Rivalry resumes: NC State to play ECU in Military Bowl

"WRAL Triangle and Two" hosts Mark Bergin and Louis Fernandez preview the Dec. 28 Military Bowl featuring NC State and East Carolina.

Quarterback CJ Bailey is due to return to NC State in 2025 for his sophomore season. However, wide receiver KC Concepcion is transferring.

NC State will be without defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, who accepted the head coaching job at Marshall.

NC State and ECU will play for the 33rd time. The two schools also play each other to open the 2025 season.

East Carolina (7-5, 5-3 American Athletic) returns to postseason play after winning four of its last five games under then interim and now head coach Blake Harrell. During that stretch, the Pirates have outscored their opponents 203-140 averaging 40.6 points and 504 yards of total offense per game.

WRAL Triangle and Two is a sports podcast from WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina. The show takes the Triangle sports stories you care about and gives you the “how” and “why” behind them. WRAL’s Mark Bergin and Louis Fernandez discuss three topics each week looking at the Triangle connections. The teams and players you care about at all leagues and levels. New episodes drop Mondays at 5pm.