2021 East Carolina Pirates football team

2021 East Carolina Pirates football
Military Bowl, vs. Boston College, Canceled
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	7–5 (5–3 The American)
Head coach	Mike Houston (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Donnie Kirkpatrick (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Blake Harrell (2nd season)
Home stadium	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium (capacity: 50,000)

2021 American Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^		8	–	0					13	–	1
No. 17 Houston y		8	–	0					12	–	2
UCF		5	–	3					9	–	4
East Carolina		5	–	3					7	–	5
Tulsa		5	–	3					7	–	6
SMU		4	–	4					8	–	4
Memphis		3	–	5					6	–	6
Navy		3	–	5					4	–	8
Tulane		1	–	7					2	–	10
South Florida		1	–	7					2	–	10
Temple		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Pirates, led by third-year head coach Mike Houston, play their home games at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium as members of the American Athletic Conference.

After compiling a 7–5 regular season record, the Pirates received a bid to the Military Bowl, where they were due to face the Boston College Eagles. On December 26, the Eagles withdrew from the game, due to COVID-19 issues; the bowl was subsequently canceled.

Previous season

Main article: 2020 East Carolina Pirates football team

The Pirates finished the 2020 season 3–6, 3–5 in AAC play to finish in ninth place in the conference.

Preseason

American Athletic Conference preseason media poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021. Cincinnati, who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Cincinnati	262 (22)
2	UCF	241 (2)
3	SMU	188
4	Houston	181
5	Memphis	168
6	Tulsa	153
7	Tulane	132
т-8	East Carolina	85
т-8	Navy	85
10	Temple	46
11	South Florida	43

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:30 p.m.	vs. Appalachian State*	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Duke's Mayo Classic)	ESPNU	L 19–33	36,752
September 11	12:00 p.m.	South Carolina*	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN2	L 17–20	40,816
September 18	6:00 p.m.	at Marshall*	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV (rivalry)	CBSSN Facebook	W 42–38	24,833
September 25	6:00 p.m.	Charleston Southern*	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN+	W 31–28	39,218
October 2	3:30 p.m.	Tulane	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN+	W 52–29	33,475
October 9	6:00 p.m.	at UCF	Bounce House Orlando, FL	ESPN+	L 16–20	41,649
October 23	9:20 p.m.	at Houston	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPNews α	L 24–31 OT	22,925
October 28	7:30 p.m.	South Florida	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN	W 29–14	32,015
November 6	3:00 p.m.	Temple	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN+	W 45–3	32,817
November 13	11:00 a.m.	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	ESPN+	W 30–29 OT	28,431
November 20	3:30 p.m.	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	W 38–35	28,001
November 26	3:30 p.m.	No. 4 Cincinnati	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ABC	L 13–35	38,014
December 27	2:30 p.m.	vs. Boston College*	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD (Military Bowl)	ESPN	Canceled	_
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Notes

^α This game was initially scheduled for ESPNU at 4PM ET, but moved to 9:20PM ET on ESPNews because of a rain delay.

Game summaries

vs. Appalachian State

Appalachian State vs. East Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total • Mountaineers 14 6 7 6 33 Pirates 6 0 3 10 19 Date: September 2, 2021 Location: Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 7:33 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 36,752 Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: S 8 MPH TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 09:26 ECU Keaton Mitchell 63-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick failed) (5 plays, 80 yards, 3:02) ECU 0–6 06:24 APP Thomas Hennigan 34-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick) (7 plays, 66 yards, 3:02) APP 7–6 00:50 APP Camerun Peoples 21-yard rush (Chandler Staton kick) (9 plays, 78 yards, 4:27) APP 14–6 2 09:13 APP Chandler Staton 21-yard field goal (11 plays, 80 yards, 4:11) APP 17–6 02:29 APP Chandler Staton 43-yard field goal (11 plays, 51 yards, 5:06) APP 20–6 3 08:53 ECU Owen Daffer 38-yard field goal (10 plays, 66 yards, 4:03) APP 20–9 08:19 APP Corey Sutton 18-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick) (2 plays, 86 yards, 0:34) APP 27–9 4 12:19 APP Camerun Peoples 12-yard rush (two-point conversion rush attempt failed) (3 plays, 60 yards, 1:29) APP 33–9 06:25 ECU Owen Daffer 39-yard field goal (11 plays, 59 yards, 4:50) APP 33–12 02:10 ECU Ryan Jones 38-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (6 plays, 76 yards, 1:54) APP 33–19

See also: 2021 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team and Duke's Mayo Classic

Over/under
APP –9.0	56

Statistics	Appalachian State	East Carolina
First downs	25	20
Total yards	485	381
Rushing yards	226	86
Passing yards	259	295
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	31:55	28:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Appalachian State	Passing	Chase Brice	20/27, 259 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Nate Noel	15 carries, 126 yards
	Receiving	Thomas Hennigan	4 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	22/40, 295 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Keaton Mitchell	4 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Keaton Mitchell	5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD

vs. South Carolina

See also: 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

Game Two – South Carolina Gamecocks (1–0) at East Carolina Pirates (0-1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina	0	7	7	6	20
East Carolina	7	7	0	3	17

at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, September 11, 2021
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 78 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 40,816
• Referee: Alex Moore
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter (14:49) ECU – Jsi Hatfield 75-yard pass from Tyler Snead (Owen Daffer Kick). East Carolina 7-0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11. Second quarter (11:53) ECU – Holton Ahlers 3-yard run (Owen Daffer Kick). East Carolina 14-0. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:45. (1:00) SC – Damani Staley 63-yard interception return (Parker White Kick). East Carolina 14-7. Third quarter (0:46) SC – Dakereon Joyner 13-yard pass from Zeb Noland (Parker White Kick). Tied 14-14. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 1:14. Fourth quarter (8:46) ECU – Owen Daffer 26-yard field goal. East Carolina 17-14. Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 7:00. (6:46) SC – Parker White 39-yard field goal. Tied 17-17. Drive: 5 plays, 12 yards, 2:00. (0:00) SC – Parker White 36-yard field goal. South Carolina 20-17. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:54.

Statistics	SC	ECU
First downs	15	12
Plays–yards	63–325	63–268
Rushes–yards	100	116
Passing yards	225	152
Passing: comp–att–int	13–24–1	12–25–2
Time of possession	18:57	41:03

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SC	Passing	Zeb Noland	13/24, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	JuJu McDowell	11 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	Josh Vann	5 receptions, 127 yards
ECU	Passing	Holton Ahlers	11/24, 77 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Rahjai Harris	14 carries, 70 yards
	Receiving	Jsi Hatfield	2 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

at Marshall

East Carolina at Marshall

1 2 3 4 Total • Pirates 7 14 0 21 42 Thundering Herd 10 14 14 0 38 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV Game start: 6:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 36 minutes Game attendance: 24,833 Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny Referee: Luke Richard TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Michael Grady (play–by–play), Corey Chavous (analyst), and Justin Walters (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 12:20 MRSH Andrew Sanders 29-yard field goal (9 plays, 63 yards, 2:40) MRSH 3–0 09:13 ECU Tyler Snead 24-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 3:07) ECU 7–3 05:20 MRSH Willie Johnson 19-yard pass from Grant Wells (Andrew Sanders kick) (6 plays, 37 yards, 1:42) MRSH 10–7 2 12:23 ECU Keaton Mitchell 88-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick) (3 plays, 96 yards, 1:24) ECU 14–10 10:28 MRSH Rasheen Ali 26-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick) (5 plays, 75 yards, 2:05) MRSH 17–14 07:31 MRSH Rasheen Ali 1-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick) (4 plays, 65 yards, 1:21) MRSH 24–14 00:08 ECU Shane Calhoun 5-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (13 plays, 53 yards, 3:25) MRSH 24–21 3 10:23 MRSH Rasheen Ali 49-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick) (4 plays, 63 yards, 1:34) MRSH 31–21 01:03 MRSH Grant Wells 6-yard rush (Andrew Sanders kick) (6 plays, 90 yards, 2:00) MRSH 38–21 4 07:31 ECU Holton Ahlers 5-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick) (12 plays, 78 yards, 4:33) MRSH 38–28 02:31 ECU Holton Ahlers 27-yard pass from Tyler Snead (Owen Daffer kick) (6 plays, 80 yards, 2:16) MRSH 38–35 00:55 ECU Rahjai Harris 1-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick) (6 plays, 53 yards, 1:36) ECU 42–38

