2020 East Carolina Pirates football team

The 2020 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Pirates, led by second-year head coach Mike Houston, played their home games at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium as members of the American Athletic Conference.

2020 East Carolina Pirates football
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record3–6 (3–5 AAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDonnie Kirkpatrick (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorBlake Harrell (1st season)
Home stadiumDowdy–Ficklen Stadium
(capacity: 50,000)
2020 American Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 8 Cincinnati y$  6 0   9 1  
Tulsa y  6 0   6 3  
Memphis  5 3   8 3  
UCF  5 3   6 4  
SMU  4 3   7 3  
Houston  3 3   3 5  
Navy  3 4   3 7  
Tulane  3 5   6 6  
East Carolina  3 5   3 6  
Temple  1 6   1 6  
South Florida  0 7   1 8  
Championship: Cincinnati 27, Tulsa 24
  • $ Conference champion
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll.

Schedule

East Carolina had games scheduled against Marshall, Norfolk State, and South Carolina, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2][3]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 2612:00 p.m. No. 13 UCFABCL 28–51305
October 312:00 p.m.at Georgia State*ESPNUL 29–493,823
October 107:00 p.m.at South FloridaESPN+W 44–246,799
October 1712:00 p.m.Navy
  • Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
  • Greenville, NC
ESPN2L 23–273,500
October 308:00 p.m.at TulsaESPN2L 30–340
November 712:00 p.m.Tulane
  • Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
  • Greenville, NC
ESPN+L 21–383,500
November 137:30 p.m.at No. 7 CincinnatiESPN2L 17–550
November 2112:00 p.m.at TempleESPN+W 28–30
November 2812:00 p.m.SMU
  • Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
  • Greenville, NC
ESPN+W 52–383,500
Schedule Source:[4][5]

Game summaries

UCF

Central Florida at East Carolina
1 234Total
No. 13 Knights 10 171410 51
Pirates 7 0714 28
  • Date: September 26, 2020
  • Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
    Greeville, NC
  • Game start: 12:05 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 58 minutes
  • Game attendance: 350
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Mostly cloudy • Wind: 0 MPH
  • Referee: Luke Richmond
  • TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Mike Golic Sr. (color) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
         
Pregame line Over/under
UCF –27.577[6]
StatisticsUCFEast Carolina
First downs2925
Total yards632459
Rushing yards224244
Passing yards408215
Turnovers04
Time of possession26:5233:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UCFPassingDillon Gabriel32/47, 408 yards, 4 TDs
RushingGreg McCrae16 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJohnny Richardson9 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TDs
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers14/29, 215 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingKeaton Mitchell8 carries, 66 yards
ReceivingAudie Omotosho3 receptions, 56 yards

At Georgia State

East Carolina at Georgia State
1 234Total
Pirates 7 6313 29
Panthers 21 14014 49
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: Center Parc Stadium
    Atlanta, GA
  • Game start: 12:02 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes
  • Game attendance: 3,823
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 6 W MPH
  • Referee: Marshall Lewis
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play–by–play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
         
Pregame line Over/under
ECU –1.570[7]
StatisticsEast CarolinaGeorgia State
First downs1921
Total yards286485
Rushing yards50247
Passing yards236238
Turnovers33
Time of possession33:0526:55
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers29/50, 236 yards, 3 INTs
RushingTyler Snead1 carry, 31 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTyler Snead11 receptions, 105 yards
Georgia StatePassingCornelious Brown18/28, 238 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingDestin Coates23 carries, 113 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingSam Pinckney7 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs

At South Florida

East Carolina at South Florida
1 234Total
Pirates 17 1476 44
Bulls 7 1000 17
        
Pregame line Over/under
USF –5.558[8]
StatisticsEast CarolinaSouth Florida
First downs2122
Total yards432398
Rushing yards21092
Passing yards222306
Turnovers02
Time of possession35:3624:24
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers17/26, 222 yards, 3 TDs
RushingRahjai Harris19 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingC. J. Johnson3 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TDs
South FloridaPassingJordan McCloud26/35, 298 yards
RushingJohnny Ford8 carries, 44 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingLatrell Williams8 receptions, 93 yards
Navy at East Carolina
1 234Total
Midshipmen 7 6140 27
Pirates 6 7010 23
  • Date: October 17, 2020
  • Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
    Greeville, NC
  • Game start: 12:01 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutes
  • Game attendance: 3,500
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Mostly Sunny • Wind: NNE 10 MPH
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Lincoln Rose (play–by–play) and Keith Moreland (analyst)
     
Pregame line Over/under
NAVY –3.555.5[9]
StatisticsNavyEast Carolina
First downs1719
Total yards318372
Rushing yards288268
Passing yards30104
Turnovers22
Time of possession31:2928:31
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
NavyPassingDalen Morris3/4, 30 yards, 1 INT
RushingNelson Smith17 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingRyan Mitchell1 reception, 14 yards
East CarolinaPassingMason Garcia10/20, 104 yards
RushingRahjai Harris22 carries, 172 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTyler Snead4 receptions, 39 yards

