Going into the matchup, the Pirates and Bearcats were both winless in the AAC, and a win was a necessity to each team’s future success. ECU started the game strong as it closed its opening possession with a field goal for the first score of the game.
The Pirates’ defense started well and held Cincinnati on its first two drives. But when the ECU offense started struggling to make its way down the field, Cincinnati’s backup quarterback Gunner Kiel took advantage of the scoreless possessions, and took the lead with a touchdown late in the first quarter.
The two teams then began to punt back and forth as both defenses continued to hold its opponent.