See also: 2021 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Pregame line	Over/under
MRSH –10.0	58

Statistics	East Carolina	Marshall
First downs	27	24
Total yards	563	648
Rushing yards	168	215
Passing yards	395	433
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	30:19	29:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	30/48, 368 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Keaton Mitchell	14 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Shane Calhoun	8 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
Marshall	Passing	Grant Wells	24/39, 433 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Rasheen Ali	24 carries, 189 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Corey Gammage	8 receptions, 180 yards

Charleston Southern

Charleston Southern at East Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total Buccaneers 14 0 0 14 28 • Pirates 0 24 7 0 31 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 6:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4 hours and 33 minutes Game attendance: 39,218 Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny Referee: Edwin Lee TV announcers (ESPN+): Connor Onion (play–by–play) and Stanford Routt (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 10:29 CHSO JD Moore 6-yard rush (Sam Babbush kick) (15 plays, 75 yards, 4:31) CHSO 7–0 06:18 CHSO Kale Anderson 38-yard pass from Jack Chambers (Sam Babbush kick) (8 plays, 98 yards, 2:17) CHSO 14–0 2 13:10 ECU Keaton Mitchell 74-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick) (2 plays, 80 yards, 0:33) CHSO 14–7 07:38 ECU Owen Daffer 33-yard field goal (11 plays, 39 yards, 3:59) CHSO 14–10 05:00 ECU Mason Garcia 3-yard rush (Owen Daffer kick) (5 plays, 55 yards, 1:56) ECU 17–14 02:31 ECU C. J. Johnson 60-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (3 plays, 66 yards, 0:39) ECU 24–14 3 11:09 ECU Ja'Quan McMillian 23-yard interception returned (Owen Daffer kick) (3 plays, 12 yards, 0:49) ECU 31–14 4 13:58 CHSO Jack Chambers 8-yard rush (Sam Babbush kick) (10 plays, 81 yards, 1:59) ECU 31–21 01:50 CHSO Geoffrey Wall 2-yard pass from Jack Chambers (Sam Babbush kick) (8 plays, 86 yards, 1:21) ECU 31–28

See also: 2021 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ECU –24.5	59

Statistics	Charleston Southern	East Carolina
First downs	34	14
Total yards	536	388
Rushing yards	131	150
Passing yards	405	238
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	31:27	28:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charleston Southern	Passing	Jack Chambers	38/61, 405 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	JD Moore	14 car, 58 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Garris Schwarting	8 rec, 94 yds
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	17/26, 238 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Keaton Mitchell	13 car, 125 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	C.J. Johnson	3 rec, 95 yds, 1 TD

Tulane

Tulane at East Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total Green Wave 0 7 16 6 29 • Pirates 17 14 0 21 52 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance: 33,475 Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely and Barrett Brooks

