ECU dominates Army, 28-6
Rain on the Field … and on the Scoreboard
The rain came down hard to close out the 2nd quarter on Thursday night—but it was East Carolina that really poured it on against the Army Black Knights, lead by Pirates QB Katin Houser and a potent rushing attack.
If not for two timely defensive plays by safety Stephen Nnadozie and linebacker Eric Ford, the Pirates could have easily taken a 35-0 lead into halftime. Instead, Army trailed 21-0 at the break in what may have been one of the most frustrating first halves of Jeff Monken’s 12-year tenure as the Black Knights’ head coach.
First Quarter Struggles
Yes, this was Week 5 of the season, and while Army entered with a 1–2 record, many believed they could just as easily be undefeated. But the Pirates quickly proved they weren’t interested in hypotheticals.
ECU opened the game with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up just over 3 minutes and ended in the end zone. Meanwhile, Army’s offense sputtered—missed opportunities, drops, and mistakes defined the early going. Twice, RB Hayden Reed failed to secure passes from QB Dewayne Coleman, including one that looked destined to be a touchdown.
Turnovers, miscues, poor coverage, and missed tackles told the story of a disastrous first half.
Second Half Resilience
If there’s one constant with Army football, though, it’s resilience. And true to form, the Black Knights came out swinging in the 3rd quarter.
A 60-yard touchdown run by Noah Short—Army’s most dynamic offensive weapon this season—cut into the deficit and injected some life into the team. From there, both defenses clamped down, turning the game into a grind-it-out battle.
The Exclamation Point
With just over 8 minutes left, ECU lined up for what appeared to be a 50-yard field goal attempt. Instead, the Pirates executed a flawless fake, turning it into a 50-yard touchdown scamper that sealed a 28-6 victory.
Bottom Line
Army simply couldn’t get out of its own way for most of the night. While the defense showed flashes and the offense had its moments, the miscues piled up too high against a prepared ECU squad.
Now, here’s GBK’s Joe Iacono with his full postgame analysis and thoughts.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| ECU | 21 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| ARMY | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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