From the Couch Sports

College football is full of surprises. It has and will always be unpredictable. Any and almost every Saturday in the Fall one team will come out of nowhere and win a game they have no business winning. That’s the beauty of the sport, the beauty of competition.

I’m not going to go into the history of the big upset or the programs that have put themselves on the map because of one magical afternoon, that is a topic for the offseason. What I have here is a breakdown of the upsets that have happened between FCS schools that defeated FBS schools and Group of 5 schools that upset a Power 4 team.

WEEK 0 & 1

FBS vs FCS:

There were 50 games featuring teams from the FCS who played FBS teams. Two FCS teams beat FBS opponents.

Tarleton State 30 Army 27

This may go down as the biggest FCS upset of the year. Army was coming off of one of their most successful seasons in 2024. They finished with a school record of 12 wins and in their first year in the American Conference they won the whole damn thing. An impressive season that could’ve landed them a trip to the playoffs had they beat Navy. Army was expected to win by more than two touchdowns despite losing 2024 QB Bryson Daily to graduation. Army started strong and ran time off the clock and mid way through the third quarter lead the game 24-10. TSU lead a ferocious comeback and forced 3 turnovers in Army’s last 5 possessions and tied the game with 9 minutes left in the game. The teams traded punts until the final minutes when Army backup QB Cale Hellums drove the offense down the field to set up a game winning 43 yard field goal that missed wide right. The game ended up in overtime with both teams trading FG’s. Army again would miss a field goal in the 2nd overtime, this time wide left. Tarleton State would then nail a 37 yard field walk off field goal for just their second win over an FBS opponent, leaving the Cadets in the back of the end zone stands stunned.

Austin Peay 34 Middle Tennessee State 14

It’s always somewhat shocking to see an FCS opponent pull off a victory against the superior FBS but Middle Tennessee State isn’t exactly a power program. Nonetheless, it was a game the Blue Raiders should have won. Austin Peay relied on a tenacious defensive plan that held MTSU to just 153 offensive yards and an astounding 0/12 on 3rd downs. The Governors controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for 38 minutes to MTSU’s 21 minutes. If you’re going to upset a more talented opponent, this is how you do it. This was Austin Peay’s first win against an FBS team since 1987.

Power 4 vs Group of 5

There were 22 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. Two Group of 5 teams beat Power 4 teams.

Hawai’i 23 Stanford 20

By point spread standards this game was not an “upset.” The Rainbow Warriors entered this home game as 2.5 point favorites, but what made this game an upset is the conference affiliations. Stanford plays in the ACC (a power four conference) and Hawai’i plays in the Mountain West (a non power conference.) This game was a back and forth affair with both teams struggling for offensive consistency. The excitement came with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter when a Stanford touchdown gave them a 20-17 lead. Hawai’i QB Micah Alejedo was struggling through a bummed ankle and literally limped down the field as he lead two great fourth quarter drives. Warriors kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, who learned how to kick footballs by watching YouTube videos in his native Japan, kicked a 37 yarder to tie the game with two minutes left and a 38 yarder to win the game as time expired. This was the first time Hawai’i has beaten a Power 4 opponent since 2019 and they did so in dramatic fashion.

Tulane 23 Northwestern 3

Again, this was another matchup where the Group of 5 team was the home favorite, not by much, but nonetheless Tulane was expected to win this game. It’s also well known that Northwestern is one of the weakest Power 4 programs, regardless Tulane hadn’t won a game against a Power 4 opponent since 2022 (0-5 in last five games.) This game also would mark the Tulane debut of Jake Retzlaff, who had just arrived from BYU late in the off-season. After a competitive first quarter, Tulane would pull away thanks to their defense forcing five turnovers. Northwestern QB Preston Stone threw four interceptions as the Wildcat offense looked horrible. Retzlaff, on the other hand, was sharp enough throwing the football but ran for a career high 113 yards as the Tulane Green Wave rolled to a 20 point victory.

WEEK 2

FBS vs FCS

There were 33 games between teams from the FCS against FBS teams. Two FCS teams beat FBS opponents.

