A strong defensive performance by the Pitt football team could only do so much Saturday afternoon in the Military Bowl as four offensive turnovers and a muffed punt plagued the Panthers in a 23-17 loss to East Carolina in Annapolis, Md.
The Panthers, who were playing without running back Desmond Reid, linebacker Kyle Louis and defensive lineman Jimmy Scott, finish the season at 8-5 after losing three of their final four games.
East Carolina took its first lead in the second quarter when kicker Nick Mazzie converted a 42-yard field goal on his second attempt of the game. He missed a 51-yard attempt at the 6 minute, 14 second mark of the first quarter.
Mazzie’s tiebreaking kick started the scoring in a game that included exceptional performances from both defenses. To that point, East Carolina mustered 65 total yards over three drives while going 2 for 7 on third downs.
The Panthers totaled 30 yards and gave up two sacks while rushing for just 9 yards in the first quarter. Freshman running back Ja’Kyrian Turner fumbled a pitch from quarterback Mason Heintschel late in the quarter, and wide receiver Kenny Johnson muffed a punt midway through the second.
The Panthers, however, found a glimpse of rhythm late in the first half as Heintschel led the offense on a 10-play, 77-yard scoring drive. The freshman QB capped it off with a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Poppi Williams with 4 seconds left to take a 7-3 lead. It was the Panthers’ longest drive of the game, but it only spanned 1:36.
Of Pitt’s six first-half drives, two ended in punts, two ended with a turnover on downs and one ended with a turnover.
Pitt and East Carolina combined to produce 267 total yards in the first half, which was the lowest first-half total in Military Bowl history, according to ESPN.
Pitt’s offense couldn’t carry its momentum into the second half and committed its third turnover on its first drive out of the locker room. East Carolina defensive lineman Kendrick DuJour stripped Heintschel at the 9:39 mark of the third quarter, and the Pirates immediately made the most of it.
On their first offensive play, quarterback Chaston Ditta, who was filling in for starting quarterback Katin Houser, hit wide receiver Anthony Smith in stride down the left sideline for a 47-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-7 lead. Ditta, a freshman, had completed four pass attempts for 38 yards in four games this season.
The Panthers defense, which stood tall for most of the game with 12 tackles for losses, three sacks and one forced fumble, put Pitt in front late in the third quarter.
Outside linebacker Rashem Biles, who turned in a standout performance with 16 tackles, two sacks, five TFLs and one forced fumble, stripped Ditta and returned the fumble 23 yards for the Panthers’ third defensive touchdown of the season and a 14-10 lead.
Biles’ touchdown came on the heels of a long touchdown run by East Carolina running back Marlon Gunn Jr. that was called back because of an inadvertent whistle.
East Carolina, however, struck quickly once again. On their second play of the ensuing drive, Ditta found Smith for their fourth connection of the game. This time, Smith raced 72 yards for his second touchdown and a 17-14 lead.
The Pirates extended their lead to six on a 33-yard field goal by Mazzie early in the fourth quarter after Turner fumbled for the second time. East Carolina went just 19 yards on seven plays but successfully executed a fake field-goal attempt on fourth down before working into field-goal range.
That was all East Carolina would need to solidify a significant bowl victory over an ACC opponent. Pitt committed its fifth turnover with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter when Kevon Merrell picked off Heintschel and returned it 70 yards.
The interception set up Mazzie’s third field goal for a 23-14 lead and the eventual result.
Heintschel completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts for 256 yards and a touchdown, and the Panthers recorded 120 yards on the ground, led by Turner’s 93 on 16 carries. However, Pitt was just 3 for 15 on third-down attempts while the Pirates recorded seven TFLs and four sacks.