Scoring summary 1 10:49 ECU Owen Daffer 23-yard field goal (10 plays, 70 yards, 4:11) ECU 3–0 5:03 ECU Holton Ahlers 17-yard run (Owen Daffer kick) (7 plays, 55 yards, 3:55) ECU 10–0 1:21 ECU Keaton Mitchell 68-yard run (Owen Daffer kick) (2 plays, 80 yards, 0:40) ECU 17–0 2 13:18 ECU Tyler Snead 53-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (4 plays, 61 yards, 1:28) ECU 24–0 9:38 TUL Ygenio Booker 16-yard pass from Michael Pratt (Merek Glover kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 3:40) ECU 24–7 0:36 ECU Rahjai Harris 3-yard pass from Holton Ahlers (Owen Daffer kick) (11 plays, 76 yards, 3:27) ECU 31–7 3 10:43 TUL Michael Pratt 7-yard run (Michael Pratt pass to Tyrick James for two-point conversion) (7 plays, 75 yards, 4:17) ECU 31–15 3:39 TUL Cameron Carroll 1-yard run (Michael Pratt run for two-point conversion) (10 plays, 91 yards, 3:22) ECU 31–23 4 13:33 ECU Rahjai Harris 1-yard run (Owen Daffer kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 5:06) ECU 38–23 8:15 ECU Ryan Jones 14-yards pass from Mason Garcia (Owen Daffer kick) (7 plays, 30 yards, 3:51) ECU 45–23 6:53 TUL Michael Pratt 2-yard run (two-point run conversion failed) (4 plays, 75 yards, 1:22) ECU 45–29 1:06 ECU Keaton Mitchell 30-yard run 3 plays, 61 yards, 1:34) ECU 52–29

See also: 2021 Tulane Green Wave football team

Pregame line	Over/under
TULN –3.0	64.5

Statistics	Tulane	East Carolina
First downs	19	25
Total yards	404	612
Rushing yards	124	310
Passing yards	280	302
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	25:41	34:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tulane	Passing	Michael Pratt	22/36, 268 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Cameron Carroll	9 car, 80 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Duece Watts	4 rec, 79 yds
East Carolina	Passing	Holton Ahlers	21/32, 288 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Keaton Mitchell	15 car, 222 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tyler Snead	4 rec, 78 yds, 1 TD

at UCF

East Carolina at Central Florida

1 2 Total Pirates 0 Knights 0 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Bounce House Orlando, FL Game start: 6:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle and Brandon Weeden

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 UCF Knights football team

Over/under

Statistics	East Carolina	UCF
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UCF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Houston

East Carolina at Houston

1 2 Total Pirates 0 Cougars 0 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: TDECU Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT (Kicked at 9:20 p.m. – delayed 5 hours and 20 minutes to kickoff due to lightning) Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes Game attendance: 22,925 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 9 MPH Referee: Edwin Lee TV announcers (ESPNews): Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Houston Cougars football team

Over/under

Statistics	East Carolina	Houston
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

South Florida

South Florida at East Carolina

1 2 Total Bulls 0 Pirates 0 Date: October 28, 2021 Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Lauren Sisler (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 South Florida Bulls football team

Over/under

Statistics	South Florida	East Carolina
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Temple

Temple at East Carolina

1 2 Total Owls 0 Pirates 0 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: TBD EDT Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN+): Courtney Lyle, Brandon Weeden

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Temple Owls football team

Over/under

Statistics	Temple	East Carolina
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Temple	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Memphis

East Carolina at Memphis

1 2 Total Pirates 0 Tigers 0 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: TBD EST Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ESPN+): Richard Cross, Brandon Weeden

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Memphis Tigers football team

Over/under

Statistics	East Carolina	Memphis
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Memphis	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Navy

East Carolina at Navy

1 2 Total Pirates 0 Midshipmen 0 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak, Randy Cross

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Navy Midshipmen football team

Over/under

Statistics	East Carolina	Navy
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Navy	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 4 Cincinnati

Cincinnati at East Carolina

1 2 Total No. 4 Bearcats 0 Pirates 0 Date: November 26, 2021 Location: Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC Game start: TBD EST Elapsed time:   Game attendance:   Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:   TV announcers (ABC): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

Over/under

Statistics	Cincinnati	East Carolina
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cincinnati	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving