East Carolina Pirates celebrate on the stage after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers to win the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

East Carolina bests Pittsburgh in turnover-filled Military Bowl

By Colby Colwell | Last updated Dec 27, 2025 3:20 PM ET

For much of Saturday's Go Bowling Military Bowl, it did not look like the Pittsburgh Panthers and East Carolina Pirates had any interest playing in a game that featured six combined turnovers.

Despite the sloppiness, East Carolina (9-4) escaped with a second Military Bowl win in as many seasons, 23-17, to finish the season with its third consecutive bowl win, the longest streak in program history.

The Pirates only had 11 total first downs in the game to Pittsburgh's 24 and went 2-of-15 on third down, but they forced five turnovers and took better care of the football.

Wild third quarter highlights ugly Military Bowl

You may not be able to find a more eventful quarter of football than the third quarter of Saturday's Military Bowl. The Pirates had a TD overturned due to an inadvertent whistle from the officials, which was immediately followed by a scoop-and-score from Pittsburgh linebacker Rasheem Biles.

Two plays later, East Carolina answered right back with a 72-yard TD pass from quarterback Chaston Ditta to wide receiver Anthony Smith to help the Pirates retake the lead, 17-14, late in the third quarter.

This sequence of events in Pitt-ECU

ECU's TD was overturned for an inadvertent whistle, Pitt takes the lead on a scoop and score and then ECU answers back pic.twitter.com/tnG2IiBvMu
— ESPN (@espn) December 27, 2025

Ditta was only 8-of-17 for 177 yards and two TDs, but that play was a huge turning point in the game. Smith had four catches for 156 yards and two TDs , proving to be a reliable option for Ditta in a game that struggled to find its rhythm.

The Panthers (8-5) never regained the lead after that bizarre sequence, mainly due to their rash of giveaways. However, it was not all bad for Pittsburgh thanks to the historic performance from Biles.

According to ESPN Insights, he is the first player with 15 tackles, four tackles for loss and a TD in any game in 18 years. Biles finished the game with a team-high 16 total tackles (seven solo), two sacks, five tackles for loss, one pass defended and one TD.

It was not that long ago that Pittsburgh was in position to win the ACC and compete for a College Football Playoff spot until blowout losses to then-No. 9 Notre Dame, 37-15, and No. 12 Miami, 38-7, ended its season on a sour note with two losses in its last three regular-season games.

While turnovers plagued the Panthers in the Military Bowl and sent them into the offseason on a losing skid, the Pirates deserve credit for taking advantage of the sloppiness and winning a game that was not the most well played.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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