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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
East Carolina Football Preview 2025: Can the Pirates Keep the Momentum Going?
East Carolina should be a bowl program every was a long, ugly period from 2015 to 2020 when the Pirates couldn't buy a winning season, and after two of them under Mike Houston in 2021 and 2022, the wheels came off. East Carolina was 3-14 against FBS teams, the 2024 season was going nowhere, and then Houston was gone, Blake Harrell stepped in, and ...The schedule got way the wins that are there, and Harrell and ECU did that, got four victories in a row, got bowl eligible, and closed it all out with a Military Bowl win over NC ECU isn't winning the College Football Playoff National Championship, but it has to win the 50/50 games, maybe sneak by a tough home game - hello, Army, BYU, and/or Memphis - and ...East Carolina should be a bowl program. Harrell should have a good enough team to do it. East Carolina Pirates Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN - The Pirate offense wasn't bad over the first half of the season, and then it took off. The easier schedule had something to do with it, but overall, the attack finished 24th in the nation in total yards and averaged 32 points per game. - Kaitin Houser took over the offense at the midway point, and everything clicked. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 18 scores, but he threw 11 interceptions. - The Pirates return enough receivers to be okay, even after losing Chase Sowell to Iowa State. Anthony Smith led the way with 41 grabs, averaging over 19 yards per catch, and in comes Jaquaize Pettaway from Oklahoma to work the tight end depth and options are strong, with Desirrio Riles ready for a bigger role - he caught two touchdown passes on ten grabs. - Leading rusher Rahjai Harris is gone, but London Montgomery and Marlon Gunn are decent veteranswho combined for close to 600 rushing yards and five scores. They'll have to battle for yards behind a reworked line. - Jimarion McCrimon is back at one tackle spot, and 6-6, 326-pound Emannuel Poku will work at either tackle or guard. Everything else is up in the air, but the Kyle Long (Maryland) and 340-pound Leivi Semaia (JUCO) are decent-looking guards who should fit in right away. East Carolina Pirates Preview 2025: Defense - The defense wasn't anything great, but it was wonderful in the red zone, came up with a ton of tackles for loss, and when it allowed 31 points or fewer, the offense did the rest. - The top linebackers are gone. Mike Edwards is done, and Zakye Barker is leaving for SMU, but Dameon Wilson is a former Missouri transfer who should shine in the middle. Kevon Merrell is a safety-sized outside defender who can move. Rhyeem Craig is back at his starting spot at a hybrid edge gig. - The portal is helping the interior with Xavier McIver (Houston), Justin Benton (Houston), and Rion Roseborough (Towson), bringing the 300-plus-pound size to the interior. JD Lampley earned All-AAC honors on the end. He's not a dominant pass rusher, but he's a solid all-around playmaker. - The East Carolina secondary has a nice mix of parts. Ja'Marley Riddle is a terrific young free safety who's all over the field, and in comes veteran playmaker Teagan Wilk, a four-year Pirate who's back after going to Houston last corners are a bit green, but TyMir Brown has been around the program, and Jordy Lowery is coming off a six-pick season at Western Carolina. East Carolina Pirates Key to the Season STOP TURNING THE BALL OVERThe Pirates started the season with six giveaways in the win over Norfolk State, followed it up with four in the win over Old Dominion, and they finished the year with 30, the most in all of college football. They only went one game without a turnover. East Carolina Pirates Key Player TyMir Brown, CB year, East Carolina started the season with star Shavon Revel at one corner - before getting hurt - and Isaiah Brown-Murray on the other. Now it's up to a slew of transfers and Brown to work the corners, and they'll be under fire right away. East Carolina Pirates Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Jaquaize Pettaway, WR Jr.A star recruit for Oklahoma, he came up with 16 catches in his two seasons. Now he's at East Carolina, and he'll be turned loose with the speed and upside to be a star. He's needed because ...Top Transfer Out: Chase Sowell, WR started at Colorado, made 81 grabs for 1,300 yards and four scores in two years at East Carolina, and now the All-AAC star will be a key part of the Iowa State attack. East Carolina Pirates Key Game Army, Sept. 27You want to be a factor in the AAC title chase, East Carolina? Beat the defending champ in the conference opener. Last year Army ran all over the Pirates in a 45-28 win, but that was a first. East Carolina is 8-1 in the series.- 2025 East Carolina Schedule Breakdown East Carolina Pirates Top 10 Players 1. Ja'Marley Riddle, S Soph.2. Anthony Smith, WR Sr.3. Rhyeem Craig, LB Sr.4. JD Lampley, EDGE Sr.5. Katin Houser, QB Jr.6. Jordy Lowery, CB Jr.7. Teagan Wilk, S Sr.8. Jaquaize Pettaway, WR Jr.9. Emmanuel Poku, OT Jr.10. Desirrio Riles, TE Jr. East Carolina Pirates 2024 Fun Stats - 1st Quarter Scoring: Opponents 88, East Carolina 34- Fumbles: East Carolina 19 (lost 12), Opponents 19 (lost 5)- Total Offense: Opponents 4,428, East. Carolina 4,328 East Carolina Pirates 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Once again, it'll be a slow start for the Pirates. 