The Wolfpack and Pirates will meet for the 33rd time on the gridiron
NC State’s 2024 bowl destination and opponent have now been announced, with the Wolfpack set to take on a familiar local foe in East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
The destination is set!
An in-state battle in Annapolis and the @MilitaryBowl.
: https://t.co/RFJcal5Ojk#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/Qdq8m9KMZd
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 8, 2024
Military Bowl Bound! ☠️ @MilitaryBowl pic.twitter.com/FI179H5oR4
— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) December 8, 2024
The game will mark the 33rd meeting between the two schools on the football field. NC State leads that series 19-13. It will be the second matchup between the two programs in a bowl game, with a recollection of the first meeting probably not necessary for most of those here.
East Carolina had an interesting season. The Pirates opened with wins over Norfolk State and Old Dominion before a pair of close losses to Appalachian State and Liberty. They bounced back to defeat UTSA, but after a pair of blowout losses to Charlotte and Army, head coach Mike Houston was fired and the reigns were handed over to defensive coordinator Blake Harrell.
Harrell led ECU to four straight wins – granted against a pretty easy slate – and was rewarded for the effort by having the interim tag removed from his title and given a four-year contract. The Pirates lost their regular season finale to Navy.
There will be one familiar face in the purple and gold (or black or white or whatever color they choose to roll out for the bowl game – probably a safe assumption that there will be some inlay of the American flag involved) as former NC State wide receiver Anthony Smith is a graduate senior for the Pirates. Smith, who logged 13 receptions for 243 yards and 3 TDs across 33 games with the Wolfpack, has put together a fantastic final collegiate season with ECU posting 38 receptions for 767 yards and 6 TDs over 12 games. He leads the Pirates in receiving yards and is second in receptions and receiving touchdowns.
This will be the first game since the 2019 season for NC State with someone other than Tony Gibson calling the defense. While East Carolina’s offense isn’t among the nation’s best (they ranked 64th in Offensive SP+ ahead of this weekend’s games), the Pirates do run an extreme version of up-tempo under offensive coordinator John David Baker, limiting offensive substitutions and sprinting to the line of scrimmage after each play, which will stress defensive communication for the Wolfpack.