First look: NC State football faces East Carolina at the Military Bowl in Annapolis
N.C. State football is headed north this weekend for its 2024 finale, and what it hopes is a belated Christmas gift.
The Wolfpack (6-6, 3-5 ACC) faces East Carolina (7-5, 5-3 American Athletic Conference) on Saturday at the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland. It will be the first of consecutive games between the two programs, which are set to open the 2025 season against one another.
“I think they’re a good team. I think that we’re just going to compete,” N.C. State defensive end Travali Price said. “I think that they’ve got some good skill players, very good skilled players. (In the) trenches they are okay, they’re pretty good.”
This will be the teams’ second meeting in a bowl game. The Pirates won the 1992 Peach Bowl, 37-34.
Under Dave Doeren, N.C. State has qualified for five consecutive bowl games, and 10 overall. The Pack is 3-5 in its previous appearances — it did not play in the 2021 Holiday Bowl after UCLA withdrew — and has not won a bowl game since 2017, when the N.C. State beat Arizona State, 52-31.
Three of the four most recent bowl games were determined by nine points or fewer.
East Carolina was previously selected for the Military Bowl in 2010 and 2020. It did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 protocols and fell to Maryland, 51-20, in 2010 under former head coach Ruffin McNeil. McNeil now serves as a special assistant to Doeren.
“I look forward to playing coach (Blake) Harrell and East Carolina,” Doeren said after the bowl matchup was announced. “I have a lot of respect, Blake, for what you did this year, and congrats on becoming the head coach at ECU. I know that’s not an easy thing to do midstream, like you did, so congratulations. We look forward to playing them. It’s a game that goes a long way back, and we don’t get to play each other very often — it’s been a while — so I don’t know how many of our players, the way rosters change anymore, are going to remember the last time we played, but they’re excited to go to a bowl game.”
Potential impact player: Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith transferred to the Pirates last season after playing a limited role with the Wolfpack. During his four seasons, Smith appeared in 34 games and recorded 243 yards with a trio of touchdowns. His best season came in 2021, when he finished with 97 yards and one touchdown.
This fall, Smith started all 12 regular-season games for the Pirates and more than tripled his output. The senior led ECU with 767 yards on 38 catches for six touchdowns. Smith had three 100-yard games this season and six with 70 or more yards. His longest reception came against Florida Atlantic, which was a 64-yard grab to set up a 1st and goal. The Pirates scored on the following play.
ECU coach Blake Harrell said the staff talks with its players about how sometimes a person needs a new environment and new opportunity.
“It’s a fresh start, and sometimes that’s all we need as individuals to kind of spark us and get us going,” Harrell said. “Anthony has certainly done that.”
Smith will be facing players he practiced against, so there’s familiarity on both sides, and he looks to show off against his former program.
Doeren is vocal about challenges with the transfer portal, but Smith is an example of someone who benefited greatly.
“It’s great when a guy’s been on your team for three or four years, he’s graduated, he’s not playing, and he wants to get on the field in his last year,” Doeren said last week. “Yeah, let’s try to help you do that. There are positives to it.”
Doeren wanted Smith to find a place where could thrive on the field, saying how much he loved and enjoyed having the former Wolfpack receiver on the roster. He’s happy Smith found that at ECU.
“I’m excited for him. Anytime a guy leaves your program in good standing, which he did, you want nothing but success for those guys,” Doeren said on Dec. 11. “Obviously in our game, I hope he doesn’t have any, but as far as his career and life — looking at what he’s done there, he’s made an impact for them.”
ECU’s success on offense relies heavily on Smith’s success. The Pirates are 0-4 when the receiver has 30 receiving yards or fewer, and 7-1 when he surpasses that total.
ECU is 3-0 — with a 23-point average margin of victory — when Smith records 100 yards. Katin Houser replaced Jake Garcia at starting quarterback midway through the season. The Pirates are 4-2 and Smith recorded four consecutive 80-plus yard games with Houser in the backfield.
Vegas betting line
N.C. State is listed as a 5.5-point favorite by most U.S. sports books, with FanDuel and ESPN listing the Pack at a 6-point favorite. The moneyline is set at -215 for the Wolfpack and +180 for the Pirates.
How to watch NC State vs ECU
Teams: N.C. State Wolfpack (6-6, 3-5 ACC) vs East Carolina Pirates (7-5, 5-3 American Athletic Conference)
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland
Date: Saturday, Dec. 28
Time: 5:45 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV
Series history: N.C. State leads the all-time series, 19-13, and has won the last three contests. The Wolfpack’s last win took place on Sept. 3, 2022, when the Pack defeated the Pirates, 21-20, in Greenville in the season opener.
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
