passes as East Carolina overcame an early setback, including an inadvertent whistle that nullified a long touchdown, to defeat Pittsburgh 23-17 in Saturday’s Military Bowl.
East Carolina’s decisive plays came after Pittsburgh had briefly taken a 14-10 lead following a fumble recovery touchdown by Rasheem Biles. Ditta responded with a 72-yard scoring pass to Anthony Smith, giving ECU a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game.
The Pirates’ offense struggled with turnovers, committing five over the course of the game, while ECU also forced two turnovers on downs. Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi noted the difficulty of winning with such mistakes: “You turn the ball over five times, and then two on downs… it’s hard to win any football game against any opponent, period.”
Despite late efforts by Pittsburgh, including a field goal with just over a minute remaining, ECU’s defense, highlighted by four takeaways and four sacks, held firm. Ditta had stepped in as the starting quarterback after Katin Houser entered the transfer portal, and his performance helped the Panthers (8-5) secure their Military Bowl victory.
ECU coach Blake Harrell reflected on returning to Annapolis for a second consecutive year: “Some folks were upset we were coming back… but if we come up here and get wins every time, I’ll come back every year.”
MAJOR BOOST: East Carolina secured a 23-17 victory over Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl on Friday, taking full advantage of five key turnovers to seal the win.
