East Carolina @ North Carolina State

It isn't often that a new season begins versus the same opponent that previous ended against, but that is precisely the case tonight in Raleigh as Blake Harrell begins his first year as the official Head Coach of East Carolina. After spending the bulk of 4 years as the Pirates' Defensive Coordinator, the 45-year-old took over (former HC) Mike Houston following a disappointing 3-4 start, which Harrell managed to parlay into an impressive 5-1 finish, punctuated by a 26-21 upset of NC State in the Military Bowl. Simply put, ECU was a completely different team during this stretch, averaging a net +211.0 total yards of offense along the way. However, it remains to be seen what Harrell can do with a full offseason to build a team, particularly after inspecting the caliber of opponents they his troops faced. Simply put, NONE of those 6 adversaries finished 2024 with a winning record. And this is where this team will have to rewrite the narrative, folks, for East Carolina is a miserable 6-36 SU against opponents owning better records than they do, including 0-7 versus such teams over the past 2 seasons alone. With just 7 returning starters from the previous campaign, it appears that Harrell has his work cut out for him.

Things to Know: East Carolina is 25-20-1 ATS over the past 4 years, including 3 different campaigns featuring 7 covers. The Pirates have generally been a strong play away from Greenville during that span, particularly as underdogs, with a solid 13-7 ledger on the road when receiving points from the oddsmakers. The Under is 5-1 in their last 6 non-conference affairs. ECU and NC State have met on 33 occasions dating back to 1970, with the Pirates owning a 14-19 record against their Tobacco Road neighbors, though are 3-3 SU/ATS since 2013. In last December's Military Bowl, East Carolina raced out to a 20-7 advantage before eventually losing the lead midway through the fourth quarter, before eventually striking back with an 86-yard rushing TD with 1:33 left courtesy of Rahjai Harris. The Pirates churned out a whopping 326 rushing yards on 39 carries that day.

Playmaker to Watch: It is no surprise that East Carolina's offensive improvement coincided with the healthy return of (Junior QB) Katin Houser, who missed 4 of the first 5 games due to a wrist injury suffered in the opener. After he came back, he won 5 of his final 8 starts, including that aforementioned Military Bowl, completing 60.3% of his passes for an average of 244.5 yards per game on 8.1 yards per attempt with 18 TD in comparison to 11 INT. The transfer from Michigan State is also a sneakily effective runner, burning Florida Atlantic for 52 yards and a TD on 5 carries, while rushing for a career-high 84 yards and a pair of scores in the finale. As one of just 5 returning starters on offense, Houser will be called upon to carry much of the wieght.

Meanwhile, their jerseys may be red, but we won't blame Dave Doeren for seeing plenty of that very color this season, his thirteenth at North Carolina State. Indeed, the 53-year-old has been nothing short of solid during his stay in Raleigh, posting an 87-65 record (.572), including 9 winning campaigns along the way. However, a streak of 4 straight such seasons came to an abrupt conclusion in last year's Military Bowl against none other than tonight's opponent, East Carolina. That defeat, stained by a late brawl between players undoubtedly left a bad taste in the mouth of Doeren, who has one of the most experienced teams in the ACC this Fall, with 16 returning starters, 9 of which residing on the offensive side of the football. Furthermore, his troops have generally bounced back following a losing campaign; NC State is s stellar 16-9 SU and 15-9 ATS in the season immediately after such a finish.

Things to Know: North Carolina State is 4-6 ATS over their last 10 games overall as well as their past 10 home contests. The Wolfpack are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 outings as a favorite. As for Doeren, the skipper is 34-35 ATS at Carter-Finley Stadium, 37-39 ATS when favored by the oddsmakers, 23-17 ATS when harboring revenge, and 19-23 ATS versus non-conference adversaries. With that being said, he has been fantastic at home in season openers, winning 10 such affairs in a row, with a 6-1 ledger ATS to boot. However, this is a team that is a dismal 1-7-1 ATS in their last 9 home games, while posting a 1-4 record ATS in their past 5 tilts played on Thursday nights. NC State is 19-14 all-time against ECU, though are 3-3 SU/ATS under Doeren.

Playmaker to Watch: After showing flashes as a freshman last Fall, what does 2025 have in store for C.J. Bailey? When this kid arrived in Raleigh, he was a bit of a rail, but since then has put on 45 pounds to fill out that promising 6'7" frame, which could lead to a breakout campaign. In starting all twelve games last season, Bailey completed 64.9% of his throws for 2,413 yards, 17 TD and 10 INT, while rushing for another 279 yards and 5 more scores. If the final 2 games of 2024 were any indication of things to come, then the Wolfpack could be potent in the passing game; Bailey hit on an efficient 71.7% of his passes for 472 yards, 5 TD and 2 INT against the likes of North Carolina and East Carolina, including a season-high 3 TD versus the latter.

Our Take: NC State 40, East Carolina 24