ECU Challenges Host Charlotte In AAC Contest

Game Six: East Carolina (3-2, 1-0 AAC) at Charlotte (2-3, 1-0 AAC)
Date	Saturday, October 5th
Time	3:30 p.m. (ET)
Location	Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,000) \| Charlotte, N.C.
Live Game Coverage	Radio: WNCT 107.9FM Streaming: ESPNU
Internet Options	Live Stats
Official Web Sites	East Carolina \| Charlotte \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Charlotte \| The American Weekly Release
2024 Statistics	East Carolina \| Charlotte \| 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. – After beginning American Athletic Conference play with a solid victory over UTSA, East Carolina looks to make it two for two when it travels west for another league affair versus host Charlotte inside Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPNU with Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst) handling the broadcast duties.

The Pirates (3-2, 1-0 AAC) are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Mike Houston.

Last Time Out
On a day when East Carolina honored its 1999 team, the 2024 version of the Pirates rediscovered some magic and their winning ways in defeating UTSA 30-20 in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams. After two-straight weeks of seeing double-digit leads slip away, ECU stormed back from a 10-point, first-half deficit by reeling off 24 consecutive points while putting a stranglehold on the Roadrunners' offense. The Pirates (3-2) forced three turnovers, stuffed three fourth-down attempts and hounded quarterback Owen McCown into incompletions of 15 of his final 19 passes. The returning players and a Dowdy-Ficklen crowd of 41,851 witnessed a slow start by the Pirates and a ragged first half before the momentum shifted. Although the Roadrunners (2-3) out-gained the Pirates by 100 yards (456-356), they crippled themselves with 12 penalties for 80 yards and dropped passes in a nearly four-hour game. With the exception of a 66-yard touchdown run by freshman Brandon High on a fourth-and-1, ECU controlled the final two quarters. The Pirates applied constant pressure to McCown, registered one sack and six tackles for loss, and did not allow a first down on the final four possessions. Garcia experienced a feast-or-famine night, completing 17 of 35 passes for 294 yards. He tossed a pair of interceptions but also hit Winston Wright Jr. for a 40-yard score and Anthony Smith for a 53-yard touchdown on consecutive possessions in the third quarter to boost ECU's lead to 24-13. Perez matched his career best with a 42-yard field goal to cap off 24-straight points and increase the lead to 27-13. He tacked on a 24-yard field goal with 13 seconds left for the final margin, putting a bow on what the Pirates hope is a catalyst to the remainder of the year.

About The 49ers
Charlotte (2-3, 1-0 AAC) also won its league opener last Saturday, surviving a last-second field goal attempt by Rice to post a 21-20 victory over the Owls in Houston. The 49ers trailed 10-0 at the half but outscored Rice 21-10 in the third and fourth quarters. O'Mega Blake tallied 153 receiving yards on five catches and scored two touchdowns while Deshawn Purdie finished the night completing 10 of 15 pass attempts for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Cartevious Norton logged a team-high 56 rushing yards on 10 carries. Charlotte's other win this campaign occurred versus Gardner-Webb by a 21-20 margin at home to go along with losses to JMU (30-7), North Carolina (38-20) and Indiana (52-14). The 49ers average 17.8 points per game to slot 14th in The American while the defense ranks 12th, allowing 33.2 points per contest.

East Carolina Records, Streaks and Trends

East Carolina enters Saturday's affair at 1-1 in true road games with a victory at Old Dominion (20-14) and a loss at Liberty (35-24).
The Pirates rank 71st nationally in total offense (393.6 yards per game) and 74th in total defense (355.2 yards allowed per game) as well as 21st nationally in offensive plays run per game (72.0) and 36th in scoring defense (18.6 points allowed per game).
Twenty-one (21) different ECU defenders have recorded at least a half TFL through five games. In all, the Pirates have tallied 50.0 tackles for loss for -148 yards and rank third nationally in tackles for loss per game at 10.0.
Since the start of the 2023 campaign, East Carolina's defense has scored five touchdowns (2/App State '23, 1/UTSA '23, 1/Norfolk State '24, 1/App State '24).
The Pirates have forced at least one turnover in 44 of their last 48 games (and in 55 of the last 62).