Bryant 27 UMass 26

This was just the sixth time Bryant has played an FBS team and the first matchup between Bryant and UMass despite the two universities proximity (78 miles.) UMass entered the game as a two touchdown favorite and stormed out to a 20-3 lead, they lead 20-10 at the half. The second half was a different story as the Minutemen couldn’t seem to capitalize on Bryant turnovers. The Bulldogs relied on big plays in the passing game and kept the pressure on their FBS opponent. UMass had an opportunity to extend their tight 26-24 lead but missed a field goal late. The Bulldogs then kicked a field goal as time expired to capture their first win over an FBS team in school history.

Long Island 28 Eastern Michigan 23

Long Island joined NCAA Division I from Division II in 2019. They had previously gone 0-9 against FBS opponents and had just lost to Florida in Gainesville 55-0 the week before in a game where they could not eclipse 100 total offensive yards. It’s no surprise they were a big underdog with some places favoring the Eagles by 24 points. The Sharks did what all underdogs should do when facing a heavily favored opponent, they ran the ball and controlled the clock. After an abysmal offensive performance the week prior, the Sharks totaled 479 yards of offense and held the FBS eagles offense to 311 yards. All four of their touchdowns were contributed by their two quarterbacks as each of them ran for two scores. Eastern Michigan had an opportunity to win the game with a final drive but failed to recover the onside kick as the Long Island Sharks pulled off their first win over an FBS opponent in their brief history in Division 1.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 25 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. Four Group of 5 teams beat Power 4 teams.

USF 18 Florida 16

As a lifelong Florida fan, this one hurts. A lot. A promising finish last season lead to tons of hype for the 2025 Florida Gators. On the other hand, USF was quietly building a roster that could compete with some of the better rosters in football. Under Alex Golesh, the Bulls have had two consecutive winning seasons thanks to two consecutive bowl victories. The week before this matchup they destroyed #25 Boise State in Tampa 34-7 thanks to an agressive defense and a stellar performance from QB Byrum Brown. Still, USF had not beaten the Gators in their previous three tries and were 17.5 point underdogs. Many CFB fans had Florida on upset alert. The Bulls forced the Gators to make mistakes. The Gators were plagued by drops, penalties and flat out bad offense. Florida was 4/12 on third down and their QB DJ Lagway looked lost. USF held a tight 15-9 lead after a Gator safety. Finally, Florida scored a touchdown and took a 16-15 lead late. When it looked like Florida would have an opportunity to ice the game and run out the clock, the Bulls forced a punt and drove the length of the field thanks to a key Florida unsportsmanlike penalty and countless broken tackles by USF ball carriers. Nico Gramatica, son of Tampa Bay Bucs legend, Martin Gramatica kicked a game winning 20 yard field goal as time expired. The USF Bulls won their first game against the Florida Gators in school history and pulled off one of their most impressive wins in program history and probably the upset of the year.

Ohio 17 West Virginia 10

Another team on upset alert in Week 2 was the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Ohio Bobcats were only a 3.5 point underdog, they proved to be a tough opponent the week prior when they lost by just three points to Power 4 Rutgers. The Bobcat offense is led by senior QB Parker Navarro, who many CFB fans consider one of the better GO5 QBs. The Mountaineers had never faced the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio and Bobcat fans were ready, they sold out Peden Stadium to a record capacity of 26, 740. Again, there’s a common team to these upsets: the underdog dominates time of possession. The Bobcats held the ball for an astonishing 40 minutes and held the Mountaineer offense to just 250 yards. An impressive feat considering WVU coach Rich Rodriguez is considered by most to be an offensive guru and one of the pioneers of the spread offense. It really was a sloppy, defensive battle. Both offenses were a combined 7/27 on third downs. Ohio QB Parker Navarro threw three interceptions but thanks to the Bobcat defense coming up big when it mattered most Ohio pulled of an impressive Power 4 upset, their second since 2023.

