GREENVILLE, N.C. — ECU dropped the ball late against Temple, ultimately losing ground in the standings as well as the game, 24-14. Here are my four downs from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
FIRST DOWN: ECU FAILS TO EXECUTE LATE Where do we begin here? 55 minutes went by in a rather uneventful blur but East Carolina’s eventual meltdown began with 5:59 left in the ball game, while the team was holding a 14-10 lead. Two blocked punts, an intentional grounding and a lack of effort defensively ruined the would-be conference win for the hosting Pirates and sent the black-clad fans packing with a spoiled taste in their mouths.