ECU touchdown called back due to inadvertent whistle in Military Bowl, Pitt scores plays later

An inadvertent whistle wiped off a touchdown off the board for ECU and ultimately lead to a Pittsburgh touchdown. ECU running back Marlon Gunn Jr. had an amazing run on fourth down, breaking multiple tackles, but his touchdown was wiped off the board due to what was called a false whistle.

The third quarter craziness just began with this sequence. Not only did Gunn’s touchdown get wiped off the board, Pitt scored two plays later as Rasheem Biles recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

So instead of a 17-7 lead for ECU, Pitt led 14-10 just like that. The sequence can be seen below.

On fourth down in the Military Bowl, East Carolina’s Marlon Gunn Jr. rips off one of the best runs of bowl season for a TD.

BUT an inadvertent whistle calls the play back … a few plays later Pitt forces a fumble and returns it for a score. Insane. pic.twitter.com/8wk94ENpmU

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) December 27, 2025

But it only took ECU two plays to respond to the controversy. Anthony Smith was on the receiving end of a 72-yard touchdown reception from Chaston Ditta.

Leading 17-14, ECU decided they needed to make up for the whacky call just a bit more. The Pirates defense forced a fumble on the Panthers’ next drive and began driving down the field late in the third quarter.

As it stands, ECU actually converted a fake field goal run on fourth and one and were helped out by an offsides penalty anyway. ECU had the ball 1st and 10 at the Pitt 20 with 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

That drive eventually came down to a dropped interception and led to an East Carolina field goal. With that, ECU led Pitt 20-14 in the fourth quarter of the Military Bowl.

Coming into the game, ECU and Pitt were both 8-4 on the season, searching for win No. 9 to conclude the 2025 campaign. The Panthers had to end their season with three straight ranked games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami.