Navy traveled to this college town looking to lock up the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. With 20 minutes elapsed, it appeared East Carolina might pull of a surprising upset. Wide receiver Zay Jones led the way as the Pirates got off to a hot start on Senior Day at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Jones had nine catches for 126 yards, East Carolina jumped out to a 10-point lead and the home crowd was already celebrating at the 10:12 mark of the second quarter.
Jones had already set the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision record for career catches by that point in the game and a special ceremony was held on the field during the television timeout.