A chaotic brawl broke out during the final minute of East Carolina University’s 26-21 victory over NC State in the Military Bowl on Saturday night, leaving a referee with a bloodied face and prompting apologies from both head coaches.

The scuffle erupted after a heated exchange between players, overshadowing a thrilling finish to the game.

The fight began when an East Carolina player appeared to swipe a towel from the waist of an NC State defender.

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The incident quickly escalated, with players from both teams joining the melee. Amid the chaos, a college football referee was struck by a helmet, sustaining a severe cut to his face.

ESPN cameras captured the injured referee wiping away blood as it streamed down his face.

Fellow officials rushed to assist him, trying to stop the bleeding and get him cleaned up.

A ref took a helmet to the face during a scuffle between East Carolina and NC State. pic.twitter.com/SHbrvWvA9L

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Despite the injury, the official continued to manage the game as the brawl was brought under control.

The on-field altercation caused a significant delay, with approximately eight minutes passing before play resumed for the final kneel-down.

Officials took roughly a minute to restore order and separate the players involved.

The incident drew sharp criticism from both head coaches.

NC State’s Dave Doeren expressed regret over his team’s involvement in the altercation.

“I’m embarrassed as a coach,” Doeren said. “I know our players are, too. That is not how people of this program, the players of this program, staff of this program, want anything to do with something like that. To me, it was a terrible response to something that happened to one of our players, and there’s no excuses for it. So I apologize to ECU and their team for the way we responded.”

East Carolina coach Blake Harrell echoed similar sentiments, condemning the unsportsmanlike conduct. “Obviously, didn’t like the last little bit of the game,” Harrell said. “No place in sports for that.”

The game itself featured a dramatic conclusion.

East Carolina running back Rahjai Harris delivered a game-winning 86-yard touchdown run with just 1:33 left on the clock, securing a 26-21 win for the Pirates.

Harris was the standout performer of the night, racking up 220 rushing yards out of ECU’s 326 total yards on the ground.

The Pirates (8-5) had initially built a 13-point lead before NC State mounted a comeback to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

Harris’s late-game heroics helped ECU reclaim the advantage and clinch the victory.

While the game will be remembered for Harris’s stellar performance, the postgame discussion has largely focused on the brawl and the injury to the referee.

Both teams are likely to face additional scrutiny and potential disciplinary measures for their involvement in the melee.

The Military Bowl, meant to showcase the best of college football, instead highlighted the need for better sportsmanship and control in high-stakes games.

As both programs reflect on the incident, their focus will shift to ensuring that such altercations do not happen again.