ANNAPOLIS, Md. – East Carolina makes its second bowl appearance in three seasons Saturday, Dec. 28, when it squares off with in-state foe NC State at the Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.
Kickoff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPN with Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst) and Alex Chapell (sideline) handling broadcast duties.
🏴☠️🏈 On Dec 28th, join the Pirate Radio Bud Light Pregame Tailgate starting at 1:45pm as we get you ready for ECU Football vs NC State. When the 4th quarter ends, join the legendary US Cellular 5th Quarter Call-In Show!
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The Pirates (7-5) are under the direction of head coach Blake Harrell who was officially named to the position Nov. 27. Harrell had served as the program’s interim head coach since Oct. 20.
ECU looks to register its second-straight postseason victory after knocking off Coastal Carolina by a 53-29 margin at the 2022 Birmingham Bowl
Last Time Out
Navy 34, East Carolina 20
(Nov. 29 @ Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.)
Senior Day and Blake Harrell‘s first official game as East Carolina’s head coach did not quite turn out as planned. The Pirates missed numerous early opportunities and paid dearly in the second half as Navy seized control and captured a 34-20 win inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The loss spoiled the day for 22 ECU seniors and dealt Harrell his first loss after he won his first four games as interim head coach. In ending the Pirates’ four-game win streak, Navy stayed unbeaten in six trips to Greenville and now leads the overall series 10-2. The Pirates certainly made some impressive things happen during their four-game run but never got clicking against the Midshipmen. ECU came in with its offense at full throttle, averaging 45.75 points, 542.5 yards and 236.5 yards since Harrell took the helm while also putting up four consecutive games with at least 220 yards rushing and 500 total yards. Navy limited ECU to 129 yards rushing and 348 total yards. Quarterback Katin Houser, a big-play producer since taking over as the starter at quarterback, misfired on a couple of long passes in the first half and finished the contest completing 20 of 36 attempts for 219 yards with 84 of those coming on the final drive when the game had been decided. Senior running back Rahjai Harris finished with a team-high 88 yards on 18 carries. The usually methodical Midshipmen produced 10 plays of at least 15 yards with seven of those occurring in the second half when they took control. Navy scored on runs of 36 and 38 yards and a 61-yard pass after being shut out in the first half. Navy would score on five of six second-half possessions, consistently making clutch plays to keep drives alive. Led by quarterback Brandon Woodson, Navy converted 6 of 8 third downs in the second half while piling up 298 total yards. Woodson finished with a career-high of 125 yards rushing on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns while also throwing for 165 yards and a score.
About NC State
The Wolfpack (6-6) gained bowl eligibility at the 11th hour via a 35-30 road win over in-state rival North Carolina on the final day of the regular season. NC State seeks its first bowl victory since knocking off Arizona State 52-31 at the 2017 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Wolfpack slot 10th among Atlantic Coast Conference teams in scoring offense (29.2 points per game) while checking in at 15th in scoring defense (30.5 points allowed per contest). NC State produced 373.6 yards of total offense per game in 12 regular season contests but surrendered 384.8 to its opponents. Quarterback CJ Bailey has piled up a team-high 2,183 passing yards with 14 touchdowns – six of those going the way of receiver KC Concepcion who has recently entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers pace the ground attack, combining for 877 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The Wolfpack have won twice outside of Carter-Finley Stadium this campaign, logging wins at California and North Carolina.
East Carolina Records, Streaks and Trends
- The Pirates have appeared in 21 previous bowls, owning a 10-11 record in those contests.
- ECU owns an 0-1 record at the Military Bowl, falling to Maryland 51-20 in 2010. The Pirates were invited to play in the 2021 Military Bowl opposite Boston College, but the Eagles withdrew from the game due to COVID-19 protocols.
- Rahjai Harris is sixth in program history for career rushing yards (2,876) and is 25 shy of matching Carlester Crumpler (1971-73) for fifth place.
- East Carolina secured a winning record in American Athletic Conference play for third time since joining the league (2014, 2021 and 2024).
- The Pirates slot 34th nationally in scoring offense, putting up 32.5 points per game, while ranking 27th in total offense (433.3 yards per game).
