The American Conference is no stranger to Thursday or Friday night thrillers this year. Neither are the East Carolina Pirates, which had already participated in multiple overtime games in conference play this season.
In the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, it appeared as if ECU was bound for a third overtime finish this season, but the Pirates quickly moved down the field, setting up a 55-yard field goal for the win. Andrew Conrad drained the walk off attempt, and ECU (5-4, 3-2 American) defeated
South Florida (6-3, 2-3 American), 20-17.
Here are three takeaways from the Pirates’ thrilling last-second victory over the Bulls:
Conrad’s kick was cathartic to Pirate faithful
East Carolina had been plagued by an inconsistent kicking game for a while. The Pirates regularly made fewer than 70 percent of field goals throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, and distance was rarely a strength for the team. In fact, ECU had not drained a kick of that distance since Mike Barbour sunk a 58-yarder in 2011. Thus, there was an understandable uneasiness in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium when the Pirates prepared for a 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.
While Noah Perez handled the Pirates’ kicking duties all year, ECU made a changeup for the long distance kick, sending Andrew Conrad onto the field. Conrad had been with the program since 2022 but hadn’t attempted a field goal since 2024.
The redshirt senior made 3-of-6 field goals from 50-plus yards from 2023-24, and he shook off the rust and knew the perfect approach to the situation. First, he attempted a practice kick when USF called the “icing the kicker timeout.” Then when it counted, Conrad’s 55-yard attempt sailed through the uprights with plenty of distance, allowing ECU to walk off South Florida, 20-17, and ensuing a field storm.
It was the second walk-off kick of Conrad’s career. He also made a 33-yarder in 2022 to defeat BYU.
The game played out as expected
Regardless of the victor, this game was always going to be a “first to 20 wins” scenario.
South Florida and East Carolina both attacked with effective defenses all season, but the offenses left more to be desired quite often. USF entered the matchup with the nation’s No. 10 scoring defense and No. 24 total defense, while ECU hadn’t allowed a first half touchdown in five consecutive games. Yet, neither team had consistently scored all season. The Bulls produced a season-high 30 points against FBS competition for the first time on Oct. 31, but that 30 was comprised of two defensive touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Pirates only scored north of 28 points one time against an FBS opponent this year, setting the stage for a defensive-oriented slugfest.
That’s exactly what this Friday night matchup was. Both teams punted seven times. ECU ran one play longer than 20 yards. USF never generated a 30-yard gain. There were six combined sacks and 17 tackles for loss among two defenses renowned for making plays in the backfield. The Bulls and Pirates have been consistent on both ends all season, where if you replayed this game 100 times, the result might change, but the game would unfold in similar fashion almost every time.
Choosing Sides has improved ECU’s offense
East Carolina spent the first half of the season waiting for a wide receiver to step up and emerge as a star. Last season, the Pirates had Anthony Smith, a 1,000-yard explosive receiver who willed the team to a Military Bowl upset victory over Pittsburgh and warranted an NFL Draft selection by the Dallas Cowboys.
While ECU returned starter Brock Spalding this year, Spalding didn’t make his season debut until Oct. 31 against Temple and was sidelined Friday night with an injury. However, the Pirates are finally seeing a receiver emerge, and that made all the difference against South Florida. North Texas transfer Landon Sides missed the first three games of the season due to injury and then slowly eased into things upon his return. But across the last three weeks, Sides has been ECU’s most reliable playmaker. The senior set career-highs with 14 receptions, 126 receiving yards, and two touchdowns against USF — responsible for over half of the Pirates’ points in the victory.
Two weeks prior at Memphis, Sides collected seven receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Pirates’ best offensive showing of 2026. His progress has brought another dimension to this offense, making ECU exponentially more dangerous through the air.
