The writing has been on the wall for ECU to go down against a conference foe for the last several weeks and on Saturday, it finally happened, as the 23rd-ranked Pirates fell to Temple, 20-10, in Philadelphia. ECU’s point total was its lowest since its 15-10 loss to Virginia Tech in week three of 2013.

Despite outgaining the Owls 432 yards-to-135 yards and having more first downs, 30-10, Temple capitalized on five ECU lost fumbles to win; all of the Owls’ points were off turnovers. Countless mistakes haunted ECU, of which there were several drops, a failed punt attempt, a blocked field goal and the mentioned fumbles on a cold and wet Philadelphia afternoon. Twelve penalties for 120 yards, a reoccurring theme, also killed the Pirates, most notably on pass interference calls in the second half. And the Pirate defense was actually dominant at times, but players lost composure on several occasions. After a contentious pass interference call in the second half, cornerback Josh Hawkins lightly chested and got in the face of a referee, prompting a personal foul call. Hawkins was lucky to not be ejected.

The Ruffin McNeill-led Pirates went into the half trailing 14-3 after a frustrating, three-fumble pair of quarters. Temple opened up scoring with a 63-yard fumble recovery and touchdown by Tavon Young after running back Breon Allen coughed it up. The Owls scored again on the next possession following a second Allen fumble.

The Pirates were able to rebound from a 17-7 deficit two games before against USF by winning the second half, 21-0, but ECU continued to make mistakes in Saturday’s second half, leaving no room for a Pirate comeback.

Quarterback Shane Carden went 24-for-41 for 217 yards and no picks, but the senior was held without a touchdown for just the third time in his career. And the Pirates’ 215 yards fell two short of Carden’s mark through the air, a true rarity for ECU and in this case, a bad sign.

The American Athletic Conference falls short in having elite members this year, but the defenses in the league have been respectable. ECU faced another in Temple Saturday, and this time the Pirate mistakes were too many and too ill-timed to overcome a solid defensive unit.

With the second Pirate loss of the season, they will likely lose its ranking and it takes ECU out of the Access Bowl driver’s seat with teams like Marshall, Colorado State and Boise State all benefiting.