Army 24 Kansas State 21

Army was on the receiving end of one of these upsets in Week 0 when they dropped a home game to FCS Tarleton State. Kansas State lost in Ireland in Week 0 to Iowa State and needed some late game heroics in Week 1 to avoid an FCS upset to North Dakota. Something had to give. Army was without their starting QB and turned to backup Cale Hellums to lead the team in Manhattan, Kansas. Kansas State was hoping for their dual threat QB Avery Johnson to out Army Army. I sound like a broken record but here it comes again: TIME OF POSSESSION. You’d expect it from a triple option attack like Army and they executed their ground and pound run game to perfection thanks to an absurd 41 carries from QB Cale Hellums. He accounted for three touchdowns and the Army defense held KSU QB Avery Johnson to just 14 rushing yards, his lowest total in his last in his last 10 games as a starter. Army took a 24-21 lead late in the fourth and secured a game sealing interception with 1:35 left in the game. Army pulled off their first Power 4 win since 2021 when they beat Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl.

UNLV 30 UCLA 23

The Rebels hosted Big 10 UCLA at Allegiant Stadium for this showdown of two west coast teams. UNLV escaped the upset to FCS Idaho State in Week 0 but took care of Sam Houston St. in Week 1 and UCLA was looking to bounce back after a horrible performance against Utah in Week 1. Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava made headlines when he left Knoxville in the spring and was in desperate need of a solid performance in Vegas. He started incredibly slow, the Bruins defense did too as the Rebels held a 23-3 halftime lead. UNLV kept the pressure on and really didn’t allow UCLA back in the game despite the Bruins best efforts to stage a late game rally. UNLV’s game sealing interception late in the 4th quarter stamped their fourth Power 4 win in their last five attempts.

WEEK 3

FBS vs. FCS

There were 23 games between teams from the FCS against FBS teams. The FBS won all 23 games over FCS opponents.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 18 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. Three Group of 5 teams beat Power 4 teams.

New Mexico 35 UCLA 10

Not again Bruins. On a Friday night in Los Angeles, the UCLA Bruins dropped their second consecutive game to a GO5 team and their third straight loss overall. This game was a competitive, back and forth affair with UCLA trailing just 14-10 going into the fourth quarter. Neither team could move the ball and score consistently, but in the fourth the Lobos took over. They scored their first touchdown of the second half with a 13 play drive that drained almost eight minutes off the clock. They would go on to score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure the upset. The Bruins were plagued by 13 penalties and allowed nearly 300 rushing yards for the Lobo offense. This was the final straw for DeShaun Foster as he was fired the next day after starting the season 0-3 and going just 5-10 through 15 games as the UCLA head coach. As for the New Mexico Lobos, this was their first Power 4 win since 2008 when they beat Arizona 36-28.

Tulane 34 Duke 27

Tulane finds themselves on the right side of this list for the second time this season. Again, they were technically a home favorite, but only given a 1.5 point advantage. Duke QB Darian Mensah would travel back to New Orleans to face his former team, he went 9-4 as a starter last season for the Green Wave. The Blue Devils were coming off an upsetting loss the week before to Illinois where they completely imploded in the second half. It would start out the same way the last game ended for the Duke offense. While Tulane was able to run the ball with ease, Duke couldn’t get anything going until the second half. Mensah threw for 313 yards but it wasn’t enough as their comeback attempt fell short. Tulane would rely on their new QB Jake Retzlaff and his legs as he set the Tulane single game rushing TD record by a QB with 4.

Old Dominion 45 Virginia Tech 26

These two Virginia schools started playing each other in 2017 and Old Dominion has a rich history of beating Va Tech. Their most memorable was in 2018 when the upset the 13th ranked Hokies in Norfolk, perhaps the biggest win in school history. They had yet to win in Blacksburg going 0 for 3 in their history. That would change by the end of the night, a night that would mark the end for another Power 4 coaching regime. This game would be over by the fourth quarter. The Monarchs dominated the entire game thanks to a huge game from their QB Colton Joseph, he totaled 339 yards and 3 TDs. ODU would leave Lane Stadium with their first Power 4 road win in school history as Virginia Tech would drop to 0-3 on the season and fire head coach Brent Pry the next day, just as UCLA did after their 0-3 start. Pry finished his once promising coaching career at VT 16-24. The Monarchs

WEEK 4

FBS vs. FCS

There were 12 games between teams from the FCS against FBS teams. The FBS won all 12 games over FCS opponents.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 15 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. Three Group of 5 teams beat Power 4 teams.

