Anthony Smith caught two long touchdown passes, Nick Mazzie kicked three field goals and East Carolina took advantage of five Pitt turnovers to win the Military Bowl, 23-17, on Saturday in Annapolis, Md.

Chaston Ditta, making his first start at quarterback, threw for two touchdowns among his eight completions. He accounted for 177 passing yards as the Pirates (9-4) won the Military Bowl against an Atlantic Coast Conference foe for the second year in a row.

Quarterback Katin Houser, who threw for 3,300 yards while serving as East Carolina’s starter all season, missed the game with the intention to enter the transfer portal. The Pirates also played without top rusher London Montgomery (742 yards, 7 TDs), who also opted out to focus on the portal.

“This game wasn’t just won this week, it wasn’t won in the month of December,” said ECU coach Blake Harrell. “Our roster certainly looks different than it did the very last ball game of the (regular) season. But what you build and what these young men have done such a great job of is building a culture.

“The stats are not pretty, but the scoreboard at the end of the game is pretty, and that’s what matters.”

The Pirates were outgained 376-249 as Mason Heintschel was 25-for-40 for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Pitt (8-5), which lost three of its final four games. Rasheem Biles racked up 16 tackles, including five for losses, and turned one of his sacks into a fumble and touchdown.

East Carolina’s first touchdown came on its first second-half possession when Ditta threw 47 yards to Smith, who got beyond Pitt’s coverage on the left side. That gave the Pirates a 10-7 lead.

There was a huge shift in momentum later in the third quarter. East Carolina’s Marlon Gunn Jr. ripped off what appeared to be a 68-yard touchdown run on fourth down, but it was reduced to a 14-yard gain because of an inadvertent whistle just as he broke free. Two plays later, Biles hit Ditta and forced a fumble that he scooped up for a 23-yard touchdown return and a 14-10 lead.

It took just two snaps for East Carolina to regain the lead as Ditta hit Smith cutting across the middle and the receiver turned it into a 72-yard scoring play. Smith finished with four catches for 156 yards.

The Pirates got the ball back on a Pitt fumble and turned it into Mazzie’s 33-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter for a 20-14 edge.

Pitt drove to the East Carolina 20, but Kevon Merrell’s interception and 70-yard return put the Pirates in position for Mazzie’s third field goal — a 28-yarder.

Pitt reached the East Carolina 2 before opting for Trey Butkowski’s 21-yard field goal with 1:23 remaining, but the Pirates recovered the onside kick. Following a punt, Pitt got the ball back with 57 seconds left and no timeouts.

East Carolina had the upper hand throughout the first half until Pitt went ahead with four seconds to play on Heintschel’s 22-yard pass to Raphael Williams Jr. That capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive to give Pitt a 7-3 halftime lead.

East Carolina threatened first, but Mazzie missed on a field goal from 51 yards out. He was good from 42 yards in the second quarter.

–Field Level Media