2019 East Carolina Pirates football team

The 2019 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Pirates, led by first-year head coach Mike Houston, played their home games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, and were members of the East Division in the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 4–8, 1–7 in AAC play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.

2019 East Carolina Pirates football
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Record	4–8 (1–7 The American)
Head coach	Mike Houston (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Donnie Kirkpatrick (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Trott (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Uniform

2019 American Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 21 Cincinnati xy		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 24 UCF		6	–	2					10	–	3
Temple		5	–	3					8	–	5
South Florida		2	–	6					4	–	8
East Carolina		1	–	7					4	–	8
UConn		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
No. 17 Memphis xy$		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 20 Navy x		7	–	1					11	–	2
SMU		6	–	2					10	–	3
Tulane		3	–	5					7	–	6
Houston		2	–	6					4	–	8
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	8
Championship: Memphis 29, Cincinnati 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on July 16, 2019, with the Pirates predicted to finish fifth in the AAC East Division.

Media poll (East)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	UCF	169 (19)
2	Cincinnati	157 (11)
3	USF	107
4	Temple	101
5	East Carolina	66
6	UConn	30

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:00 p.m.	at NC State*	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	ACCN	L 6–34	57,633
September 7	6:00 p.m.	Gardner–Webb*	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN3	W 48–9	34,118
September 14	3:30 p.m.	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	L 10–42	30,707
September 21	6:00 p.m.	William & Mary*	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN3	W 19–7	38,004
September 28	6:00 p.m.	at Old Dominion*	S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN+	W 24–21	18,643
October 3	8:00 p.m.	Temple	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPN	L 17–27	33,253
October 19	7:00 p.m.	at UCF	Spectrum Stadium Orlando, FL	CBSSN	L 28–41	42,906
October 26	3:45 p.m.	South Florida	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPNU	L 20–45	33,088
November 2	7:00 p.m.	No. 17 Cincinnati	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	CBSSN	L 43–46	32,276
November 9	12:00 p.m.	at No. 25 SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX	ESPNU	L 51–59	29,528
November 23	12:00 p.m.	at UConn	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ESPN3	W 31–24	12,084
November 30	12:00 p.m.	Tulsa	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	ESPNU	L 24–49	27,978
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:

Personnel

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Years at ECU	Alma mater
Head coach:	Mike Houston	1st	Mars Hill '94
Defensive coordinator Safeties coach:	Bob Trott	1st	UNC '76
Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks coach:	Donnie Kirkpatrick	1st	Lenoir-Rhyne '82
Special Teams Coordinator:	Roy Tesh	1st	Greensboro College '04
offensive line coach:	Steve Shankweiler	1st	Davidson '74
Wide Receivers coach:	Drew Dudzik	1st	JMU '10
Running backs coach:	De'Rail Sims	1st	Pikesville '10
Cornerbacks coach:	Brandon Lynch	3rd	Middle Tennessee '06
Defensive line coach	Jeff Hanson	1st	Richmond '71
Special Teams Assistant:	Fontel Mines	1st	Virginia '07

Game summaries

At NC State

See also: 2019 NC State Wolfpack football team and East Carolina–NC State rivalry

East Carolina at North Carolina State – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	3	0	0	3	6
Wolfpack	7	10	7	10	34

at Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC

• Date: August 31
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 57,633
• Referee: Adam Savoie
• TV announcers (ACC Network): Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Eric Wood
• [1] [2] [3]

Game information

First quarter NCST - Zonovan Knight 9-yard TD run, Christopher Dunn kick good, 8:34 (NCST 7-0) ECU - Jake Verity 47-yard field goal, 6:04 (NCST 7-3) Second quarter NCST - Dunn 27-yard field goal, 10:01 (NCST 10-3) NCST - Matthew McKay 4-yard TD run, Dunn kick good, 0:51 (NCST 17-3) Third quarter NCST - Tabari Hines 48-yard TD pass from McKay, Dunn kick good, 9:48 (NCST 24-3) Fourth quarter NCST - McKay 21-yard TD run, Dunn kick good, 12:21 (NCST 31-3) NCST - Dunn 34-yard field goal, 4:14 (NCST 34-3) ECU - Verity 31-yard field goal, 1:18 (NCST 34-6) Top passers NCST - Matthew McKay - 25/37, 308 yards, TD ECU - Holton Ahlers - 22/39, 168 yards, INT Top rushers NCST - Zonovan Knight - 9 carries, 42 yards, TD ECU - Darius Pinnix Jr. - 11 carries, 23 yards Top receivers NCST - Thayer Thomas - 6 receptions, 83 yards ECU - Blake Proehl - 5 receptions, 45 yards

