The Pirates (5-7, 3-5 American Athletic Conference) played well in the 19-16 loss, but ultimately took a home defeat as Cincinnati (7-5, 4-4 AAC) asserted its physicality on ECU’s defense. The Bearcats controlled the clock for the entire second half, using a physical running attack that proved to be too much for the smaller Pirates.
“They’ve got size and mass upfront,” said ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill after the loss. “That’s the difference in this league, I’ve been trying to tell everyone that. That’s an NFL line they’ve got.”
Bearcat ball carriers combined for 162 yards on the ground, 140 of them coming in the second half.