TAMPA, Fla. – East Carolina stiffened defensively in the second half Saturday night on the way to a 44-24 American Athletic Conference victory over USF at Raymond James Stadium.
 

ECU (1-2, 1-1 AAC) knocked off USF (1-3, 0-2 AAC) for the first time since 2014 and the Pirates emerged victorious against an AAC opponent other than Connecticut for the first time since downing Cincinnati 48-20 back on Nov. 18, 2017 in Greenville.

A bit of history was made during the contest as senior placekicker Jake Verity became East Carolina's all-time leading scorer. He converted three field goals and five extra points to push his career point total to 309 – surpassing Warren Harvey's (2012-14) 300.  
 
Junior quarterback Holton Ahlers turned in an efficient performance, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts for 222 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan McCloud handled most of the quarterback duties for the Bulls, going 26-for-35 with 298 yards but no touchdowns or interceptions. USF held the upper hand through the air with 306 passing yards to the Pirates' 222, but ECU ran the ball well all evening, totaling 210 rushing yards while limiting the Bulls to just 92. East Carolina outgained an opponent for the first time this campaign, besting USF 432-398 in total offense. 

Freshman running back Rahjai Harris ended up producing the best performance of his young Pirate career, piling up 115 yards and scoring two touchdowns while Johnny Ford netted 44 yards and two touchdowns to pace the USF ground attack. Sophomore receiver C.J. Johnson fell just one yard short of his fifth 100-yard career effort, pulling down three receptions for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Latrell Williams led the Bulls with eight catches for 93 yards.