ECU Falls At UAB In Overtime, 30-17

Thursday, October 15

Birmingham, Ala.

7:30 P.M.

East Carolina University

3-3 , 1-1

UAB

4-3 , 2-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Final F
East Carolina	7	7	0	3	0	17
UAB	0	3	6	8	13	30

Game Program

October 15, 2026 | Football

Box Score Game Book (PDF)ECU Postgame Notes (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – East Carolina's second venture to the state of Alabama turned from probable celebration into a stunned moment in a matter of minutes Thursday night at Protective Stadium.

The Pirates, in control of UAB for more than 58 minutes and on the verge of their fourth consecutive victory, surrendered a touchdown and two-point conversion with 35 seconds left then saw the Blazers strike for a touchdown and game-clinching pick-six in overtime for a 30-17 American Conference victory. ECU, now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the league, shot out to a 14-0 lead but managed only three points on its final 10 possessions. UAB (4-3 2-1), frustrated by a swarming ECU defense much of the evening, shook out of its funk and scored four of the last five times it had the ball to remain unbeaten at home this season and end a seven-game losing streak in the series.

"At the end of the day, you know, we hadn't let them in the end zone all day," ECU head coach Blake Harrell said "You've got to make them go 90 yards with just a little over a minute to go. The defense needs to go win the game there and we just couldn't get the plays made that we need to make."

Before UAB's final drive in regulation, the ECU defense dialed up pressure and limited the Blazers to three field goals by Jonah Delange, the nation's leader with 17. The Blazers came in averaging 179.5 yards rushing but managed a mere 99 on 32 attempts. ECU, tops in the nation in tackles for loss at 10.8 per game, chalked up 10 more for its fourth game with 10-plus TFLs and now has 61 on the year. The Pirates sacked quarterback Ryder Burton three times, raising their season total to 17. But the junior threw for a career-high 262 yards, catching fire at the end to spark the rally.

"I don't think we ran out of gas at all," said Preston Carr, part of a defensive front that helped shut down the running game. "Just little details and things that we weren't focused on. Guys weren't in the right place and that would cause a big run. We lost explosives today, and you'll see that at the end of the ball game on the scoreboard. You know, if you're not disciplined enough, you'll see it at the end of the game."

After a fast start, ECU's offense slowed down. The Pirates amassed 139 of their 317 total yards in the first quarter and fumbled away an opportunity to pad their lead. Quarterback Emory Williams, making his third start at ECU, completed 18 of 27 passes for 126 yards – right on the average allowed per game by UAB this season. TJ Engleman Jr. once again was the workhorse in the backfield and turned in his third straight 100-yard performance with 104 yards on 26 carries.

"It's a tough one to take," Engleman said. "I feel like we had so many opportunities to score. We've just got to clean stuff up man, bring the guys together. We've just got to go score at the end of the day."

Until the dramatic end, it appeared the Pirates had done just enough.

ECU led 14-3 at the half behind a bone-rattling defense along with a couple fortuitous bounces and critical UAB mistakes.

For the second straight week, the Pirates did not allow a first down until nearly five minutes into the second quarter while also giving up just three points. The Blazers made little headway against relentless pressure and managed just 91 first-half yards, the result of eight tackles for loss and three sacks.

UAB contributed to its own demise, dropping a pair of passes and drawing a penalty for an ineligible man downfield that negated an 81-yard catch and run to the ECU 10.

An earlier UAB penalty – a roughing the kicker infraction on a Thomas O'Halloran punt – directly led to ECU's second touchdown.

The Pirates put together a nearly perfect 11 minutes to open the game, converting their first four third downs, forcing a punt and then mounting another scoring threat before a fumble in the red zone.

An impressive opening drive covered 75 yards in 14 plays, featuring both the arm and legs of Williams combined with determined running by Engleman. Williams completed 4 of 6 passes for 44 yards on the drive, completing two each to Ray Ray Joseph Jr. and Jason Dickerson, and also picked up eight yards on two carries. Engleman added five carries for 28 yards.

Joseph did the honors for the score on a jet sweep to the right from 3 yards out.

ECU threatened to strike again on its next possession before Jeremiah Jordan dislodged the ball from Michael Allen at the end of a 13-yard run, and Chris Burge recovered.

The Pirates put the ball on the turf once again on their next drive, but the result could not have been better. On the second play of the second quarter and five plays after the roughing penalty, Ismael Smith Flores snagged a third-down pass from Williams at the 11. As he fought inside the 10, UAB's Jo Pierce punched the ball out, sending it bounding toward the end zone. Freshman Dawson Quarterman, inserted in the lineup after Jeremiah Melvin limped off two plays earlier, hustled to pounce on the ball for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

UAB got on the board with 6:00 left in the half on a 41-yard boot by Delange. The Blazers reached the 10 before being stuffed, capped by a sack by J.D. Lampley.

Delange added fields goals of 26 and 50 yards in the third quarter to draw UAB within 14-9, but Noah Perez countered with a career-best 43-yarder to extend the lead to 17-9 with 9:24 to play.

The Blazers turned the ball over on downs with 5:34 to go, and ECU drained all but 1:37 off the clock. A pooch punt by Perez pinned UAB at its 7, putting the game in the hands of the defense for one more stop.

A penalty backed the ball to the 3. After a 17-yard completion on third down, Burton began finding holes in the secondary and had the Blazers sniffing the end zone and the small homecoming crowd on edge. He connected with Braylon McReynolds from 17 yards with 35 seconds left, just the second touchdown pass allowed by ECU to that point. Burton then darted up the middle on a keeper for the two-point conversion. UAB also got first crack in overtime and scored on a 6-yard swing pass to Rederick Robinson.

ECU's bid to tie ended after a pair of Williams keeper and an interception by Delvon Gulley, who sprinted 80 yards for a score.