The Go Bowling Military Bowl features the ACC\u2019s Pitt against East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference. East Carolina is looking to go back-to-back in the Military Bowl after defeating North Carolina State at the end of last season. Both teams are 8-4 and missing a significant amount of talent for the bowl game, but one team is missing a leader at the most critical position.<\/p>\n
The East Carolina Pirates\u2019 Katin Houser<\/a> passed for over 3,000 yards with 19 touchdowns to show for it in 2025. The only problem for ECU is that the former Michigan State quarterback decided to enter the portal again this offseason, leaving them without an experienced quarterback for the Military Bowl.<\/p>\n If that wasn\u2019t enough bad news for the underdog, running back London Montgomery<\/a> also announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal. Montgomery led ECU with over 700 rushing yards on the year. While it\u2019s not ideal to go into the game shorthanded, at least running back Marlon Gunn is available and averages close to six yards per carry.<\/p>\n Head coach Blake Harrell attempted to take pressure off of his backup-laden squad in his thoughts leading up to the game. \u201cLet\u2019s go let it rip. Go have some fun with it,\u201d Harrell stated.<\/p>\n As more teams deal with the same issues in bowl games, it\u2019s imperative for coaches to simply make the best of the situations and focus on the positives of the bowl game and extra practices as a reward. The opportunistic Pitt defense, however, is looking to represent the embattled ACC<\/a> with takeaways and physical play. East Carolina has not won a game this season in which it scored less than 28 points.<\/p>\n While ECU\u2019s quarterback is on his way out, Pitt\u2019s signal caller is just beginning. Pitt started the year with the former Alabama transfer Eli Holstein at the helm. Even after an impressive 2024, Holstein couldn\u2019t keep freshman Mason Heintschel<\/a> out of the driver\u2019s seat of the Panther offense. Heintschel eventually took the job while passing for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. Pitt was his only offer from a Power Four school while prepping in Ohio. He\u2019s more than validated head coach Pat Narduzzi\u2019s ability to locate and evaluate talent.<\/p>\n Pitt is also short on players for the Military Bowl, but there\u2019s a good reason veteran running backs like Desmond Reid and Juelz Goff<\/a> are entering the transfer portal. Freshman Ja\u2019Kyrian Turner<\/a> has taken over the Pitt backfield. Turner isn\u2019t the most physically imposing back at 5\u20199\u201d, but he\u2019s blazing fast with sub\u20134.4 speed. The young talent on the Pitt offense is impressive and could be the foundation for a special run in the future.<\/p>\n There is a path for ECU to make this game interesting. If the Pirates can get Pitt in unenviable third-down situations, then they pave the way for their fierce pass rush to affect the game. The Panthers haven\u2019t been great on third down this season, and Heintschel is still a freshman. He has seven interceptions and has only been starting since October.<\/p>\n Even if East Carolina stops Pitt regularly, we\u2019re not so sure the Pirates can score enough. The next leading passer after Houser is Chaston Ditta with 38 yards on the season. Pitt has an impressive run defense, so either Ditta or Mike Wright<\/a> will be forced to make plays at some point.<\/p>\nChange of Plans for Pitt<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Can East Carolina Win Two Consecutive Military Bowls? <\/strong><\/h3>\n