East Carolina coach Blake Harrell didn’t care how it looked. It was a win, and that was exactly what the Pirates needed after losing back-to-back games to open the 2026 season.
Ayden Duncanson returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown, and Noah Perez kicked a pair of field goals as ECU rallied from a 10-point deficit for a 20-17 win at Old Dominion on Saturday.
The Pirates improved to 1-2 overall and 6-0 all-time against Old Dominion in football.
“It’s a win baby, and that’s what matters,” Harrell said after the game. “I don’t care if it’s an ugly win. You’ve got to learn how to win ugly before you can win pretty, and we did that tonight. Showed a lot of resilience there.”
ECU 20, Old Dominion 17 | How it Happened
- Ja’Keith Hamilton caught a 25-yard wide receiver pass from Jason Dickerson to give ECU a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. That play was set up by a mishandled ODU punt snap that started the Pirates drive deep in Monarchs territory.
- Old Dominion responded with 17 points in the second quarter before Perez hit the first of his two field goals with two seconds before halftime for a 17-10 game at the break.
- Duncanson’s pick-six tied the game at 17 with 12:36 left in the third quarter.
- What turned out to be the winning drive for ECU covered 77 yards in 12 plays and ate more than seven minutes off the clock. Mitch Griffis hit Dillon Lorick for a 27-yard gain to keep the series alive. Perez’s game-winning field goal hit from 24 yards with 9:39 to go.
Stats to Know
- Old Dominion’s Devin Roche rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries, while quarterback Quinn Henicle added 73 yards and one touchdown.
- ECU was led in rushing by TJ Engleman Jr., who finished with 99 yards on 16 attempts.
- Neither team lit up the stat sheet in the passing department. ECU finished 11-of-21 passing for 103 yards, while ODU was 8-of-20 for 94 yards.
- Kieran Davis made seven tackles and had 2.0 tackles-for-loss for the Pirates. Zyeir Gamble and Julien Davis added eight stops apiece.
- ECU’s Tomas O’Halloran averaged 48.2 yards on six punts, with a long of 55 yards.
- The two teams combined for 18 penalties, nine on each side (ECU 95 yards, ODU 85 yards).
What’s Next for ECU?
The Pirates host North Carolina Central, an FCS team from the MEAC, this Saturday at 4 p.m. The Eagles dropped to 2-2 this past weekend with a loss at Gardner-Webb.
After a bye week, ECU jumps into American Conference play. Rice visits Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10, followed by back-to-back Thursday contests against UAB and Memphis.
