Revisiting NC State’s Last Bowl Game: The 2024 Military Bowl
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RALEIGH — NC State has the opportunity to snap a five-bowl losing streak on Friday, when it takes on Memphis in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren's lengthy 13-season tenure with the program has not been filled with tremendous success in the postseason, as evidenced by the latest bowl losing streak.
The Pack added to that stretch with one of the more stunning and disappointing losses of Doeren's career in 2024, as NC State fell at the hands of in-state rival East Carolina in the Military Bowl in Annapolis. While Doeren and his team avenged that loss in the 2025 season opener back in Raleigh, the sting of the Military Bowl still exists even as the Pack prepares for the Gasparilla Bowl.
What happened at the Military Bowl?
Doeren and the Wolfpack earned bowl eligibility in the last week of the season, beating North Carolina on the road before receiving a bid to play in the Military Bowl. East Carolina came into the game with a 7-5 record and recently promoted Blake Harrell to a permanent head coaching role after he turned around the Pirates' season as the interim coach.
It was a slow-starting game, with a freshman CJ Bailey still figuring things out against a new defense from ECU. The Pirates ultimately jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Bailey got some rhythm and threw a touchdown pass to Dacari Collins to make it 13-7 before halftime. ECU controlled the game in adverse conditions throughout the third quarter, forcing yet another Wolfpack comeback in the fourth quarter.
Bailey hit tight end Justin Joly for a touchdown from just outside the red zone. The Wolfpack took a 21-20 lead after Bailey found running back Hollywood Smothers for a 33-yard touchdown reception. However, the NC State defense that struggled so mightily throughout the 2024 season continued to follow that same trend down the stretch.
ECU's running back, Rahjai Harris, scampered for an 86-yard touchdown to give the Pirates a 26-21 lead with just over a minute left in the game. Following the impressive touchdown run, a brawl ensued, which ended with an official receiving a gash below his eye. The brawl began after an NC State defensive back shoved an ECU player, causing the benches to clear.
Doeren used the embarrassing brawl as a reason to place more emphasis on the Wolfpack culture he built over his previous 12 seasons for year 13, remaking the coaching staff and helping player leadership improve.
NC State will try to exorcise its demons from the Military Bowl on Friday.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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