Referee bloodied, eight ejected in ugly NC State-East Carolina Military Bowl brawl

The schedule for 2025 is already set: the Pirates open their season against the Wolfpack. 

At one point, an ECU player ran up behind an NC State player and shoved him in the back, forcing his helmet straight into the face of a referee, who was trying to separate an adjacent skirmish. 

The defender chased down the receiver and yanked him to the ground, inciting pushing and shoving from a few players in the vicinity.

“This isn’t good,” color commentator Rocky Boiman said in a video of the brawl, posted to X by Awful Announcing.

Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey had just been picked off and ECU, up by five, was in a comfortable position to run the remaining time off the clock.

Benches cleared, punches were thrown and an official was left bloodied by the melee, which began with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think you can look at our fans and tell them it’s not a rivalry, it’s an hour and fifteen minutes up the road,” coach Harrel said after the game.

Aug. 30, circle the date.

Here is the key to the ugliness at end of ECU-NCST. ECU player takes a cheap shot at NC State player, shoves helmet from behind. The helmet hits ref in the face. pic.twitter.com/So8sOZCuAh

“This is a terrible scene at the end of what has been a fantastic bowl game,” Alter said. “You hate to say this.”

A Pirate receiver, Yannick Smith, was running off the field and appeared to shout something in the direction of NC State defensive back Tamarcus Cooley. 

An ugly scene with under a minute to go in the Military Bowl between East Carolina and NC State. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/9kkXm6kxdl

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