Tulsa 19 Oklahoma State 12

Mike Gundy is an Oklahoma State Cowboy legend. He had a legendary playing career in which he quarterbacked the Cowboys to two 10 win seasons. His backfield in college included Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders, two legends in their own right. He then spent six seasons on the coaching staff as assistant. In 2001, he was hired as an assistant head coach and was named the Head Coach in 2005. As the HC he won a Big 12 Championship in 2011, two Fiesta Bowls, eight 10 win seasons, 10 top 25 finishes, and was named Big 12 Coach of the Year 3 times. This game would be his 260th game as Head Coach of his alma mater, it would also be his last. After a disappointing season last year, the Cowboys again started slow and were just embarrassed by Oregon in Eugene 69-3. The Cowboys needed this win. Bad. Gundy needed this win. Bad. But so did Tulsa. They hadn’t beaten OSU in 27 years and hadn’t won in Stillwater since 1951. Tulsa was a 10 point underdog, it was their night to make history. Oklahoma State struggled to score as Tulsa took the points when they could and kicked four field goals after their opening drive touchdown. Boos reigned down from the stands constantly as the Oklahoma State Cowboys could only manage one touchdown on the night. Tulsa flirted with choking away the upset as they missed a late field goal late in the fourth that would’ve iced the game. The Cowboys had a last ditched effort but time expired before they could really threaten. Tulsa pulled off one of their most significant wins in school history as the Mike Gundy era would end in disappointment.

Memphis 32 Arkansas 31

Memphis hosted Arkansas for the first time since 1998. The Tigers have had a great track record against Power 4 opponents since Ryan Silverfield took over as head coach (4-2.) They pulled off two Power 4 wins last year but this would be their first game against a P5 opponent this season. Arkansas lost an emotional game the week before on the road last week at Ole Miss, the team played great but turned it over late with a chance for the upset. Early in this game the Razorbacks scored fast with a 62 yard touchdown pass from QB Taylen Green. Green was coming into this game with an FBS leading 11 touchdown passes and. Arkansas as a team took off in the second quarter with 21 points. They lead 28-17 at the half. In the second half, Arkansas couldn’t get the ball moving and Memphis slowly got back in this game. The Tigers took the lead with less than five minutes to go after a 64 yard touchdown run by running back Sutton Smith. Arkansas would have the chance to win the game with one final drive but fumbled at the Memphis 7 yard line. Memphis recovered and ran out the clock. Arkansas dropped their second game in a row, both losses coming in heartbreaking fashion.

San Diego State 34 California 0

The nightcap of Week 4 featured two West Coast teams. San Diego St was hosting Cal at SnapDragon Stadium last year the Golden Bears won 31-10 in Berkley. It’s been an incredibly disappointing few year stretch for the Aztecs since they last beat a Power 4 opponent in 2021, they defeated both Arizona and Utah on their way to a 12-2 finish, just one winning season in three seasons. Cal was coming into this game as one of the more exciting teams thanks to a hot start from freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He entered this game with 780 passing yards and 6 TD passes. The Bears entered the game 3-0 and were just coming off a big home win against Minnesota. Cal was a 12.5 point favorite. Unfortunately for “JKS” he would be unable to get into any rhythm. The whole Cal offense was turnover prone, and were victims to a scoop and score and a 97 yard pick six. SDSU’s offense lacked production in terms of yards but they didn’t need it thanks to an unbelievable showing from their defense. An absolute shocker in the late window of Week 4.

