East Carolina-NC State fight mars end of Military Bowl, ref left bloodied

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The Military Bowl featured a matchup of in-state rivals East Carolina and N.C. State and the game’s temperature heated up before the end, which left an official bloodied.

The Pirates were about to wrap up a 26-21 win over the Wolfpack. East Carolina had just intercepted an N.C. State pass on defense and all they had to do was run out the clock. Running back Rahjai Harris ran the ball up the middle with 44 seconds left, but a fight ensued close to the Pirates’ sideline.

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Dec. 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD: North Carolina State Wolfpack and East Carolina Pirates players fight during the second half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)

East Carolina wide receiver Yannick Smith appeared to swipe a towel from N.C. State defensive back Tamarcus Cooley. The Wolfpack played and then chased Smith and pushed him to the ground. Two other East Carolina players jumped into the fray to defend Smith.

It was another eight minutes before everyone could calm down, and the final play could occur.

At least one official was seen with his face bloodied. Eight players were ejected from the game.

"I’m embarrassed as a coach," N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. "I know our players are, too. That is not how people of this program, the players of this program, staff of this program, want anything to do with something like that. 

"To me, it was a terrible response to something that happened to one of our players, and there’s no excuses for it. So I apologize to ECU and their team for the way we responded."

Dec. 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD: Officials huddle