The 2024 Military Bowl features the 7-5 East Carolina Pirates against the 6-6 NC State Wolfpack. Here is the 2024 Military Bowl Preview.
East Carolina won seven games to make a bowl game. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: UTSA and North Texas. Their two losses to teams that didn’t make bowl games were to Appalachian State and Charlotte.
The Pirates score 32.5 points per game, ranking 34th in the country. They pass for 273.8 yards (ranked 18th) and rush for 159.6 yards per game (ranked 72nd).
Katin Houser has started for the Pirates at quarterback down the stretch. He has passed for 1,859 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 60.6 percent completion. Five players have at least 250 receiving yards on the season. Anthony Smith is the leading receiver with 767 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Rahja Harris has led the team with 946 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Behind him, London Montgomery and Mario Gunn Jr. have provided help with 343 and 224 rushing yards respectively.
On defense, the Pirates allow 27.8 points per game, ranking 85th in the country. They concede 235.8 passing yards and 167.5 rushing yards per game. Omar Rogers has led the team with 97 total tackles. Elijah Morris has the team-high with four sacks. Isaiah Brown-Murray has made plays in the secondary, but is in the transfer portal, so now others will have to step up.
NC State won six games to qualify for a bowl game this season. They defeated three teams who went .500 or better: Northern Illinois, California and North Carolina. Their lone loss to a team that didn’t make a bowl game was to Wake Forest.
The Wolfpack scores 29.2 points per game, ranking 61st in the country. They pass for 273.8 yards (ranked 18th) and rush for 159.6 yards per game (ranked 72nd).
True freshman CJ Bailey took over the starting quarterback job for the Wolfpack this season. He has passed for 2,183 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine touchdowns on 64.1 percent completion. Six players had at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Star receiver Kevin Concepcion is in he transfer portal, but tight end Justin Joly will play. He had 620 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season.
Three running backs did most of the work on the ground for NC State. Jordan Waters has led the way with 445 yards and four touchdowns. Hollywood Smothers and Kendrick Raphael have each played well with 432 and 419 receiving yards respectively.
Defensively, the Wolfpack give up 30.5 points per game, ranking 104th in the country. They allow 241.1 passing yards and 143.8 rushing yards per game. Sean Brown leads the team with 87 total tackles. Davin Vann has provided a pass rush with 6.5 sacks. Bishop Fitzgerald has made plays on the ball with seven passes defended and three interceptions.
NC State may be without Kevin Concepcion, but they have a lot of players still suiting up for the game. Bailey can have a breakout game and the offense should be able to put up points in this one.
NC State Wolfpack 38 East Carolina Pirates 28
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