At Tulsa

East Carolina at Tulsa
1 234Total
Pirates 7 10310 30
Golden Hurricane 3 01714 34
  • Date: October 30, 2020
  • Location: Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
    Tulsa, OK
  • Game start: 8:00 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:40
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: SSW 5 MPH
  • Referee: A. Calabarese
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Clay Matvick (play–by–play) Rocky Boiman (analyst)
        
Pregame line Over/under
TUL –1759.5[10]
StatisticsEast CarolinaTulsa
First downs2725
Total yards456428
Rushing yards126175
Passing yards330253
Turnovers33
Time of possession35:0924:51
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers38/50, 330 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingRahjai Harris21 carries, 118 yards
ReceivingTyler Snead16 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD
TulsaPassingZach Smith19/37, 253 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingT.K. Wilkerson18 carries, 89 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingKeylon Stokes6 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

Tulane

Tulane at East Carolina
1 234Total
Green Wave 7 14107 38
Pirates 7 0014 21
  • Date: November 7, 2020
  • Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
    Greenville, NC
  • Game start: 12:05 a.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes
  • Game attendance: 3,500
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Mostly Clear • Wind: E 5 MPH
  • Referee: Luke Richmond
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Evan Lepler (play–by–play) and Jay Sonnhalter (analyst)
     
Pregame line Over/under
TULN –3.563.5[11]
StatisticsTulaneEast Carolina
First downs2420
Total yards493386
Rushing yards27735
Passing yards216351
Turnovers11
Time of possession30:5929:01
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
TulanePassingMichael Pratt22/34, 216 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingCameron Carroll6 carries, 129 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingDuece Watts5 receptions, 57 yards, 2 TDs
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers27/43, 351 yards, 3 TDs
RushingRahjai Harris13 carries, 27 yards
ReceivingBlake Proehl13 receptions, 182 yards, 2 TDs

At Cincinnati

East Carolina at Cincinnati
1 234Total
Pirates 0 1007 17
No. 7 Bearcats 7 28713 55
       
Pregame line Over/under
CIN –27.556.5[12]
StatisticsEast CarolinaCincinnati
First downs2329
Total yards293653
Rushing yards206299
Passing yards87354
Turnovers41
Time of possession29:5030:10
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers9/20, 87 yards, 3 INTs
RushingKeaton Mitchell17 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingKeaton Mitchell1 reception, 26 yards
CincinnatiPassingDesmond Ridder24/31, 327 yards, 3 TDs
RushingDesmond Ridder8 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTre Tucker4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

At Temple

East Carolina at Temple
1 234Total
Pirates 7 1470 28
Owls 0 030 3
  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Location: Lincoln Financial Field
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Game start: 12:50 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 48 minutes
  • Game attendance: 100
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Mostly Sunny • Wind: NW 6 MPH
  • Referee: Hank Johns
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Dave Leno (play–by–play) and Ken Dunek (analyst)
  
Pregame line Over/under
ECU –753[13]
StatisticsEast CarolinaTemple
First downs1610
Total yards447235
Rushing yards265140
Passing yards18295
Turnovers23
Time of possession25:0634:54
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers11/22, 182 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RushingKeaton Mitchell13 carries, 103 yards
ReceivingC. J. Johnson3 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD
TemplePassingKamal Gray10/21, 95 yards, 2 INTs
RushingTayvon Ruley14 carries, 48 yards
ReceivingDavid Martin–Robinson1 reception, 30 yards

SMU

Southern Methodist at East Carolina
1 234Total
Mustangs 7 01714 38
Pirates 21 2407 52
  • Date: November 28, 2020
  • Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium
    Greeville, NC
  • Game start: 12:05 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes
  • Game attendance: 3,500
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Mostly Clear • Wind: Calm
  • Referee: Edwin Lee
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Lincoln Rose (play–by–play) and LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
          
Pregame line Over/under
SMU –12.072
StatisticsSMUEast Carolina
First downs2628
Total yards384493
Rushing yards70160
Passing yards314333
Turnovers32
Time of possession29:4330:17
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
SMUPassingShane Buechele35/50, 314 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingUlysses Bentley IV12 carries, 36 yards
ReceivingAustin Upshaw8 receptions, 78 yards
East CarolinaPassingHolton Ahlers20/29, 298 yards, 4 TDs
RushingKeaton Mitchell20 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingBlake Proehl6 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TDs

Players drafted into the NFL

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
4139D'Ante SmithOTCincinnati Bengals

References

  1. "MEAC suspends all fall sports for indefinite period". ESPN.com. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  2. Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  3. "ECU-Marshall football game canceled ahead of plane crash 50th anniversary". WITN.com. November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. "2020 Football Schedule". East Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  5. "2020 East Carolina Pirates Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  6. "UCF Knights vs East Carolina Pirates". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  7. "East Carolina Pirates vs Georgia State Panthers". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. "East Carolina Pirates vs USF Bulls". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  9. "Navy Midshipmen vs East Carolina Pirates". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  10. "East Carolina vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane". Sportsline. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  11. "Tulane Green Wave vs East Carolina Pirates". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  12. "East Carolina Pirates vs Cincinnati Bearcats". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  13. "East Carolina Pirates vs Temple Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
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