5:45 p.m. | ESPN
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland
THE SERIES
NC State leads East Carolina 19-13 all-time in a series which dates to 1970 … Although the Pirates trail the overall series against the Wolfpack, the two teams have split the last six meetings and ECU has won eight of the last 15 contests dating back to 1987 … Saturday’s game will mark the fourth contest at a neutral site with the Pirates holding a 2-1 advantage including the 1992 Peach Bowl in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
East Carolina Pirates Notes
EAST CAROLINA RECORDS, STREAKS & TRENDS
• Secured a winning record in AAC play for the third time (2014, 2021, 2024) since joining the league … • For the third time in the last four years, ECU became bowl eligible with a 38-31 won over Tulsa … • The Pirates also earned bowl eligibility in 2021 (Military) and in 2022 (TicketSmarter Birmingham) … • ECU won its first bowl game since 2013 against Costal Carolina (53-29) in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl … • In its 40-28 win at North Texas, ECU rushed for 255 yards marking the fourth consecutive game with 200-plus yards on the ground (last time that occurred was a five-game stretch over the 1988 and 89 seasons; last two of 1988, first three of 1989) … • The Pirates tallied 500-plus yards of total offense against the Mean Green (553) marking the fourth consecutive game with 500 or more yards (500/Temple, 581/FAU, 536/TLS) … • According to ESPN’s Total QBR for Week 11, Katin Houser topped the list at 99.7 … • Established new single-game record for yards per play against FAU (10.4) besting the previous record of 9.7 against Western Carolina in 2016 … • Scored a season-high 35 first half points against FAU (Nov. 7), which were the most since 41 versus South Florida in 2022 (game played in Boca Raton) … • Tallied 418 yards of total offense in the first half against FAU (Nov. 7) – the most since 459 vs. North Carolina in 2014 (both ranking first and second in program and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium history) … • Set a modern day record with 29 points in the third quarter against Temple which is also the sixth most in an FBS game this season – • Also had eight different players (7/offense, 1/defense) score a TD against Temple, which tied a school record – • Has 12 offensive scoring drives (10 TD, 2 FG) of 59 seconds or less on the season – • Forced at least one turnover in 59 of the last 70 games since 2019 … • Since the start of 2023, ECU’s defense has scored six TDs (2/ASU ‘23, 1/UTSA ‘23; 1/NSU ‘24, 1/ASU, 1/TEM) … • Currently ranks ninth in FBS (second in AAC) in defensive scores with three … • East Carolina concluded non-conference play with a 2-2 record … It marks the fourth time in six years that the Pirates are .500 through four games (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) … uTallied fourth home win of the season against FAU (Nov. 7) for the third time in last four years … • The Pirates rank 99th nationally in total defense (403.3 ypg) and 27th in total offense (433.3 ypg) … • ECU is averaging 69.3 offensive plays per game which is 37th nationally … On the flip side, the defense is averaging 75.6 – the second most per game in the FBS behind San Jose State at 75.8 … • Twenty five (25) different ECU defenders have recorded at least a half TFL through the regular season – In all, ECU has tallied 88.0 TFLs for minus 273 yards and ranks 11th nationally in TFLs per game at 7.3 … • ECU’s stands 85th nationally (sixth in AAC) in scoring defense allowing 27.8 ppg and 34th in scoring offense (fifth in AAC) at 32.5 points per game …
THE GAME
East Carolina will face off against instate rival NC State in the 2024 Go Bowling Military Bowl, which will be played in Annapolis, Md. … This will be the 33rd meeting between the two programs and second ever in postseason … ECU, who won four of its final five games, will be making its 22nd bowl appearance in program history (10-11 record).
FAST FACTS
Record –7-5 (.583); AAC Record/Standing – 5-3 (.625)/Fifth; Last 5 Games – 4-1; Last 10 Games – 5-5; Last 15 Games – 7-8; Streaks – When East Carolina plays NC State, it will be the sixth game under head coach Blake Harrell. ECU’s contest against the Wolfpack will be the Pirates’ 942nd since the start of football in 1932 (471-459-11/.506).