WEEK 5

FBS vs. FCS

There were 2 games between teams from the FCS against FBS teams. The FBS won both games over FCS opponents.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 4 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. All four Power 4 teams beat Group of 5 opponents.

WEEK 6

FBS vs. FCS

There was 1 game between teams from the FCS against FBS teams. The FBS the game against an FCS opponent. (NC State over Campbell)

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 2 games between teams from the Power 4 against teams from the Group of 5. Both Power 4 teams beat Group of 5 opponents.

WEEK 7

FBS vs. FCS

There we no games between FBS teams and FCS teams.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were no games between Power 4 teams against the teams from the Group of 5.

WEEK 8

FBS VS. FCS

There was one game between an FCS school and an FBS school. Oregon State played Lafayette, the Beavers won 45-13.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were no games between Power 4 teams against the teams from the Group of 5.

WEEK 9

FBS VS. FCS

There were no games between FBS teams and FCS teams.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were no games between Power 4 teams against the teams from the Group of 5.

WEEK 10

FBS VS. FCS

There were no games between FBS teams and FCS teams.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were no games between Power 4 teams against the teams from the Group of 5.

WEEK 11

FBS VS. FCS

There was one game between and FCS school and an FBS school. (The Citadel @ Ole Miss) Ole Miss won 49-0.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There was no games between a Power 4 team and a team from the Group of 5.

WEEK 12

FBS VS. FCS

There was one game between an FBS school and an FCS school. (Tennessee Tech @ Kentucky) Kentucky won 42-10.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There was one game between a team from the Power 4 against a team from the Group of 5. (New Mexico St. @ Tennessee) Tennessee won 42-9.

WEEK 13

FBS VS. FCS

There were four games between teams from the FBS and teams from the FCS. The FBS won every game.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were four games between teams from the Power 4 and teams from the Group of 5. Power 4 teams won every game.

WEEK 14

FBS vs. FCS

There were no games between FBS teams and FCS teams.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There was no games between a Power 4 team and a team from the Group of 5.

BOWL GAMES

FBS vs. FCS

There were no games between FBS teams and FCS teams.

Power 4 vs. Group of 5

There were 10 games between teams from the Power 4 and teams from the Group of 5.

Hawai’i Bowl

Hawai’i 35 California 31

This was one of the most highly anticipated non-playoff bowl games and for good reason.

Hawai’i had a pretty solid 8-4 season, the best so far of the Timmy Chang era. Their season started off with a Power 4 win over Stanford and they reeled off Mountain West wins over San Diego State and Utah State, both of those teams made bowl games this year. Hawai’i native QB Micah Alejado, had a solid redshirt freshman campaign and earned the Freshman of the year Award in the Mountain West. Hawai’i also had significant contributions from receivers Jackson Harris and Pofele Ashlock. The Rainbow Warriors were two close losses away from playing for the Mountain West Title game but still finished the regular season with a 6-1 home record.

California was also lead by a Hawaiian freshman quarterback in 2025. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele lead the Golden Bears to a 7-5 regular season with two ranked wins (at the time) on the road at #15 Louisville and a win against #21 SMU in the regular season finale. JKS became the second true freshman QB to start a game for Cal and threw for over 3,100 yards this year.

It’s also worth noting, both teams made this list. Hawai’i with their win against Stanford and Cal made it on to this list when they lost 34-0 against San Diego State. Ironically enough, Hawai’i beat both SDSU and Stanford while Cal lost to both of those teams by a combined score of 65-10.

Oh and another storyline. Hawai’i coach Timmy Chang played QB at Hawai’i in the early 2000’s and was a campus legend, basically rewriting the Hawai’i passing record books. His teammate and fellow QB Nick Rolovich played with Chang during those years and set a few Hawai’i passing records himself. Rolovich was also the Head Coach of Hawai’i from 2016-2019 and won two Hawai’i Bowls in his four seasons at Hawai’i. On this night, Rolovich would be coaching opposite to Chang as he was named the interim head coach at Cal in late November. Two guys with incredible ties to the University of Hawai’i meeting again on a beautiful Hawaiian day.

