GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina seeks its second-straight victory Saturday evening when it hosts Campbell in a non-conference contest inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the game will stream live via ESPN+ with Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Jay Sonnhalter (analyst) on the call.
The Pirates are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mike Houston.
ECU (1-1) utilized a strong second-half showing to post a 39-21 victory over Old Dominion last Saturday in Greenville. Keaton Mitchell got the ground game going with 160 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns while Holton Ahlers racked up 270 yards on 25 completions with a pair of scores. A stout run defense limited the Monarchs to just 15 rushing yards.
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Ahlers, Mitchell star for ECU in win over Old Dominion
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Campbell (1-1) dropped a 37-21 road decision to William & Mary last Saturday after knocking off The Citadel 29-10 in its season opener a few weeks ago.
East Carolina Records, Streaks and Trends
- Has allowed only four fourth-quarter offensive touchdowns in the last eight games dating back to the 2021 season
- Has forced at least one turnover in 20 of the last 22 games (and in 31 of the last 32)
- Has held the edge in time of possession in seven-straight contests
- Stands sixth nationally in time of possession averaging 36:35 per contest in 2022
- Has snapped more offensive plays than their two opponents (+45)
- Averaging 38,115 fans per game since the start of 2021 season
The Series
Campbell leads the all-time series 3-1 as the Pirates and Camels square off for the first time in 83 years. ECU won the initial game with a 6-0 shutout, but was outscored in the final three contests 27-12.
Houston Against The Camels
Saturday marks the first time that Mike Houston has faced off against Campbell as a head coach.
Minter Against The Pirates
This will be the first meeting for Mike Minter against East Carolina.
East Carolina Against The Big South Conference
East Carolina owns an 3-4 all-time record against current members of the Big South Conference. The Pirates are 1-3 against Campbell, 1-0 vs. Gardner-Webb, 1-0 vs. Charleston Southern and 0-1 vs. N.C. A&T. The only two institutions the Pirates have not played are Bryant and Robert Morris. Since taking over at ECU, Mike Houston sports a 2-0 ledger against the Big South, earning wins against Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern.
Against Non-Conference Opponents
The Pirates have produced a 41-59 (.410) regular season non-league record, which includes an 1-1 clip in 2022. ECU split its four non-conference games last year, falling to Appalachian State and South Carolina to open the season before rallying back to post victories against Marshall and Charleston Southern. During his first season as head coach in 2019, Mike Houston led the Pirates to a 3-1 record – the program’s first winning non-conference ledger since 2014.
Triple-Digit Magic
Keaton Mitchell (124/CIN, 103/TEM in 2020; 135/MAR, 125/CSU, 222/TLN, 146/TEM in 2021 and 160/ODU in 2022) has seven career 100-yard rushing games entering the Campbell contest. He posted his fourth 100-yard ground game in 2021 against Temple while his running mate Rahjai Harris tallied his fourth (22-100) vs. USF (10/28/21), marking the first time since 2003 that ECU featured teammates with at least four each (Marvin Townes/5, Art Brown/4). Individually, Dominique Lindsay posted five in 2009 for the most recent single-season best. Currently, Mitchell is tied for 10th in the Pirate annals having reached the century mark on seven occasions.
A Single-Game Record Breaker
With an attendance total of 51,711 against NC State on Sept. 3, ECU established a single-game home record – surpassing the 51,082 who watched the Pirates beat North Carolina on Sept. 20, 2014. In all, East Carolina has enjoyed sell out crowds for 13 contests since Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium was expanded in 2010.
At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
East Carolina’s all-time record at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is 197-112 (.637). The Pirates opened the facility on Sept. 21, 1963 with a 20-10 win over Wake Forest in front of 17,000 fans, celebrated the stadium’s 50th anniversary in 2013 and recently hosted its 300th game vs. Tulane in 2020. Before a 4-2 clip in 2021, a 1-3 record two years ago and a collective 13-19 mark from 2015-2019, ECU was 5-1 in 2014, 2013 and 2012 (15-3) and won a combined 10 of 12 home matchups in 2009 (6-1) and 2008 (4-1). Overall, ECU has posted 40 winning campaigns at DFS since 1963.
The Pirate Nation – Over 9 Million Strong
East Carolina has usually been able to claim plenty of hometown support when playing at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium – establishing itself among conference attendance leaders on a near annual basis. In all, a total of 9,210,388 fans have seen the Pirates in action since 1963, and since the completion of a 7,000-seat expansion project in 2010 (to push capacity to 50,000), the Pirates have drawn 2,939,099 fans.
Up Next
ECU opens American Athletic Conference play and concludes its season-opening four-game homestand next Saturday with a showdown versus Navy. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will stream live on ESPN+.
