64 yards. Kevorian Barnes, Rocko Griffin and Robert Henry combined to rush for 162 yards and a pair of TDs. Barnes carried 10 times for 56 yards, Henry had 53 yards and a score on 10 attempts and Griffin rushed 16 times for 53 yards and a touchdown.

East Carolina Records, Streaks & Trends

Seeks its first road win of the season after losses to then No. 2 Michigan, Appalachian State and Rice.
Is outscoring its opponents 50-39 in the second quarter through seven games.
Has forced at least one turnover in 34 of its last 38 games (and in 45 of the last 52).
Scored a pair of defensive touchdowns at Appalachian State for the first time since 2013 (Old Dominion).
Recovered five fumbles against Gardner-Webb – a first since setting that standard against TCU back on Nov. 23, 2022.
Blanked Gardner-Webb 44-0 to register its first defensive shutout since a 38-0 victory over Duke on Sept. 2, 2000.

The Series
East Carolina and UTSA will meet for the first time on the football field Saturday. The two institutions have battled it out in men's basketball (2-2) and women's basketball (UTSA, 1-0) as well as baseball (2-2) with the Roadrunners holding a 5-4 combined record against the Pirates in those three sports.

Drawing First Blood
East Carolina owns an 11-8 (.579) record since 2000 when meeting current Division I (FBS) opponents for the first time. After winning five straight, the Pirates have dropped four of the last five in that scenario.

Shutout Free ... 319 And Counting
East Carolina travels to San Antonio with an active streak of 319 games of not suffering a shutout - a school record (previous mark was 110 set from 1971-81). The last time the Pirates were blanked was on Oct. 4, 1997 (56-0 at Syracuse). ECU's 318-game run currently ranks among the top 10 nationally (Florida is first with 442).

Comparing 10-Year, Seven-Game Results
East Carolina's loss to Charlotte dropped the Pirates to 1-6 on the season. It marks the third time in the last 10 years that ECU owns a 1-6 record through seven games. A win against UTSA would improve the Pirates to 2-6, but a loss would drop them to 1-7 which last occurred in 2003.

On The Road
Since becoming a conference member in 1997, East Carolina is 66-102 (.393) when playing away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Last year, the Pirates posted a 4-2 road record (wins at South Florida/Boca Raton, Fla., BYU, Temple and Coastal Carolina Birmingham, Ala.; losses to Tulane and Cincinnati). From a non-conference standpoint, ECU snapped a seven-game skid when it topped Old Dominion 24-21 on Sept. 28, 2019, but has only played five road non-AAC tilts since (2-3).

Looking For More Loot
Through seven games this season, East Carolina is plus one in turnover margin (ECU 11, Opponents 10). ECU forced eight fumbles against Gardner-Webb and recovered five (most in Mike Houston era) - a feat that they last accomplished on Nov. 23, 2002, against TCU (span of 253 games). In their last four games, the Pirates have forced eight turnovers while coughing up the ball seven times.

Analyzing The 2023 Overall Schedule
ECU's 2023 opponents compiled an overall record of 87-67 (.565) in 2022. The Pirates' four non-conference opponents were a combined 35-17 (.673) last season while the eight AAC teams on the state tallied a 52-50 (.510) mark. Seven programs had at least six or more wins including three teams that had 10-plus victories – Michigan (13-1), Tulane (12-2) and UTSA (11-3). Five of East Carolina's first six opponents finished last year at or above .500.
Who went Bowling? … The Pirates' 2023 schedule features contests against five teams who competed in bowl games last season, highlighted by Michigan's second-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff Semifinals and Tulane's comeback victory over USC in the Cotton Bowl ... Michigan (Fiesta), Tulane (Cotton), Marshall (Myrtle Beach), UTSA (Duluth Trading Cure), and SMU (New Mexico) … Three of the Pirates' six home games are against 2022 bowl qualifiers.
In the Final Polls … Two of ECU's 2023 opponents finished the 2022 season in college football's two major polls (Associated Press and USA Today/AFCA Coaches) – AAC champion Tulane (9/9) and Michigan (3/3).

Up Next
East Carolina returns home Saturday, Nov. 4, for a league bout with defending American Conference champion Tulane at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the contest will air on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shane Calhoun

Alex Flinn

Kingston McKinstry

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