2014 was the last time they got out of September with fewer than two losses, and that's not changing with at NC State, at Coastal Carolina, BYU, and Army to deal the first game in October isn't a plus, going to like last year, things should pick up a bit. There won't be a four-game second-half winning streak with Memphis and at UTSA back-to-back, but the Pirates will go into the last two games - at Florida Atlantic comes after UTSA - with a shot to go The East Carolina Win Total At … 5.5Likely Wins: Campbell50/50 Games: Army, Charlotte, at Coastal Carolina, at Florida Atlantic, Memphis, at Temple, Tulsa, at UTSALikely Losses: BYU, at NC State, at Tulane © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
UNC gets famous surprise visitor at Saturday football practice
UNC gets famous surprise visitor at Saturday football practice You never know who'll appear in Chapel Hill. The Bill Belichick era is in full swing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are hoping their new head football coach can return them to national relevance. UNC made bowl games in each year under former head coach Mack Brown, but only won once (2019 Military Bowl vs. Temple). North Carolina sported immense talent under Brown, most notably Sam Howell, Drake Maye and Omarion Hampton, but only one division title (2022 ACC Coastal) to show. The Tar Heels aren't nationally-relevant on the football field yet, but Belichick is already attracting national attention. UNC was the talk of college football upon Belichick's arrival, despite bowl season being in full swing. North Carolina's national attention includes a recent visitor to spring practice. Lil' Wayne, a 5-time Grammy Award-winning rapper known for songs like "Fireman," visited the Tar Heels during their spring practice session on Saturday, April 5. There's no previous known connection between Weezy and the UNC football program, but his visit is pretty big news. Lil' Wayne isn't a football recruiter by any means, at least not that I know of, but he's a big name in the music industry. My hope is that young football players, whether in the transfer portal or coming out of high school, will choose North Carolina due to its newfound ability to bring in famous visitors. The Tar Heels will play their first game under Bill Belichick on Monday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. against TCU. How UNC performs in its season-opener will likely determine the direction of its season, which there's plenty of anticipation and question marks about. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly known as Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former UNC star running back talks about competition for Dallas Cowboys' starting role
Former UNC star running back talks about competition for Dallas Cowboys' starting role Can Javonte Williams beat out Miles Sanders on the Dallas Cowboys' depth chart? When you think of college football programs that consistently produce top running backs, do the North Carolina Tar Heels come to mind? If not, UNC should be near the top of your list. Just look at who North Carolina's putting in the NFL recently: Michael Carter, Ty Chandler, Javonte Williams and soon-to-be Omarion Hampton – all of whom recorded 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Chapel Hill. While Hampton is destined to be a star NFL back, he won't know where he's playing until April's NFL Draft. Williams is the only other back, amongst the four I mentioned above, who currently has a starting role. Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos, but knee injuries and 2024's emergence of Jaleel McLaughlin, cut into Williams' production. Now fighting for the Dallas Cowboys' RB1 spot with Miles Sanders, a former Penn State standout, Williams is excited to compete with Sanders and be in Dallas. "The sky's the limit — I've been watching Miles since he was at Penn State, and then with the Eagles and a little with Carolina," Williams told Patrik Walker. "I've always respected his game, and I'm ready to get in here and compete with him, and grind. I just really wanted to be a part of the change (in Dallas). I know it's a lot of changes that have happened here, and I like the way Coach Schotty is talking. I wanna help build a winning, championship culture, like I do everywhere I go — just put my nose down and do whatever I gotta do for the team." Williams' best season as a Tar Heel came in the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, when he tallied 1,140 rushing yards. Williams is also part of the last UNC team to win a bowl game: a 55-13 stomping of Temple in the 2019 Military Bowl. Now in the Lone Star State, Williams will try and help Dallas return to postseason glory. The Cowboys haven't advanced past the Divisional Round since 1995, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 30. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
