ECU (4-4, 3-2 AAC) held a 14-10 edge and all of the momentum entering the fourth quarter Thursday night against Temple, and surrendered the lead in the final minutes. The Owls blocked two Pirate punts in the quarter, which eventually led to its go-ahead and game-winning touchdown.
“The rules are, we were told not to jump over the shield, we’re going to start using that,” McNeill said on the blocked punts. They did a good job of using the rules and I was impressed by that.”
In addition to the special teams’ miscues, the Pirates registered nine penalties for a loss of 99 yards, something that McNeill admits will have to be improved on if the Pirates want to win in the American.