Looking Back At BYU Football’s History With East Carolina
Sep 17, 2025, 4:33 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2025, 9:44 am
BYU running back Lopini Katoa (4) flies through the air after being hit by East Carolina Pirates Jireh Wilson (5) in a NCAA college football game Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Provo, Utah. The Pirates won 27-24. (Ben B. Braun, Deseret News)
(Ben B. Braun, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – My, how things have changed for a BYU football program that suffered a last-second home loss to East Carolina in 2022. Three years later, the Cougars are riding high in the Big 12 and hope a win serves as a springboard into the AP Top 25.
The Cougars travel to Greenville, North Carolina, to take on the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday, September 20. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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Saturday’s game represents the first road trip of 2025 and the fourth meeting between these programs since 2015. The Pirates lead the all-time series 2-1.
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A 33-yard field goal as time expired sent BYU fans home with a 27-24 loss in October 2022.
The Cougars led three times, 10-7, following a Lopini Katoa second-quarter TD. 17-10 after Puka Nacua hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jaren Hall.
And 24-17 in the third period when Chase Roberts came down with a two-yard TD grab.
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BYU couldn’t maintain any of the leads, eventually succumbing in the final moments when Andrew Conrad’s kick split the uprights.
Hall finished the night with 60 yards rushing and 144 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Katoa added 117 rushing yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Puka Nacua led all receivers with seven catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Bywater led the defense with 11 tackles.
Both teams finished the year with a record of 8-5.
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ECU held court in a 33-17 victory in the only game between the two programs played at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
The Cougars amassed 421 yards of offense, including 319 passing yards, but couldn’t convert when it mattered most.
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BYU QB Tanner Mangum completed 26-of-41 passes for 319 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Ula Tolutau paced the rushing attack with 62 yards on 15 carries. Aleva Hifo caught nine passes for a team-high 148 yards. Micah Simon and Matt Bushman each scored touchdowns.
The Cougars fell to 1-7 and finished the disastrous season with a 4-9 record.
Algernon Brown leads BYU past East Carolina in a shootout
BYU’s only win in the series came in a 45-38 slugfest at LaVell Edwards Stadium in 2015.
The Cougars, led by Bronco Mendenhall, carried a 17-point lead into the final 15 minutes but couldn’t maintain the cushion. ECU scored 17 unanswered points, tying the game at 38 with 4:01 left.
Following a turnover and three consecutive three-and-outs to start the period, BYU mounted its third ten-play touchdown drive of the night. Algernon Brown capped the 75-yard romp when he scored from nine yards out with 19 seconds left.
Both offenses piled up more than 500 yards of offense in a back-and-forth game.
Brown ran for 134 yards and scored three times on the ground. He also caught a touchdown pass. Devon Blackmon led BYU’s receiving crew with nine catches for 142 yards. Mitch Mathews and Terenn Houk caught TDs from Tanner Mangum.
Mangum completed 24-of-33 passes for 332 yards and three TDs.
The Cougars improved to 4-2 with the win and finished the season with a 9-4 record.
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Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
