BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Holton Ahlers chose to stay in his hometown with a mission to restore some pride and prominence to East Carolina football.
After Tuesday night's 53-29 throttling of Coastal Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, the senior quarterback can proudly say, "Mission accomplished."
Ahlers, who played at Greenville's D.H. Conley High School, punctuated his record-breaking career with a stellar performance in ECU's first bowl game since the 2014 Birmingham Bowl. The 6-4, 230-pound left-hander displayed his versatility and had a hand in six touchdowns, throwing for five to four different receivers and running for one. He nearly added a score on a reception but came up a yard shy after hauling in a pass from receiver and former high school teammate C.J. Johnson.
To cap off the evening, Ahlers, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player, made his final move by assisting senior Noah Henderson with the traditional dumping of the Gatorade cooler on head coach Mike Houston.
"This is all I ever wanted, this moment right here," an emotional Ahlers said moments after the game. "To finally be here means everything to me."
Ahlers came to ECU in 2018, the last of Scottie Montgomery's three consecutive 3-9 seasons. Houston took over the rebuilding task and got the Pirates to bowl eligibility in year three with a 7-5 record, but the chance to play in the Military Bowl ended when Boston College pulled out due to covid.
The long journey culminated in a celebration Tuesday night in Protective Stadium.
"This has been the goal since we got here, to get ECU back to winning and back to being in bowl contention and back to winning bowl games. Tonight's a very significant achievement for a lot of people.
"I told Holton and Noah after they froze me to death on the sideline just how proud I am of them," Houston said. "They stuck it out, they finished the way they wanted to finish, and they truly can say that they turned the program around."
With the exception of a season-high 11 penalties for 130 yards and a blocked punt, the Pirates (8-5) dominated a Coastal Carolina team seeking a third straight 10-win season. ECU remarkably extended its streak of games without a turnover to seven while forcing a pair of fumbles.
The 53 points not only marked a season high but rank as the second most an ECU team has scored in a bowl game.
"It was a tough game," said interim head coach Chad Staggs, who took over after Jamey Chadwell departed for Liberty. "We fought, we battled. We're not going to leave any excuses out there. We didn't compete well enough to win the ballgame. They outplayed us."
Coastal (9-4) traded blows with ECU into the second quarter and led 14-10 when talented quarterback Grayson McCall left with an injury. With backup Bryce Carpenter suspended due to an arrest, the duties fell into the hands of junior Jarret Guest.
Guest threw one touchdown pass before being a crunching hit sidelined him in the fourth quarter. That left little firepower to answer the Pirates' onslaught.
"When you've got No. 10 (McCall) in the ballgame we're a little bit better," Staggs said. "Jarret came in and threw a touchdown pass. It was really kind of the turnovers there."
Ahlers, meanwhile, showed poise and leadership in his finale. He finished 26 of 38 for 300 yards, rushed for 48 yards and added 14 yards receiving for 362 total yards. For his career, Ahlers compiled school and American Athletic Conference bests of 13,927 passing yards and 15,387 total yards.
He also set an AAC record for touchdowns responsible for, throwing for 97 scores and eclipsing Shane Carden's ECU record for rushing touchdowns with his 25th.
The 300-yard passing game gives Ahlers five for this season and 19 for his career. He said finally being healthy played a big role in being sharp.
"I could finally run again without my shoulder popping out of place," he said. "I tore my labrum the third drive of the season. I was told I should sit out, and I said, "Hell no, I ain't taking off that purple and gold just yet.' I did it for this right here. I did it for these fans and my family and my football family as well."
Although Ahlers took center stage, he benefited from a strong supporting cast. Sophomore speedster Keaton picked up 83 yards on his first three carries and finished with 127 yards on 22 carries – his seventh straight 100-yard game, ninth eight of the season and 15th of his career. He also moved into third place on ECU's career rushing list with 3,026 yards, passing Carlester Crumpler (2,900) and Chris Johnson (2,982).
C.J. Johnson had seven catches for 83 yards, boosting his season total to 1,016. Isaiah Winstead added six catches for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns, giving the Toledo transfer 1,085 yards and seven scores. Jaylen Johnson added five catches – three on the opening drive – for 55 yards and a touchdown.
"It was a total team effort," Ahlers said.
The Pirates led 24-14 at the end of a long and disjointed first half plagued by penalties, injuries and official reviews. ECU moved the ball at will, piling up 330 total yards and scoring on four of six possessions – one drive ended on downs at Coastal 33, and the half ended the other.
ECU, the least-penalized team in the nation at 29.8 yards per game, drew seven flags for 85 yards in the first half. The first of those came on the opening drive on first down from the 5, and the Pirates settled for a 28-yard field goal.
Ahlers' first of two first-half touchdown strikes to Winstead put ECU up 10-0 before the Chanticleers awakened and rallied for a pair of scores and a 14-10 lead. Resse White ran in from the 1 at the end of a none-play, 60-yard drive, then McCall tumbled in on a 9-yard scamper that put Coastal ahead but also ended his night.
McCall, a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year who has entered the transfer portal, flipped as he collided with three Pirates at the goal line and landed on his head. He walked off slowly and did not return, finishing the night 11-of-14 for 75 yards through the air and 12 yards rushing.
ECU quickly answered, cashing in a 46-yard kickoff return by Marlon Gunn with an 11-yard pass from Ahlers to Winstead. The Pirates extended the lead to 24-14 when Mitchell darted in untouched from the 1 with 1:44 left.
The Pirates pounced quick in the second half after Jireh Wilson recovered the first of two fumbles forced by Gerard Springer. Ahlers nearly got in the end zone with his third career reception, then tossed 2-yard pass to Jaylen Johnson for a 31-21 lead.
A 47-yard pass from Guest to Tyler Roberts gave Coastal a glimmer of hope, but ECU chalked up two quick scores to seize control. Ahlers scored on a 1-yard run after Springer sacked Guest, forced a fumble and then jumped on the loose ball.
A 15-yard connection to C.J. Johson made it 49-21, then Ahlers capped the night with a 1-yard pass to Shane Calhoun and a two-point shovel pass to Mitchell.
All that remained was the celebration.
"I told Coach Houston I was going to sleep in my uniform," Ahlers said. "I don't want to take it off yet.
"Being a kid from Greenville and experiencing that out there, that's all I've ever wanted, was to bring this university and this football program back. These fans certainly deserve it. You could see it out there. Almost the whole stadium on our side was purple and gold. It's a night I'll remember forever."