We waited all day on Christmas Eve to watch this one, the only major sporting event on TV on December 24th. It was worth the wait.

Cal took a 7-0 lead after a Hawai’i punt with a 41-yard JKS bomb to Jacob De Jesus then the Bows failed to answer when Lou Groza award finalist Kansei Matsuzawa missed a 50-yarder, only his second miss of the year. The Golden Bears went berserk scoring another two touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead at the mid-way point in the 2nd quarter.

Hawai’i had been great at home this year (this one is technically a home game) so it was shocking to see them give up so many points so quickly. Cal had three possessions and three touchdowns with 204 yards of offense. Meanwhile the Hawai’i offense had just 58 yards.

It would take a strong second quarter finish for Hawai’i to get back in the game. Alejado threw a touchdown and Matsuzawa hit a field goal late in the quarter to make it 21-10 at the half.

Hawaii’s defense made some stops when they needed to, JKS and the Golden Bears started the game so hot but failed to score on four consecutive possessions after they took that 21-0 lead. This allowed the Bows offense to slowly creep back in the game. Matsuzawa made another field goal in the 3rd quarter then Hawai’i took advantage of good field position after Cal turned it over on downs. Alejado drove the offense 53-yards and threw a short TD pass, Hawai’i converted a two-point conversion to tie the game at 21.

A great comeback, both teams scored 21 unanswered and we were in for an exciting finish.

Cal scored their first points since early in the 2nd quarter with a field goal. Hawai’i responded with a good kickoff return and a quick four-play drive, aided by an personal foul penalty, Alejado threw another TD pass, Hawai’i was back in front with 7:19 left in the game.

Throughout the game both defenses had spurts of playing lights out but yeah, that wasn’t the case in the fourth quarter. Hawaii’s offense was quick paced and moved the ball with chunk passes but Cal’s offense took a slower approach and took some time off the clock. JKS the offense went 75-yards in over five minutes. He connected with De Jesus again with a big 30-yard pass but after that Cal took their time and worked the clock to under two minutes. Their TD with less than two minutes left looked like it could seal the game.

The Rainbow Warriors didn’t want to let their home fans down. Alejado and the offense dinked and dunked down the field, working quickly and efficiently. He scrambled on a 3rd & 10 and gained 12-yards but his helmet popped off. Backup QB Luke Weaver came in and complete a pass while Alejado sat out for the play. It would happen again on a 3rd & 4. Alejado threw a screen to RB Cam Barfield, who took it upfield for the first down conversion, unfortunately Alejado was hit and brought down as he released the ball and off went his helmet again.

So with 15 seconds left, Weaver would come back onto the field . No time to waste and no timeouts. Ball at the Cal 22-yard line. Weaver dropped back to pass, looked left and turned right, he threw a strike past the right in between the corner and safety to WR Nick Cenacle who did a great job of securing the catch before the safety got to him.

A wild, wild sequence of plays with an unlikely hero put Hawai’i up 35-31. The crowd went absolutely wild as Alejado ran over from the sideline to celebrate with Weaver, it was an awesome moment for Hawai’i.

Hawai’i closed out the game by defending the last second lateral fest by the Cal offense and time expired on a Christmas Eve classic. Things got a little chippy at the end, with a full on brawl almost breaking out. It fizzled out before things go too serious.

The QB duel was incredible. Micah Alejado threw for 274 yards, ran for 33 and threw 3 TD passes for Hawai’i. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 337 yars, he ran for a score and threw for a score.

Cal receiver Jacob De Jesus added 9 catches for 138 yards and a score but it was his counterpart Pofele Ashlock, who took home the MVP honors. The Hawai’i native caught 14 passes for 123 yards and 2 TD’s. Ashlock will be the #1 target at receiver for the Bows next year.

