Date: November 1, 2025
Location: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, PA
Final Score: ECU 45, Temple 14
Temple opened the afternoon with enough early energy to trade scores, but East Carolina’s depth, speed, and physicality eventually overwhelmed the Owls. The Pirates struck first on a crisp opening drive capped by a short touchdown pass from Katin Houser to Yannick Smith. After a brief momentum swing created by a Temple interception, ECU immediately stole it back with a pick of their own, setting up a 45‑yard touchdown burst from Anthony Smith to make it 14–0.
Temple answered with its best stretch of the day. A forced fumble by Jamere Jones set up a short field, and Jay Ducker punched in a 4‑yard touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Keveun Mason broke free for a 29‑yard score, tying the game at 14–14 and giving the home crowd a spark.
From there, ECU took complete control.
The Pirates closed the half with back‑to‑back touchdown drives — a 15‑yard run by Mike Wright Jr. and a 59‑yard strike from Houser to Yannick Smith — pushing the lead to 28–14 at the break. The second half was all ECU, powered by a dominant ground attack that piled up 358 rushing yards. London Montgomery added a 19‑yard touchdown, Marlon Gunn Jr. scored from a yard out, and Nick Mazzie drilled a 46‑yard field goal to finish off a run of 31 unanswered points.
Temple never rediscovered its early rhythm and was shut out after halftime. ECU controlled the trenches, dictated tempo, and pulled away behind a balanced 614‑yard offensive performance.
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