ECU Tops Norfolk State In Season Opener, 42-3

Saturday, August 31

Greenville, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

1-0 , 0-0

Norfolk State

0-2 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Norfolk St.

East Carolina

August 31, 2024 | Football

Box Score Game Stats ECU Notes ECU Quotes

GREENVILLE, N.C. – New faces in vital places laid the groundwork Saturday night as an inspired East Carolina football team took a big step to putting the 2023 season in the rear-view mirror by dominating FCS visitor Norfolk State 42-3 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

With transfer quarterback Jake Garcia directing new offensive coordinator John David Baker's up-tempo offense, the Pirates churned out 506 total yards, surpassing their yardage for any game during last year's season.

Despite six turnovers and seven penalties, the Pirates easily delivered head coach Mike Houston his first season-opening win in six seasons at the helm. Much of that thanks goes to a smothering defense that yielded just 114 total yards and forced 12 punts.

"Six turnovers, which means we gave them six extra possessions," Houston said. "It's staggering the score is what it was. I think that shows, number one, how good we can be on that side of the ball. But number two, I think that shows you if we can get that corrected, we've got a chance to be a pretty good ballclub."

That's what linebacker Zakye Barker is counting on, given the transfer additions and new mind-set.

"Wins are hard to come by," said Barker, who recorded a team-high eight tackles. "It's a great feeling. It's a great thing for this team, it's a great thing for the city of Greenville, all the Pirate fans to see us win and get that winning feeling back and understand that's what it is going to be like from now on."

The charismatic and confident Garcia plays an integral role in trying to make that happen as he takes over at quarterback. The 6-3, 203-pound junior, suiting up for his third different school in as many years, won a preseason battle with Michigan State transfer Kaitin Houser to earn his second career start. In just his 10th career game overall and first action in 21 months, he completed 23 of 36 passes for 308 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Houser came on for the final two series and connected on all three of his passes for 50 yards.

The two combined to distribute the ball to 10 different receivers.

"I feel like I played well," said Garcia, who spent two years at Miami and one season at Missouri. "There's a lot of things I wish I could take back. It was good to get my feet wet again and take some snaps and get hit a little bit when the live bullets are flying. A win is a win, and at the end of the day I know for a fact I'm going to build on it."

Garcia said he embraced the opportunity to come to ECU and help change the direction of the program.

"The past is the past," he said. "The people that were here (last year), you have to go into it and keep a chip on your shoulder and have something to prove every day. The guys that weren't here, we're just going in and with a winning mind-set. We're the group that's going to do it. We're a group of winners. We're going to win each and every week."

Garcia had plenty of company among newcomers making key contributions.

Florida State transfer Winston Wright Jr. delivered a pair of impressive kickoff returns – a 29-yarder to open the game and a 48-yard sprint that set up the Pirates' first touchdown of the year. He also had three catches for 24 yards.

Tight end Casey Kelly, a graduate transfer from Oregon, accounted for one score, taking a toss from Garcia in the left flat and rumbling 22 yards to the end zone. He finished with three receptions for 35 yards.

Maryland transfer Gavin Gibson, a junior cornerback, picked off a Jalen Daniels pass and returned it 30 yards for a second-quarter touchdown

Speedster Anthony Smith made the most of his first collegiate start with a career-best and team-high five catches for 86 yards, highlighted by an 18-yard touchdown to make it 35-3 early in the third quarter.

"This is my first college start ever so I had a little first-start jitters the first drive, but once we got going, I felt so good out there," said Smith, who compiled just 13 receptions in four years at NC State. "It was super, super exciting to be out there."

Houston stressed the importance of the newcomers' impact, especially in the new world of NIL and transfer portals.

"I think it's important for them to come in here and justify why they came here," Houston said. "All of them came here for a reason. They came here for a fresh start, a second chance or for whatever reason. I think it's important for our donors to understand the importance of NIL. Obviously, it played a huge role in us retaining our top players and us being able to attract these guys to East Carolina."

Barker, one of the Pirates' returnees from last year's disappointing season, is glad to have more ammunition.

"Every addition that came to this roster was specifically placed for success, whether that be the offensive side or the defensive side," he said. "We all bought in. Everybody that you saw on that field has bought in and put the work in."

Barker led an ECU defense that limited the Spartans to just 43 yards on 45 rushing attempts and just one third-down conversion in 18 attempts.

After 34 yards on their opening drive, which ended in a 39-yard field goal, the Spartans managed just 80 yards the rest of the night and finished with only seven first downs.

All told, it adds up to a season-opening win and momentum heading on the road to Old Dominion next week.

"Everybody is going to wake up and the sun is going to be a lot brighter in the morning, but I am a little frustrated or disappointed, I guess, because I know what we could have done tonight," Houston said. " … But we're 1-0, and we know we've got to be much better next week if we're going to be 2-0. But you can't be 2-0 if don't win this one."