Dre Walker intercepted Mitch Griffis with East Carolina at the App State 23 and 2:16 remaining. Earlier, Caleb Sandstrom had stripped Griffis at the ECU 12, giving App State the short field it converted into a touchdown. ECU also missed a 33-yard field goal on its opening possession. Those were three expensive empty trips in Saturday’s 27-24 home loss.
The Pirates visit Old Dominion on Saturday, September 19, at 6 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+. Fan Watch gives ECU a 62% chance to win, enough to make the Pirates favorites, hardly enough to assume a comfortable evening. There is no compelling result to pull for elsewhere this week. Explore the forecast in the interactive guide and how it works in the methodology.
Jordan Davis’ offense supplied reasons to want the ball back, including 417 total yards, 187 rushing yards and a 61-yard touchdown pass from Griffis to Jason Dickerson. Ashton Gray contributed 99 rushing yards. Against Alabama, ECU had managed 162 total yards and just two net rushing yards. Yet the Pirates followed an 0-for-9 third-down opener with 2-for-13 against App State. Two conversions in 22 attempts leave far too many possessions dependent on finding a big play before third down arrives.
Griffis took all 37 pass attempts against App State; Emory Williams had none. Griffis has the edge over Williams, but both turnovers were his. At Old Dominion, he needs to keep promising drives from ending with the ball in a defender’s hands.
ECU began this rebuild after both 2025 coordinators departed before the Military Bowl, subsequently hiring Davis on offense and Jordon Hankins on defense. The Pirates opened fall camp with only four returning positional starters, including just one on offense. That much change makes uneven early execution understandable; it also makes the speed of improvement central to any conference ambitions. ECU still closed as a 6.5-point favorite against App State. Losing that home opportunity makes it harder to take rapid progress for granted, even though the nonconference result did not cost an American standings win.
Norfolk has rarely offered ECU breathing room. The Pirates lead the series 5-0, but their road wins were 24-21 in 2019 and 20-14 in 2024. In that last meeting, Jake Garcia threw four interceptions and ECU committed 10 penalties; the defense stopped all four ODU possessions in the fourth quarter. ECU survived that game by asking its defense to keep rescuing it. That is a demanding way to pursue another road win.
Hankins’ unit has begun doing more of its share. After allowing Alabama 227 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, ECU held App State to 129 net rushing yards on 44 carries. Kendrick DuJour and Kieran Davis each supplied a sack. Maintaining that run defense matters against ODU quarterback Quinn Henicle, whose 76-yard touchdown run at Virginia Tech was his fourth career scoring run of at least 50 yards. ECU’s defenders need to finish those plays without giving him an escape into open field.
On the other side, ODU’s Javen Gibson, Malachi Harris, Brandon Crutchfield and Jackson Forrest each recorded a sack at Virginia Tech; Harris also forced a fumble. Gray’s running can help ECU reach manageable third downs. From there, watch the protection and Griffis’ decision. Can he find a receiver beyond the sticks and release the ball before that rush arrives? A routine conversion that keeps the offense on the field would be a welcome development.