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 coach through 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).
NON-SATURDAY MAYHEM
East Carolina is 25-32 (.439) in non-Saturday games since 2000 … Oddly, the Pirates have fared better on the road (16-15; 8-17 at home) … In terms of days (including bowls), ECU is 5-1 on Sundays, 1-1 on Mondays, 3-1 on Tuesdays, 0-3 on Wednesdays, 9-13 on Thursdays and 6-13 on Fridays … Most recently, ECU is 14-17 when deviating from the normal Saturday routine since 2010 … The Pirates, 2-1 this season, had one non-Saturday game in 2023 hosting SMU on Oct. 12 (loss/31-10) … In 2022, ECU played three non-Saturday contests posting a 2-1 ledger (win at BYU/27-24, win vs. Coastal Carolina/53-29; loss at Cincinnati/27-25) … With their win in Tulsa, Okla. the Pirates became bowl eligible for the third time in the last four years.
CHARTING THE PIRATES MONTH-BY-MONTH
In all, East Carolina is 4-3-0 in August, 136-130-1 in September, 170-172-4 in October, 150-138-5 in November, 10-12-0 in December and 1-4-0 in January … With the Pirates win over Coastal Carolina in 2022, ECU remained somewhat productive in December – a month in which it has won five of its last nine outings (wins vs. Boise State/’07, Tulsa/’08, Houston/’09, Ohio/’13 and Coastal Carolina/’22; losses to Maryland/’10, UL-Lafayette/’12, UCF/’14 and NC State/’18).
ON THE ROAD
Since becoming a conference member in 1997, East Carolina is 70-106 (.397) when playing away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium … ECU closed the road portion of its 2024 schedule with a 3-3 record following a 40-28 win at North Texas (Nov. 23) … A year ago, ECU finished the year 1-5 on the road and in 2022, they posted a 4-2 road slate (wins at South Florida/Boca Ra- ton, Fla., BYU, Temple and Coastal Carolina/Birmingham, Ala.; losses to Tulane and Cincinnati) … From a non-conference standpoint, ECU snapped a seven-game skid when it topped Old Dominion 24-21 on Sept. 28, 2019, but has only played seven road non-AAC tilts since (3-4).
North Carolina State Wolfpack Notes
GO(ing) BOWLING
The Wolfpack’s invitation to play in the Go Bowling Military Bowl marks the fifth straight bowl qualification for NC State and the 10th in the past 11 seasons. That is tied as the second-best mark in the ACC in that time frame (Clemson has qualified for bowls in 11 straight years and Miami is tied with the Pack for bowl bids in 10 of the past 11 years). NC State head coach Dave Doeren has led NC State to more bowl games than any coach in school history and in his 14 total seasons as a head coach (including two at Northern Illinois), has qualified for 12 bowls.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Although it might seem weird that NC State’s opponent in the Go Bowling Military Bowl is located just 83 miles down highway 264 from Raleigh, there are many “not the firsts” surrounding the game. It’s not the first time they’ve played. In fact, the two teams have met 32 times in a series that dates to 1970. NC State posts a 19-13 overall advantage. And it’s not the first time the two teams have met in a bowl game either. The Pirates defeated the Pack 37-34 in the 1992 Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Wolfpack’s last opponent of 2024 will be its first opponent of 2025, as NC State’s opener next season will be in Raleigh against the Pirates. But … it’s (sort of) not the first time for that either! In 2018, the Pack’s game against West Virginia and ECU’s road game at Virginia Tech scheduled for Sept. 15 were canceled due to Hurricane Florence, so to make up for the lost games, the two teams met in Raleigh on Dec. 1. (NC State went on to play in a bowl game that season). In 2019, the two squads opened with a game in Raleigh.