- ECU is averaging 69.3 offensive plays per game which is 37th nationally. Conversely, the defense is averaging 75.6 – the second most per game in the FBS behind San Jose State (75.8).
- East Carolina has produced 12 offensive scoring drives (10 TD, 2 FG) of 59 seconds or less this season.
- The Pirate defense has scored six touchdowns since the start of the 2023 campaign. ECU has also forced at least one turnover in 59 of its last 70 games.
- East Carolina tied a program single-game record with eight different players (seven offense and one defense) scoring a touchdown in the win over Temple.
- ECU set a school record for yards per play (10.4) in the victory over Florida Atlantic, besting the previous mark of 9.7 compiled against Western Carolina in 2016.
- Quarterback Katin Houser topped the ESPN Total QBR List for Week 11 with a 99.7 rating.
The Series
NC State leads East Carolina 19-13 all-time in a series which dates back to 1970. Though the Pirates trail the overall ledger against the Wolfpack, the two teams have split the last six meetings while ECU has won eight of the last 15 encounters dating back to 1987. Saturday’s game marks the fourth matchup at a neurtal site with the Pirates holding a 2-1 advantage – including a 37-34 triumph at the 1992 Peach Bowl in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Last Meeting
No. 13 NC State 21, East Carolina 20
(Sept. 3, 2022 @ Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.)
East Carolina’s Owen Daffer missed a go ahead 41-yard field goal attempt with less than 10 seconds remaining as No. 13 NC State escaped Greenville with a 21-20 win in both teams’ season opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. ECU, bolstered by two goal-line stands and an interception, clawed back from a 21-7 halftime deficit and had a chance to tie the score with 2:58 left, but Daffer hooked his extra-point kick. A chance at redemption came with nine seconds showing, but the miss ended an upset bid of the nation’s 13th-ranked team. The Wolfpack, playing their first true road game season-opener since 2008 (at South Carolina), escaped with their third straight and just their second win in six trips to Greenville. N.C. State had won the previous two meetings by a combined 92-9 score. The Pirates limited quarterback Devin Leary to 211 yards passing, his lowest total since Oct. 17, 2020. Holton Ahlers, on track to eclipse nearly every school record for a quarterback, became the American Athletic Conference leader in career completions (833) after connecting on 25 of 41 passes for 267 yards. East Carolina outgained NC State 383-344 and committed just two penalties for 20 yards.
Harrell Starts Head Coaching Career 4-1
Blake Harrell became the first coach in program history to start his head coaching career 4-0 (as the interim). After having the interim tag removed on Nov. 27, he has guided the Pirates to 203 points (40.6 ppg), which are the most by any Pirate head coach through his first five games. Ruffin McNeill (188 in 2010) is second followed by Bill Lewis (161 in 1989), Steve Logan (147 in 1992) and Scottie Montgomery (146 in 2016).
Against Non-Conference Opponents
The Pirates have produced a 46-64 (.418) regular season non-league record since 1997, including a 2-2 clip in 2024. East Carolina opened the season with wins over Norfolk State (42-3) and Old Dominion (20-14) before falling to Appalachian State (21-19) and Liberty (35-24).
A Starter’s Log
DL Chad Stephens enters the bow game having started 31 consecutive games as a member of the defensive unit. OL Hampton Ergle currently has the longest starting streak on the offense at 25 prior to the bowl contest. ECU has had 17 first time starters in a Pirate uniform this season: LB Zakye Barker, OL Darius Bell, LB Ryheem Craig, LB Samuel Dankah, QB Jake Garcia, DB Gavin Gibson, QB Katin Houser, TE Casey Kelly, DB Devon King, OL Jimarion McCrimon, OL Emmanuel Poku, DB Ja’Marley Riddle, WR Anthony Smith, WR Yannick Smith, LB Dameon Wilson, DB Andrew Wilson-Lamp, WR Winston Wright Jr.
2024 Pirate Graduates
*OL Hampton Ergle, *LS Alex Harper, *LB Noah Homes, DL D’Anta Johnson, DB Devon King, DL Elijah Morris, WR Jhari Patterson, DB Shavon Revel Jr., DL Jasiyah Robinson, DB Omar Rogers and DL Suirad Ware received their degrees during ECU Commencement in early December.
* denotes second degree or graduate certificate
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