At the end of the East Carolina-NC State battle in the Mars Military Bowl, the referee was covered in blood

The Military Bowl featured a matchup of in-state rivals East Carolina and NC State, and the temperature of the game heated up before the end, leaving the officials bloodied.

The Pirates were coming off a 26-21 victory over the Wolfpack. East Carolina intervened just before NC State they passed to the defense and all they had to do was run out the clock. Running back Rahjai Harris ran the ball up the middle with 44 seconds left, but a scramble near the Pirates’ sideline ensued.

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December 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD: The North Carolina State Wolfpack and East Carolina Pirates battle it out in the second half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl at Navy Memorial Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Photos)

East Carolina wide receiver Yannick Smith pops up to wipe a towel from NC State defensive back Tamarcus Cooley. The Wolfpack made a play, then chased down Smith and tackled him to the ground. Two other East Carolina players jumped into the fray to defend Smith.

Eight more minutes were left before everyone calmed down and the final game took place.

At least one officer was seen with blood on his face. Eight players were suspended.

“I’m embarrassed as a coach,” NC State coach Dave Doeren he said. “I know our players are like that. The people of this program, the players of this program, the staff of this program have nothing to do with anything like that.

“To me, it was a terrible response to something that happened to one of our players and there is no excuse for it. So I apologize to ECU and their team for the way we responded.”

December 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD: Officials gather during the second half of the Go Bowling Military Bowl between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and East Carolina Pirates at Navy Memorial Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Photos)

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East Carolina coach Blake Harrell said “there’s no place for that in sports.”

He challenged schools in other states to add them to their schedules. East Carolina and NC State are only 80 miles apart and are on each other’s schedules for next season.

“I think you can’t look at our fans and say it’s not a competition. It’s an hour and 15 minutes on the road,” Harrell said. “And there’s a couple of other schools about the same distance. Maybe they’ll put us on their schedule instead of trying to get our players. They want to call our players and get our players. So, how about putting us on their schedule?

“We’re going to be treated like a little stepbrother, which is good. These guys are going to compete, they’re going to challenge. I know we’ve got to go play these guys again next year. It’s early in the year, but we’re going to celebrate tonight.”

December 28, 2024; Annapolis, MD: The East Carolina Pirates hoist the Go Bowling Military Bowl trophy after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Navy Memorial Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Photos)

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East Carolina finished the season 8-5 and NC State 6-7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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