The Series
Saturday's game marks the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The 49ers claimed a 10-7 victory in Greenville last season.

Last Meeting
Charlotte 10, East Carolina 7
(Oct. 21, 2023 @ Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.)
Despite virtually no offensive production and little going its way for the bulk of four quarters, East Carolina still had a chance to escape with a victory Saturday afternoon against Charlotte. When Andrew Conrad's 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide of the left upright with 34 seconds showing, the final hope vanished as the 49ers escaped with a 10-7 win. The loss on a beautiful but breezy fall afternoon left a Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium crowd of 39,842 disappointed on Homecoming and Hall of Fame weekend. ECU's limited opportunities before the final drive came via a couple of crucial Charlotte turnovers. Julius Wood's second-quarter interception and 29-yard return, along with a 15-yard penalty, set the Pirates up at the 49ers' 13. But three plays netted only six yards, and Conrad banged a 24-yard field goal attempt off the right upright. ECU scored its only touchdown after a muffed punt at the 10, which Kingston McKinstry recovered. Quarterback Alex Flinn, who came on in relief in the second half, fired a 10-yard pass to Shane Calhoun to get ECU within 10-7. The Pirates still had life after Jake Larson missed a 45-yard field goal attempt – his second miss of the game – and a three-and-out series. ECU took over with 2:29 left and quickly marched to the Charlotte 29 before Michigan transfer Eyabi Okie-Anoma dropped Flinn for an eight-yard loss. Conrad came on after a 6-yard pass on third down but could not knock through the game-tying kick. The Pirates mustered just 49 total yards in the first half and 127 yards for the game – the fewest ever allowed by Charlotte and the lowest output for an ECU offense since 104 against N.C. State in 2018. ECU 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.

On The Road
Since shedding independent status in 1997, East Carolina is 68-104 (.395) when playing away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. A year ago, ECU finished the year 1-5 on the road and, in 2022, it posted a 4-2 road slate (wins at South Florida/Boca Raton, Fla., BYU, Temple and Coastal Carolina/Birmingham, Ala., as well as 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 in seven non-AAC road tilts since (3-4).

Charting The Pirates Month By Month
Over its program lifespan, East Carolina is 4-3-0 in August, 136-130-1 in September, 169-170-4 in October, 147-137-5 in November, 10-12-0 in December and 1-4-0 in January. With the Pirates' win over Coastal Carolina in 2022, ECU remained somewhat productive in December - a month in which it has won five of its last nine outings (wins vs. Boise State/'07, Tulsa/'08, Houston/'09, Ohio/'13 and Coastal Carolina/'22; losses to Maryland/'10, UL-Lafayette/'12, UCF/'14 and NC State/'18).

Comparing 10-Year, Five-Game Results
East Carolina's 30-20 win over UTSA in The American opener improved the Pirates record to 3-2, marking the fifth time in the last 10 years ECU has opened a campaign by winning three of its first five games. A positive result at Charlotte would make the Pirates 4-2 for the first time since 2014 when they sported a 5-1 record halfway through the season.

A Starters' Log
DL Chad Stephens enters the Charlotte contest having started 24 consecutive games as a member of the defensive unit. OL Hampton Ergle currently has the longest starting streak on the offense at 18 prior to Saturday's game. ECU had 10 first time starters in a Pirate uniform against Norfolk State: LB Zakye Barker, OL Darius Bell, LB Ryheem Craig, QB Jake Garcia, DB Gavin Gibson, TE Casey Kelly, DB Devon King, OL Emmanuel Poku, WR Anthony Smith 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
Following a scheduled bye week, East Carolina returns to action Saturday, Oct. 19, when it heads up to West Point for an American Athletic Conference appointment with Army.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Zakye Barker

Darius Bell

Shane Calhoun

Andrew Conrad

Ryheem Craig

Hampton Ergle

Alex Flinn

Jake Garcia

Gavin Gibson

Dustyn Hall

Alex Harper

Rahjai Harris

Noah Holmes

Jordan Huff

Casey Kelly

Devon King

Luke Larsen

Jaden McKenzie

Kingston McKinstry

Parker Moorer

Tyler Savage

Anthony Smith

Chad Stephens

Julius Wood

Winston Wright Jr.

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