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The Freak Referee Collision That Left an AAC Player Needing Assistance Off the Field
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- The Freak Referee Collision That Left an AAC Player Needing Assistance Off the Field
East Carolina entered Saturday's home game against Temple after a 41-34 loss at Memphis and needed a response. Freshman defensive back David Coleman Jr. was part of a young secondary trying to help deliver it. Instead, a moment between plays changed the afternoon for the Pirates.
It involved Coleman, drew a strong reaction from head coach Blake Harrell , and quickly became the story of the game.
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ECU freshman David Coleman Jr. suffers leg injury in collision with referee
It happened at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium during East Carolina's home game against Temple. An official slipped while moving across the field and slid directly into Coleman's right leg. The freshman could not put any weight on it and had to be helped off by two people.
Dec 6, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a tv camera and the ESPN college football logo before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Coleman was taken to the hospital. After the game, head coach Blake Harrell revealed that an X-ray at halftime showed a fractured fibula.
"DC got an X-ray at halftime, fractured his fibula there. Our thoughts and prayers are with him," Harrell told reporters. "That's just one of those things, kind of wild it happens. I've never seen that from an official — a few things happen in the ballgame that I've never seen — and unfortunate for DC."
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Reports indicate the referee tried to go around Coleman, but Coleman did not see him and stepped into his path. The contact was accidental, and the official checked on the player right away. Still, the damage was done. ECU has not announced a recovery timeline, and the injury puts the rest of his freshman season in doubt.
Coleman entered the game with six tackles and added one before leaving, giving him seven this year. The fan account @ECU_NoQuarter posted the clip . The post read, "A referee just broke one of our players legs."
The Pirates still had a game to finish, and how they did it mattered.
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ECU snaps skid behind Mitch Griffis and a stout defense
East Carolina went back to Mitch Griffis at quarterback after starting Emory Williams for the previous few weeks. Griffis completed 17 of 30 passes for 130 yards with one interception, but the ground game carried the load.
TJ Engleman Jr. ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, and Ashton Gray added a score on the first drive. Brock Spalding also made his season debut.
In Saturday's Week 9 game, the defense sealed the 17-9 win over Temple with three interceptions, two of them in the fourth quarter. Temple managed only three field goals from kicker Carl Hardin and fell to 2-6.
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Harrell also went for it on fourth down four times and converted two. The win snapped a two-game skid, lifted ECU to 4-4, and kept bowl hopes alive.
That bowl push resumes on Friday night. The Pirates, now 2-2 in American play, host South Florida at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, six days after the Temple game, and will likely face the Bulls without Coleman in the secondary.
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