GO BOWLING MILITARY BOWL
EAST CAROLINA vs. NC State
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
(34,000/FieldTurf)
Annapolis, Maryland
Television
ESPN
Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman and Alex Chappell
Live Statistics
StatBroadcast
THE GAME
The Military Bowl is the only bowl game to be played in the Washington, D.C., region and the first to be played on the campus of one of the nation’s service academies … The Military Bowl has donated more than $1 million and provided more than 25,000 complimentary tickets to active duty service members and their families through the USO since establishing a charitable partnership in 2010 … The game benefits Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation’s 294-acre retreat for wounded, ill and injured active-duty and veteran service members, their families and caregivers … The game features teams from the American Athletic Conference and the ACC … The game was played at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., from 2008-12 before moving to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium … American Athletic Conference teams are a combined 3-5 in the Military Bowl since the league’s formation in 2013 … Navy has provided two of the wins — a 44-28 victory against Pitt in 2015 and a 49-7 decision against Virginia in 2018 … This year’s game will be the 33rd meeting between East Carolina and NC State and the second postseason meetings between the in-state rivals … The last meeting was NC State’s 21-20 win in Greenville in 2022 … This year’s meeting is the second between the Pirates and Wolfpack in Bowl Season … East Carolina was a 37-34 winner in the 1992 Peach Bowl … East Carolina and NC State are scheduled to meet again in Raleigh in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
EAST CAROLINA
7-5, 5-3 American
Head Coach
Blake Harrell (Western Carolina ’02)
4-1, first season
East Carolina went 4-1 down the stretch under new head coach Blake Harrell, who had the interim tag removed from his title after the Pirates’ 40-28 win at North Texas in November … The Pirates are bowl eligible for the third time in four years and will make their 22nd appearance in Bowl Season … East Carolina hasa 10-11 record in bowl games … The Pirates stood at 3-4 this season following a loss at Army, but East Carolina won four straight to clinch bowl eligibility after Harrell was named interim head coach … Harrell became the first coach in program history to win his first four games … QB Katin Houser, a transfer from Michigan State, has started the last six games and has thrown for 1,859 yards and 18 touchdowns against nine interceptions … The Pirates have averaged 38.5 points and 481.5 yards per game since Houser became the starter … RB Rahjai Harris, a second-team all-conference selection, has 946 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns … WR Winston Wright Jr. has 54 catches for 556 yards and eight TDs, while WR Anthony Smith has 38 catches for 767 yards and six TDs and Chase Sowell has 34 receptions for 678 yards and three touchdowns … Wright was chosen as an FWAA secod-team All-America selection as a return specialist, while Sowell joined Harris on the all-conference second team … Wright has 1,255 all-purpose yards and 590 yards on kickoff returns … The defense is led by LB Zakye Barker, an American Athletic Conference second team selection who has 86 tackles and a team-high 12.0 tackles for loss in 2024 … S Omar Rogers has a team-leading 96 tackles, while DE Elijah Morris has 4.0 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss … CB Ja’Marley Riddle and CB Gavin Gibson are tied for the team lead with three interceptions each … CB Shavon Revel Jr., who is projected as a first-round pick in the NLF Draft, suffered a season-ending injury in September and appeared in only three games … The Pirates have had the same four starters on the defensive line - Chad Stephens, D’Anta Johnson, Elijah Morris and Ryheem Craig - in every game this season … P Luke Larsen has averaged 40.9 yards on 51 punts … K Andrew Conrad has hit 10 of 14 field goal attempts, while K Noah Perez is 4-for-4 … Conrad tied an NCAA single-game record when he hit five field goals of 40 or more yards in the Pirates’ win against Florida Atlantic.
NC STATE
6-6, 3-5 ACC
Head Coach
Dave Doeren (Drake ’93)
87-64, 12th season at NC State
110-68, 14th season as collegiate head coach
NC State has qualified for Bowl Season in five straight seasons and 10 times in the last 11 years … The Wolfpack will make its 12th appearance in Bowl Season under head coach Dave Doeren … Overall, NC State has played in 35- bowl games and has gone 17-17-1 in the postseason … NC State had won at least eight games in four consecutive seasons prior to this year … Doeren is the second longest-tenured head coach in program history, has the sixth-longest tenure among active FBS coaches, and trails only Clemson’s Dabo Swinney in longevity among ACC coaches … Former East Carolina head coach — and 1980 graduate of the university — Ruffin McNeil serves as a special assistant to the head coach at NC State and has been in that role since 2020 … NC State went 3-1 in nonconference games this season … The Wolfpack is 31-2 in home nonconference games under Doeren … The Wolfpack has been outscored 102-51 in the first quarter, but NC State has outscored its opponents 141-79 in the fourth quarter … Like East Carolina, NC State has seen an offensive resurgence in the home stretch of the 2024 season … The Wolfpack has averaged 35.5 points and 411.8 yards in the last four games … NC State’s offensive efficiency has been offset by 23 lost turnovers in 2024 … QB CJ Bailey has completed 177 of 276 passes (64.1%) for 2,183 yards and 14 touchdowns against nine interceptions as a freshman … Bailey’s 14 touchdown passes trail only Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson on NC State’s freshman single-season chart … Bailey took over as the starter following the season-ending injury to QB Grayson McCall … Three NC State players have at least 400 rushing yards … RB Hollywood Smothers has 432 yards and a team-high six touchdowns … WR KC Concepcion leads the Wolfpack with 53 receptions for 640 yards and six touchdowns … LB Sean Brown has a team-high 87 tackles with 3.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries … CB Bishop Fitzgerald has three interceptions … DE Davin Vann has team highs with 6.5 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss and is the national leader with six forced fumbles … P Caden Noonkester is averaging 43.8 yards on 45 punts and has 14 punts of at least 50 yards.