East Carolina held Temple without a touchdown and defeated the Owls 17–9 in Greenville, North Carolina, on Saturday, October 31.
TJ Engleman Jr. rushed for 107 yards and scored on a 19-yard run in the third quarter. His touchdown completed a 14-play, 75-yard drive and gave the Pirates a 17–3 lead.
East Carolina opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Ashton Gray finished a 13-play, 77-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Noah Perez added a 20-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first half, sending the Pirates to the locker room with a 10–3 advantage.
Temple kicker Carl Hardin made field goals from 41, 46 and 41 yards. His final kick cut the deficit to eight points with 10:12 remaining, but the Owls did not score again.
East Carolina quarterback Mitch Griffis passed for 130 yards. Temple quarterback Ajani Sheppard threw for 118 yards and led the Owls with 69 rushing yards.
The Pirates improved to 4–4 overall and 2–2 in American Conference play. Temple fell to 2–6 and 1–3.
East Carolina’s official final box score, Temple’s separate postgame report and an Associated Press account agree on the result and Engleman’s 107-yard performance.
Sources East Carolina Athletics — Official Final Box Score: https://ecupirates.com/sports/football/stats/2026/temple/boxscore/14233 Temple Athletics — October 31 Game Report: https://owlsports.com/news/2026/10/31/football-temple-drops-hard-fought-battle-to-ecu-on-the-road Associated Press via Our Midland — October 31 Final Report: https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/engleman-runs-for-107-yards-and-a-td-in-east-22504485.php