7 Reasons Why East Carolina Will Have a Great Season | Eastern North Carolina Now

    East Carolina University's ECU Pirates football team will compete in the FBS football season and in the NCAA Division. In addition, the Pirates will compete in the American Athletic Conference and play their home matches at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.

    If you're a football fan wondering whether the East Carolina football team will have a successful season, here are a few reasons why. Stay tuned to learn about the factors determining the team's ability to have a great season.

Solid Pass Rush

    Through five games, the Pirates only destroyed the quarterback 12 times. Given that teams tried unsuccessfully an extra 190 passes, which then did not result in sacks, that works out to a moderate 5.9 percent sacks per passing effort.

    With UCF's seasoned offensive line, it's going to be a game where the opposing team must run the ball to retain Keene in nice down and distance scenarios before attacking the Pirates supplementary apart from McMillian.

Great Defense Line

    The Pirates try to conceal their defense by stacking up in an ambiguous 3-4 or 4-3 with ends either up or down and several swift edge players to make life difficult for offenses. Also, the big spring narrative was tough as Xavier Smith's switch from combination rush end or outside linebacker to inside linebacker, in which he and Myles Berry, a senior player, must form one of the AAC's best duos.

    The dependable Rick D'Abreu, Immanuel Hickman, and defensive tackle Elijah Morris all return on the line. With their lineup, there is a high likelihood that their odds for college football betting will be significant enough for bettors to wager on.

Powerful Offense

    Mike Houston, the Pirates' head coach, gets back the entire rushing attack that managed to accumulate one of the program's largest totals since 2000. Not by chance, ECU had a victorious season for the very first time since 2014.

    Furthermore, Houston transformed the offensive line, implemented two-tight-end sets, and has Holton Ahlers directing the show, which is only 221 yards shy of ECU's career quarterback rushing record. In summary, The Pirate offense seems to have been stronger than it had been in a long time, but it still needs to improve in pass defense and could become a little more robust.

Fresh Recruits

    Thus far in the offseason, the Pirates have enlisted ten recruits, received six letters of intent, one solid commit, and 14 transfers. In addition, there is one four-star draftee, 23 three-star draftees, three two-star recruits, and four unseeded recruits among all those entering the program.

    Ray Rose, a sophomore wide receiver, is the most remarkable recruit from the 2021 team. East Carolina also added Jacob Sacra of Baltimore, Maryland, the 88th top-ranking offensive lineman in the high school draft class.

Top Players

    With all of that likely being Ahlers' season finale as a starter, he'll be looking to show that he's capable of performing at a higher threshold. With Isaiah Winstead, a graduate transfer wide receiver joining the Pirates after two seasons at the University of Toledo, the Pirates now have 14 wide receivers on the roster.

    C.J. Johnson, a veteran wide receiver, will be placed in a comparable predicament to Ahlers and will play an important role in the offense. Lastly, the East Carolina team's huge pass catchers will consist of sophomore hybrid tight end Shane Calhoun and graduate hybrid tight end Ryan Jones.

Standout Quarterback Play

    Despite Garcia's impressive agility, power, and precise and reliable arm, Ahlers demonstrated greater comprehension and authority of the offense. Although it is to be anticipated from a football player who is already in his fifth year in the game, it does not lessen the symbolic importance.

    The coaches praised the senior quarterback's ability to detect blitzing of the rival team and call out defensive schemes while ensuring the offense was set correctly, which the other quarterbacks continued to struggle with occasionally.

    Also, Kirkpatrick further stated that Ahlers helps to bring a healthy amount of maturity and expertise of what it requires to succeed in that level to the quarterback space.

Houston's Deal Extension

    East Carolina, which has won a football game for the first time in seven years, has signed head football coach Mike Houston to a contract extension through 2026 worth $2.3 million per year. Houston spent three seasons at James Madison, where he managed to win the FCS national championship in 2016 and finished second in 2017.

    Moreover, Houston's original contract, signed in December 2018, was set to expire at the end of the 2023 season. Therefore, with Houston as their head coach, the East Carolina time has a high chance of bagging a win in the present and possibly the future seasons.

Final Thoughts

    East Carolina will undoubtedly strive to improve their rapport under Head Coach Mike Houston. Houston was on a quest to strengthen them up in the frontlines, restructure the Pirates' offensive lines, add depth, and boost the running game. Thus, East Carolina will return to a bowl game with a winning record if the momentum continues as it did the previous season.