Pitt Falls to East Carolina in Ugly Bowl Loss

A completely lackluster showing, outside of Rasheem Biles, has put a damper on what was otherwise a solid season for the Pitt Panthers.

Pitt lost to ECU, 23-17, in the GoBowling Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this afternoon. It was a thoroughly uninspired effort by a squad that had a chance to end the season on a high note.

Pitt turned the ball over five times, failed to gain any sort of momentum throughout the entire game, and wasted a strong effort from Biles: 16 tackles (seven solo), five tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a pass breakup.

Mason Heintschel struggled all game, taking a sack on the final play, Ja'Kyrian Turner fumbled twice and the offensive line struggled horrifically.

A Tough Slog

It was anything -- ANYTHING -- but easy for Pitt in the first half.

The Panthers couldn't get out of their way offensively. A poor opening possession, letting the ECU defense ramp up pressure and failing to adjust to pressure (or get hands on defenders) led to a three-and-out. A fumbled pitch on the first play of the second offensive possession, following a missed Pirates' field goal, but the defense forced a turnover on downs inside the 5-yard line.

But the Panthers still couldn't get anything going offensively, turning the ball over on downs themselves after Heintschel missed Kenny Johnson on 4th-and-2 at the start of the second quarter.

ECU opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal following the Pitt three-and-out.

And then, once again, despite a couple of plays that made it seem like the offense was starting to find its rhythm, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs near midfield -- walk-on Caleb Williams getting stuffed on third and fourth-and-short.

The poor play bled into the special teams unit, too. After yet another defensive stop, Johnson muffed the ECU punt and the Pirates jumped onto the ball.

It took until the waning seconds of the first half for the Panthers to find the scoreboard. Heintschel lobbed up a perfect ball to Poppi Williams with four seconds left in the half, giving the Panthers a late 7-3 lead courtesy of the 22-yard strike.

Pitt running back Ja'Kyrian Turner — Dec 27, 2025; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja'Kyrian Turner (25) rushes East Carolina Pirates defensive back Jonathan Jean (22) during the first half of the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Pitt Can't Muster Enough

The second half didn't start any better for the Panthers. Heintschel had the ball knocked free after being sacked on third-and-11, and ECU capitalized. Pirates quarterback Chastan Ditta hit wideout Anthony Smith for a 47-yard go-ahead touchdown on the next snap.

A disastrous sequence for ECU (thanks to the officials) helped Pitt turn the tide.

ECU went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 30, and Pirates running back Marlon Gunn Jr. broke free of a scrum, picked up the first down and appeared to race to the end zone from 68 yards out - however, an inadvertent whistle negated the run to 14 yards.

A couple of plays later, a Rasheem Biles strip sack, and subsequent fumble return touchdown, turned what would have been a 17-7 ECU lead into a 14-10 Pitt lead.

ECU came back with an immediate score. Ditta hit Smith again, who raced 72 yards to the end zone. And on the next possession, Turner lost the football again when Pirates linebacker Teagan Wilk knocked the ball free. ECU cashed in with a 33-yard field goal to stretch the lead to six.

A Heintschel interception in the red zone, which was returned 70 yards by ECU defensive back Kevon Merrill, allowed the Pirates to stretch the lead to two scores with just under seven minutes in the game.

Trey Butkowski nailed a 21-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the game, and after getting a stop defensively, the offense had 57 seconds to win the game. The Panthers couldn't finish.

What's Next?

The 2025-26 season has come to an end with an 8-5 (6-2 ACC) record. The offseason begins immediately, and the transfer portal will officially open on Jan. 2.

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