Gardner–Webb

See also: 2019 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

Gardner–Webb at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	7	2	0	9
Pirates	17	14	7	10	48

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 34,118
• TV: ESPN3
• [4]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers GWU - ECU - Top rushers GWU - ECU - Top receivers GWU - ECU -

At Navy

See also: 2019 Navy Midshipmen football team

East Carolina at Navy – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	3	0	7	10
Midshipmen	14	14	14	0	42

at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: S 10-15 mph • Weather: Overcast
• Game attendance: 30,707
• Referee: Charles Lamertina
• TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick-Burch (sideline)
• [5]

Game information

First quarter (11:26) NAVY TD – Malcolm Perry 18-yard rush, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:08; Navy 7–0 (05:46) NAVY TD – Malcolm Perry 11-yard rush, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:54; Navy 14–0 Second quarter (13:38) NAVY TD – CJ Williams 29-yard pass from Malcolm Perry, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:08; Navy 21–0 (09:09) ECU FG – Jake Verity 23-yard field goal Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 4:29; Navy 21–3 (05:25) NAVY TD – Malcolm Perry 6-yard rush, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:44; Navy 28–3 Third quarter (07:53) NAVY TD – Malcolm Perry 1-yard rush, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:07; Navy 35–3 (06:34) NAVY TD – CJ Williams 80-yard pass from Malcolm Perry, Bijan Nichols kick Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:12; Navy 42–3 Fourth quarter (12:30) ECU TD – Holton Ahlers 2-yard rush, Jake Verity kick Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:46; Navy 42–10 Top passers ECU – Holton Ahlers: 11/23, 138 yards, 1 INT NAVY – Malcolm Perry: 5/7, 151 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ECU – Holton Ahlers: 9 carries, 36 yards, 1 TD NAVY – Malcolm Perry: 24 carries, 156 yards, 4 TD Top receivers ECU – Tyler Snead: 3 receptions, 54 yards NAVY – C.J. Williams: 3 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD

William & Mary

See also: 2019 William & Mary Tribe football team

William & Mary at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tribe	0	7	0	0	7
Pirates	7	3	3	6	19

at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 38,004
• TV: ESPN3
• [6]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers W&M - ECU - Top rushers W&M - ECU - Top receivers W&M - ECU -

At Old Dominion

See also: 2019 Old Dominion Monarchs football team

East Carolina at Old Dominion – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	10	7	0	7	24
Monarchs	3	0	10	8	21

at S.B. Ballard Stadium, Norfolk, VA

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 18,643
• TV: ESPN+
• [7]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ECU - ODU - Top rushers ECU - ODU - Top receivers ECU - ODU -

Temple

See also: 2019 Temple Owls football team

Temple at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	17	7	3	27
Pirates	7	3	0	7	17

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: October 3
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 33,253
• TV: ESPN
• [8]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers TEMP - ECU - Top rushers TEMP - ECU - Top receivers TEMP - ECU -

At UCF

See also: 2019 UCF Knights football team

East Carolina at UCF – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	6	16	6	28
Knights	21	14	6	0	41

at Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, FL

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 42,906
• TV: CBSSN
• [9]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ECU - UCF - Top rushers ECU - UCF - Top receivers ECU - UCF -

South Florida

See also: 2019 South Florida Bulls football team

South Florida at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	14	21	3	7	45
Pirates	7	3	0	10	20

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 3:45 p.m.
• Game attendance: 33,088
• TV: ESPNU
• [10]

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers USF - ECU - Top rushers USF - ECU - Top receivers USF - ECU -

No. 17 Cincinnati

See also: 2019 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

Cincinnati at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Bearcats	21	0	7	18	46
Pirates	14	17	9	3	43

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: November 2
• Game time: 7:08 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Clear, 54 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 32,273
• Referee: Edwin Lee
• TV: CBSSN
• [11]