RETURN VISIT
This will mark the second time that NC State has played in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2002, the Wolfpack played at Navy, defeating the Midshipmen, 65-19
MORE PACK vs. PIRATES
NC State has won the last three meetings between the two teams: in Greenville (22-21) in 2022, and twice in Raleigh (34-6 in 2019 and 58-3 in 2018). In the last meeting, the Pack eked out a 21-20 victory in Greenville (9/3/22), as the Pirates missed a 41-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. Dave Doeren is 3-2 all-time vs. ECU, winning each of the last three. However, ECU handed the Wolfpack one of only two home non-conference losses in the Dave Doeren era – 42- 28 – in Raleigh on Nov. 23, 2013 (Doeren’s first season). The other was a loss to No. 10 Notre Dame in 2023. The two teams met every season from 1970-1987, but since then have played just 14 times, with three of those contests being played at neutral sites. In 1996 and 2004, the two teams played regular-season contests in Charlotte, with ECU winning 50-29 in ‘96 and the Pack gaining a 52-14 victory in 2004. Although ECU has played NC State at Carter-Finley 22 times, the Pirates faced another opponent on the Wolfpack’s home field as well. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd flooded the eastern part of the state, forcing the Pirates out of Dowdy Ficklen Stadium. NC State offered to let the Pirates host the ninth-ranked (and appropriately named) Miami Hurricanes, and ECU went on to upset Miami, 27-23. The excitement led visiting ECU fans to tear down the goalposts.
OFFENSIVE UPTURN
NC State’s offense has dramatically improved its numbers in the last third of the season. In the last four games, the Wolfpack is averaging 115 more rushing yards, 62 more yards of total offense and 9.5 more points per game than in the first eight games of 2024. The Wolfpack rushed for over 220 yards in three of the last four games, including in back-to-back contests vs. Georgia Tech (253) and UNC (220). It marked the first time since 2018 that NC State rushed for 200+ yards in back-to-back games and the first time since 2015 that the feat was accomplished in back-to-back league games. The Pack’s rushing output in the one-point loss to Georgia Tech was its second-best of the season (29-253), but the Pack’s 8.72 yards per rush ranked as the fifth-best average by an ACC team in a league game in the past five years and the second-best since 2021 (according to ESPN). It was the highest average loss for an ACC team since 2017 (Pitt vs. Navy). And when the Pack hung 59 points on Stanford, it marked NC State’s highest scoring output ever vs. an ACC opponent.
TURNOVER TURMOIL
Turnovers have definitely been the Wolfpack’s Achilles Heel in 2024, as NC State currently ranks tied for seventh in the FBS for most turnovers lost (23). And even worse, those turnovers have resulted in points that have meant the difference in close games. ACC opponents have scored 83 points on turnovers vs. the Pack this season.
THIRD DOWN AND OUT
The Wolfpack defense has been especially stingy on third down in the last five games, with Cal, Stanford, Duke, Georgia Tech and UNC combining to convert just .224 on third down (13-58). In the loss to Duke, the Blue Devils did not convert a third down in nine tries. For the season, the Wolfpack ranks 31st in the FBS in 3rd down conversion defense with a .340 (53-156) mark. That’s an impressive number, since in the first seven games of the season, the Pack allowed the opponent to convert at a .408 rate (40-98)!
NO RETURNS
NC State is tied for eighth in the nation in kickoff returns allowed, allowing just nine this season (with the first coming in Game 8). Collin Smith has kicked off 73 times this season, booting all but 10 into the endzone for a touchback. His first non-touchback was in game 7 vs. Syracuse and was a fair catch. (Unfortunately, the first kick of the year that was returned was brought back 40 yards by Nohl Williams of Cal). Prior to the fair catch vs. Syracuse, Smith had booted 42 straight into the endzone dating back to last year’s regular season finale.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
On the flip side, the Wolfpack ranks third in the FBS in kickoff returns with a 28.1 average. DK Kaufman would lead the nation with his 33.5 ypr average if he had enough attempts to qualify (he didn’t return a kick until game 5). That mark is the third-best single season mark in school history.
