2021 Military Bowl
Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5)
Dec. 27 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Navy-Marine Corps Stadium | Annapolis, Md.
Boston College Eagles Notes
The Game
• Boston College and East Carolina square off in the 2021 Military Bowl on Monday, December 27 from Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer and Quint Kessenich have the television call of the game.
• Coverage on the Boston College Sports Network from Learfield begins at 2 p.m. with Jon Meterparel along with former BC standouts
Pete Cronan and Scott Mutryn on the call.
• The Military Bowl will be the first meeting all-time between BC and East Carolina. The Pirates finished the season 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the American Athletic Conference.
• The Military Bowl marks the 29th bowl appearance in school history. The Eagles are 14-13 all-time in bowl games and BC’s .519 winning percentage in bowl games ranks 39th all-time.
• The Military Bowl is a homecoming for 12 Eagles from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
• Associate head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim is a native of Washington, D.C. and was a former head coach at Friendship Collegiate
Academy in Washington, D.C.
• The Eagles’ first postseason victory came in New Orleans at the 1941 Sugar Bowl … the year before, Boston College fell, 6-3, to Clemson in the Cotton Bowl in its first bowl bid … BC went undefeated in 11 games in 1940 and refused to let Tennessee tarnish
its perfect season … the 19-13 come-from-behind victory over a Volunteers squad that hadn’t lost a regular-season game in three years catapulted Boston College football to its best-ever finish and a claim of the national championship … in Doug Flutie’s first full campaign as the Eagles’ signal caller, he led BC to the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, BC’s first taste of the postseason in 39 years … Flutie propelled BC to a 45- 28 1985 Cotton Bowl victory over Houston by throwing three touchdowns, leading the Eagles to their first postseason bowl win in 44 years … BC began an eight-game bowl winning streak in 2000 at the Jeep Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a 31-17 win over Arizona State … the Eagles went on a postseason tear: winning eight bowl games in a row: 2001 Music City Bowl (BC 20, No. 16 Georgia 16); 2002 Motor City Bowl (BC 51, Toledo 25); 2003 San Francisco Bowl (BC 35, Colorado State 21); 2004 Continental Tire Bowl (BC 37, North Carolina 24); 2005 MPC Computers Bowl (BC 27, Boise State 21); 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl (BC 25, Navy 24); 2007 Champs Sports Bowl (BC 24, Michigan State 21) … the final win of the eight-year postseason streak came in Orlando, Fla., at the Champs Sports Bowl … in a fitting end to his brilliant collegiate career, Matt Ryan led the Eagles to a three-point victory over Michigan State … Ryan completed 22-of- 47 attempts for 249 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles kept the nation’s longest bowl game win streak alive with a 24-21 victory … BC captured its first bowl win since 2007 with a 36-30 victory over Maryland in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl … BC’s bowl game in 2018 against Boise State was ruled a no-contest due to inclement weather.
East Carolina Pirates Notes
THE GAME
East Carolina will make its first bowl appearance since the 2014 season when it faces off against Atlantic Coast Conference member Boston College in the Military Bowl presented by Peraton on Monday, Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The Pirates will also attempt to secure their eighth triumph, ECU’s highest single-season victory total since 2014.
Lastly, East Carolina will try to notch its fi fth win in the last six contests when it meets the Eagles, the program’s top season-ending run since capturing six of its last seven to close out the 2013 campaign.
EAST CAROLINA RECORDS, STREAKS & TRENDS
Has allowed only three 4th-quarter off ensive TDs in the last six games …
Has forced at least one turnover in 18 of the last 20 games (and in 29 of the last 32) …
Had +6.4 ppg, +86.7 pypg and +107.0 typg cumulative margins in all eight AAC games …
Had a collective time of possession edge in all eight AAC games (+8:42 avg.) …
Snapped more off ensive plays in all eight AAC games (+112 the last fi ve contests) …
Has split its last four games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (2-2 vs. Navy) …
Has won seven of its last 11 games vs. Atlantic Coast Conference opponents (since 2013) … Has averaged 508.3 total yards and 330.7 passing yards in its last three bowl games …
FAST FACTS
Record – 7-5 (.583); AAC Record/Standing – 5-3 (.625)/T3rd; Last 5 Games – 4-1; Last 10 Games – 7-3; Last 15 Games – 9-6; Streaks – East Carolina will play the 34th game of the Mike Houston Era when the Pirates face off against Boston College. ECU’s contest against the Eagles will be the Pirates’ 905th since the start of football in 1932 (454-439-11/.508).
SCHEMES
Boston College utilizes a multiple offensive attack while also employing a multiple defensive alignment. ECU will feature a multiple pro-style look on offense and are a multiple unit on defense.
THE COACHES
MIKE HOUSTON (Mars Hill ‘94) is in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach with a 94-44 (.681) mark, while he is 14-19 (.424) in his third season at East Carolina. When he officially became the Pirates’ 22nd all-time head football coach on Dec. 4, 2018, Houston finished a three-year stint directing the James Madison program.
Houston guided the Dukes to a 37-6 mark, which included three NCAA FCS postseason appearances (2016 national champions, 2017 national runner-up, 2018 second round) and a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) titles. He was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS National Coach-of-the-Year in 2016 after JMU turned in a 14-1 campaign.
The appointment to the top Dukes’ football position followed brief head coaching assignments at Lenoir-Rhyne (2011-13) and The Citadel (2014-15). He led the Bears to a 29-8 ledger and a pair of NCAA Division II playoff showings before guiding the Bulldogs to a 14-11 record, a Southern Conference co-championship and a venture into the FSC playoff s in 2015.
Houston, a Franklin, N.C. native, began his collegiate coaching career as defensive coordinator at Brevard College in 2006 before serving in a similar capacity at L-R from 2007 to 2010.
JEFF HAFLEY (Siena ‘01) is in his second season at Boston College and sports a 12-11 (.522) record. He was hired as the Eagles’ 36th head coach in program history on December 14, 2019 and led BC to a 6-5 mark during his initial year, which represented the highest victory among all first-year Power Five head coaches in 2020. Prior to his appointment at BC, Hafley helped lead a drastic defensive turnaround as Ohio State’s co-coordinator in 2019, a season in which the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title and qualified for the College Football Playoff . From 2012 to 2018, he served defensive staff roles in the NFL with the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers after coaching the secondary at Albany (2002-04), Pittsburgh (2006-10) and Rutgers (2011).
THE SERIES
The 2021 Military Bowl presented by Peraton will feature the fi rst-ever meeting (0-0) between Boston College and East Carolina in the sport of football.