Game information

First quarter (9:20) CIN – Michael Warren II 1-yard run, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:07; Cincinnati 7–0) (9:09) ECU – C. J. Johnson 75-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11; Tied 7–7) (8:19) CIN – Gerrid Doaks 2-yard run, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:50; Cincinnati 14–7) (3:22) ECU – Holton Ahlers 6-yard run, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:57; Tied 14–14) (0:19) CIN – Michael Warren II 1-yard run, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:03; Cincinnati 21–14) Second quarter (5:57) ECU – Zech Byrd 3-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:42; Tied 21–21) (3:10) ECU – Jsi Hatfield 3-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 1:56; East Carolina 28–21) (0:01) ECU – Jake Verity 27-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards, 0:22; East Carolina 31–21) Third quarter (10:45) CIN – Michael Warren II 3-yard run, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:15; East Carolina 31–28) (4:20) ECU – Jake Verity 20-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 6:25; East Carolina 34–28) (0:14) ECU – Tyler Snead 9-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Holton Ahlers pass failed (Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 2:32; East Carolina 40–28) Fourth quarter (8:37) CIN – Josiah Deguara 3-yard pass from Desmond Ridder, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:37; East Carolina 40–35) (4:38) CIN – Sauce Gardner 62-yard interception, Josiah Deguara pass (Cincinnati 43–40) (1:10) ECU – Jake Verity 27-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:28; Tied 43–43) (0:00) CIN – Sam Crosa 32-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 1:10; Cincinnati 46–43) Top passers CIN - Desmond Ridder – 12/24, 161 yards, TD, 2 INT ECU - Holton Ahlers – 32/52, 535 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers CIN - Desmond Ridder – 12 carries, 146 yards ECU - Trace Christian – 9 carries, 44 yards Top receivers CIN - Josiah Deguara – 2 receptions, 76 yards ECU - C. J. Johnson – 12 receptions, 283 yards

At SMU

See also: 2019 SMU Mustangs football team

East Carolina at SMU – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	7	13	17	14	51
No. 23 Mustangs	14	14	17	14	59

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, TX

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny, 57 °F (14 °C)
• Game attendance: 29,528
• Referee: Henry Johns
• TV: ESPNU
• [12]

Game information

First quarter (12:44) SMU TD – Kylen Granson 22-yard pass from Shane Buechele, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 7–0; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:16 (07:20) ECU TD – Jsi Hatfield 68-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Tied 7–7; Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 0:42 (03:51) SMU TD – Kylen Granson 4-yard pass from Shane Buechele, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 14–7; Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:29 Second quarter (11:06) ECU FG – Jake Verity 38-yard field goal Southern Methodist 14–10; Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 3:39 (07:28) SMU TD – Xavier Jones 3-yard rush, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 21–10; Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:38 (04:45) SMU TD – James Proche 51-yard pass from Shane Buechele, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 28–10; Drive: 3 plays, 66 yards, 1:02 (02:04) ECU TD – Tyler Snead 36-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Southern Methodist 28–17; Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:37 (00:00) SMU FG – Jake Verity 37-yard field goal Southern Methodist 28–20; Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 1:00 Third quarter (13:53) ECU TD – Zech Byrd 45-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Southern Methodist 28–27; Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:07 (12:01) SMU TD – Xavier Jones 35-yard rush, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 35–27; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:52 (08:06) ECU TD – Tyler Snead 47-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Southern Methodist 35–34; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:55 (05:34) SMU FG – Kevin Robledo 23-yard field goal Southern Methodist 38–34; Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:22 (01:56) ECU FG – Jake Verity 41-yard field goal Southern Methodist 38–37; Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 3:38 (00:19) SMU TD – Xavier Jones 64-yard rush, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 45–37; Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:29 Fourth quarter (10:58) ECU TD – Tyler Snead 57-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Southern Methodist 45–44; Drive: 10 plays, 97 yards, 4:20 (07:25) SMU TD – Kylen Granson 31-yard pass from Shane Buechele, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 52–44; Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:40 (04:18) SMU TD – James Proche 3-yard pass from Shane Buechele, Kevin Robledo kick Southern Methodist 59–44; Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 3:00 (01:55) ECU TD – Audie Omotosho 22-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick Southern Methodist 59–51; Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 2:16 Top passers ECU – Holton Ahlers – 32/42, 498 yards, 6 TD SMU – Shane Buechele – 33/46, 414 yards, 5 TD, INT Top rushers ECU – Tay Williams – 14 carries, 61 yards SMU – Xavier Jones – 20 carries, 157 yards, 3 TD Top receivers ECU – Tyler Snead – 19 receptions, 240 yards, 3 TD SMU – James Proche – 14 receptions, 167 yards, 2 TD

