College Football Refs Accused Of Rigging Pitt vs. East Carolina Bowl Game

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College Football Refs Accused Of Rigging Pitt vs. East Carolina Bowl Game

The Go Bowling Military Bowl between Pitt and East Carolina has been completely derailed by a horrendous call from the refs.

During the late stages of the third quarter, East Carolina running back Marlon Gunn Jr. had a 68-yard touchdown wiped off then board because of an inadvertent whistle. However, he was already past all the Pitt defenders when the whistle was apparently blown. The score should've been 17-7 in East Carolina's favor.

Two plays later, Pitt recovered an East Carolina fumble and returned it for a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead. As you'd imagine, the fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium let the refs know they were furious over this sequence of events.

Those watching the Military Bowl at home accused the refs of rigging the game in Pitt's favor.

Dec 27, 2025; Annapolis, MD, USA; East Carolina Pirates linebacker Jackson Barker (1) celebrates with defensive back Tavius Horne Jr. (23) after a fumble recovery during the first half of the Military Bowl against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images© Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.

"Refs just cheated ECU out of a big TD. Inadvertent whistle? Come on," a fan wrote on X.

"Nah this Pitt ECU game refs got money on the game. ECU running for a touchdown and they call a false whistle down the field…..

"WOW!! East Carolina is getting messed up by the refs," a third fan commented. "There was absolutely no whistle blown. This is COMPLETE BS!!

"The refs are cheating for Pitt," another fan declared.

ECU won't be denied.

Despite being on the wrong end of an awful call, East Carolina responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Chaston Ditta to Anthony Smith to retake the lead.

Three plays later, East Carolina forced a fumble from Pitt running back Ja'Kyrian Turner.

If East Carolina holds on and defeats Pitt in the Military Bowl, that'd be a testament to the locker room's resiliency.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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