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East Carolina Beats Pitt 23-17 to Retain Military Bowl Title

Five Pitt turnovers propelled the Pirates to their first nine-win season in more than a decade.

Overview

  • Freshman Chaston Ditta, starting in place of Katin Houser, completed 8 of 17 passes for 177 yards with two touchdowns in his first career start.
  • Anthony Smith earned MVP honors with four receptions for a Military Bowl-record 156 yards, scoring on 47- and 72-yard plays.
  • An inadvertent whistle erased Marlon Gunn Jr.'s apparent 68-yard fourth-down touchdown, limiting the run to a 14-yard gain.
  • Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles forced a fumble on a sack and returned it for a touchdown to briefly give the Panthers the lead.
  • Nick Mazzie converted field goals from 42, 33 and 28 yards as ECU finished 9-4 at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium before an announced crowd of 17,016.