At UConn

See also: 2019 UConn Huskies football team

East Carolina at Connecticut – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	10	7	7	7	31
Huskies	7	0	7	10	24

at Rentschler Field, Hartford, CT

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind: 9 W • Weather: Gorgeous Fall Day
• Game attendance: 12,084
• Referee: Edwin Lee
• TV announcers (ESPN3): Robert Lee (play-by-play) & Matt Chatham (color analyst)
• [13]

Game information

First quarter UCONN • 13:07 • Cameron Ross 40 yd pass from Jack Zergiotis (Clayton Harris kick) • UCONN 7–0 ECU • 05:57 • Jake Verity 26 yd field goal • UCONN 7–3 ECU • 01:11 • Darius Pinnix 3 yd run (Jake Verity kick) • ECU 10–7 Second quarter ECU • 01:49 • Zech Byrd 17 yd pass from Holton Ahlers (Jake Verity kick) • ECU 17–7 Third quarter UCONN • 13:09 • Jay Rose 20 yd pass from Jack Zergiotis (Clayton Harris kick) • ECU 17–14 ECU • 10:31 • Darius Pinnix 1 yd run (Jake Verity kick) • ECU 24–14 Fourth quarter UCONN • 14:33 • Clayton Harris 27 yd field goal • ECU 24–17 UCONN • 09:28 • Cameron Ross 94 yd pass from Jack Zergiotis (Clayton Harris kick) • TIED 24–24 ECU • 03:28 • Holton Ahlers 2 yd run (Jake Verity kick) • ECU 31–24 Top passers ECU - Holton Ahlers – 34/50, 374 yards, TD UCONN - Jack Zergiotis – 21/37, 418 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ECU - Darius Pinnix – 27 attempts, 105 yards, 2 TD UCONN - Kevin Mensah – 20 attempts, 75 yards Top receivers ECU - Tyler Snead – 16 receptions, 126 yards UCONN - Cameron Ross – 8 receptions, 169 yards, 2 TD

Tulsa

See also: 2019 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

Tulsa at East Carolina – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Hurricane	7	14	14	14	49
Pirates	3	0	7	14	24

at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC

• Date: November 30
• Game time: 12:02 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy with Drizzle, 48 °F (9 °C), Calm
• Game attendance: 27,978
• Referee: A. Calabrese
• TV: ESPNU
• [14]

Game information

First quarter (1:42) ECU – Jake Verity 51-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:20; East Carolina 3–0) (1:06) TUL – Sam Crawford Jr. 66-yard pass from Zach Smith, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:36; Tulsa 7–3) Second quarter (12:09) TUL – Keylon Stokes 29-yard pass from Zach Smith, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:52; Tulsa 14–3) (4:45) TUL – Keenen Johnson 4-yard pass from Zach Smith, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 10 plays, 92 yards, 5:50; Tulsa 21–3) Third quarter (11:40) TUL – T. K. Wilerson 10-yard run, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 0:34; Tulsa 28–3) (6:55) ECU – Blake Proehl 3-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:45; Tulsa 28–10) (4:10) TUL – Shamari Brooks 2-yard pass from Zach Smith, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:45; Tulsa 35–10) Fourth quarter (14:31) TUL – Corey Taylor II 12-yard run, Jacob Rainey kick (Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards, 0:50; Tulsa 42–10) (11:17) ECU – C. J. Johnson 35-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:14; Tulsa 42–17) (6:36) TUL – Ethan Hall 39-yard pass from Zach Smith, Danny Donley kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:41; Tulsa 49–17) (2:36) ECU – Blake Proehl 34-yard pass from Holton Ahlers, Jake Verity kick (Drive: 3 plays, 37 yards, 1:11; Tulsa 49–24) Top passers TUL - Zach Smith – 21/30, 331 yards, 5 TD, INT ECU - Holton Ahlers – 27/48, 308 yards, 3 TD Top rushers TUL - Shamari Brooks – 16 carries, 202 yards ECU - Holton Ahlers – 6 carries, 35 yards Top receivers TUL - Sam Crawford Jr. – 5 receptions, 93 yards, TD ECU - C. J. Johnson – 6 receptions, 141 yards, TD