Hawai’i celebrated a huge bowl win in front of their home fans, the first bowl win for the Bows since 2020. The 9-4 season is their best finish since Nick Rolovich lead them to a 10-5 record in 2019. Micah Alejado announced he will be running it back next year as Hawai’i QB. Head Coach Timmy Chang is certainly looking to build on a successful season as they will move into 2026 as a member of a new look Mountain West Conference. Hawai’i will probably be the favorite to win the MWC next year.

Cal finished the year 7-6. JKS in returning to play QB for them next year but they will go into the 2026 season with a new head coach, former Cal defensive lineman Tosh Lupoi. Lupoi played for Cal from 2000-2005 and was serving as the Oregon defensive coordinator before he was hired by Cal. This will be his first head coaching job. Nick Rolovich will remain on staff at Cal as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.

Military Bowl

ECU 23 Pitt 17

ECU and Pitt both had solid seasons. For a while both teams were flirting with a potential spot in the CFP but they fizzled out late. Both teams finished the regular season at 8-4 and a 6-2 conference record.

Pitt lost their last conference game of the year against Miami or they would’ve snuck in to the ACC Championship game to play Virginia. The Panthers were lead by freshman QB Mason Heintschel who won the job in the first few weeks of the season due to injury and poor play by veteran starter Eli Holstein. Overall, Pitt had a season that went better than expected with big wins at Florida State, NC State, and a top 25 upset at #16 Georgia Tech.

On the other side, ECU just missed out on the American Conference Title. They lost their conference games to eventual conference champion Tulane and at UTSA. For much of the year they were one of the nations top passing offenses with QB Katin Houser throwing for 3,300 yards (275 YPG.) Houser opted out of the game and entered the transfer portal.

The Pirates would go into this game with a freshman QB making his first start, Chaston Ditta.

Things would look a lot different for the Pirates offensively in the Military Bowl but man did their defense show up.

This game was incredibly sloppy, it started with six consecutive scoreless drives, two of which ended turnover on downs.

An ECU field goal in the second quarter broke the streak, but then we’d go right back to scoreless drives. Five consecutive more scoreless drives in the second quarter before the first TD of the game.

Pitt QB Mason Heintschel floated a beautiful pass to the back of the end zone, WR Raphael Williams Jr. snagged it and Pitt lead 7-3 at the half.

The first half saw more scoreless drives (11) than points (10).

Pitt had promise on the opening drive of the second half until Heinstchel was sacked from behind and fumbled around midfield, there’d be plenty more turnovers ahead for the Panther offense.

Immediately the Pirates capitalized on the fumble. ECU QB Chaston Ditta threw a deep ball on the first play of the drive and hit a wide open receiver, Anthony Smith, in stride for a 47-yard score.

ECU forced a punt, got the ball back and appeared to extend their lead after RB Marlon Gunn Jr. took a 4th down pitch 68-yards for the score. He was held up after a few yards but broke loose and ran down the field untouched. Replay looked at it and ruled there was an inadvertent whistle so the touchdown was ruled out. ECU had the first down, just no points.

This was huge because a few plays later Ditta was sacked and he fumbled, the fumble was returned for a Pitt touchdown.

The third fumble of the game so far. A MASSIVE shift in momentum.

Before you could say “Go Bowling Military Bowl” momentum shifted again. Ditta connected again to Anthony Smith, who caught a quick slant and turned on the afterburners for a tremendous 72-yard score.

ECU had a 17-14 lead and wouldn’t let it go.

The Pirates forced another Pitt fumble, which they turned into three points, and a Heintschel red-zone interception, which they turned into a huge return that resulted in a field goal.

The Panthers connected late with a field goal to make it a 23-17 game and had the ball on the final drive with an opportunity to tie the game or go ahead, but the drive fizzled out after an offensive pass interference backed them up. Heintschel couldn’t get rid of the ball on the last play’s hail Mary attempt and the game would end 23-17.

The Pitt Panthers dropped to 8-5 while the Pirates improved to 9-4, their highest win total since 2013. The win also gave them back-to back Military Bowl trophies. Last year they beat in-state rival NC State 26-21 which was also their last Power 4 win.

Liberty Bowl

Navy 35 Cincinnati 13