Pitt Preparing for Depleted ECU Team in Military Bowl

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers (8-4, 6-2 ACC) have the chance to win their first bowl game in three years against the East Carolina Pirates (8-4, 6-2 American) in the 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl on Dec. 27.

Pitt made the bowl game after a disappointing end of the season, losing two of its last three games and missing a trip to Charlotte to play in the ACC Championship. Two of those games were blowout losses at home to No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 12 Miami. However, the Panthers did beat No. 16 Georgia Tech handily on the road, 42-28.

This is Pitt's second-ever appearance in the Military Bowl. The Panthers lost to Navy 44-28 in 2015, Pat Narduzzi's first season as the head coach.

Dec 28, 2015; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts to a call during the second quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

East Carolina has won five of its last six games to close the regular season. The Pirates' only loss was a 58-24 defeat to UTSA, which was the most points they have allowed all season.

This is the third time that East Carolina has played in the Military Bowl. The Pirates lost 51-20 to Maryland in 2010 and defeated NC State 26-21 off a last-minute touchdown in 2024.

All-Time Series

The all-time series between Pitt and East Carolina is split 2-2, and this will be the first meeting this century.

The Panthers won the first two meetings, 17-10 in 1984 and 47-42 in 1989. The Pirates have won the two most recent matchups, 24-23 in 1991 and 37-31 in 1992.

Three of the four meetings in this series were played in Pittsburgh, and this is the first-ever bowl matchup between the two teams.

Injuries

No injury report has been released yet for this game, but there are a few players to keep an eye on.

Guard Ryan Carretta and defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons were both on the injury report to end the regular season. Carretta was available to play against Miami, and FitzSimmons was a game-time decision, but neither player took the field.

Considering it's been nearly a month since that game, both should be active for the Military Bowl.

Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Sean FitzSimmons (55) tackles Central Michigan Chippewas running back Trey Cornist (6) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

However, there will be several non-injury related absences in this game on both teams.

Pitt will not have starters Desmond Reid and Kyle Louis, with both players declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. Several depth players like running back Juelz Goff, guard Jackson Brown and wide receivers Jesse Anderson and Zion Fowler-El have all opted-out and intend to enter the transfer portal.

But things are much worse for East Carolina. The Pirates not only lost quarterback Katin Houser, tight end Jayvontay Conner, left tackle Jimarion McCrimon and second-leading receiver Yannick Smith to the transfer portal, but also both offensive and defensive coordinators. Additionally, there are recent reports that the starting running back, London Montgomery, is also heading to the portal.

Key Stats

Pitt Offense

Scoring: 35.1 points per game (16th in FBS)
Total: 391.8 yards per game (65th)
Passing: 274.8 yards per game (20th)
Rushing: 117.0 yards per game (115th)

Pitt Defense

Scoring: 24.9 points per game (69th in FBS)
Total: 337.2 yards per game (39th)
Passing: 240.2 yards per game (104th)
Rushing: 97.0 yards per game (9th)

East Carolina Offense

Scoring: 33.5 points per game (22nd in FBS)
Total: 464.7 yards per game (14th)
Passing: 280.7 yards per game (16th)
Rushing: 184.0 yards per game (tied-36th)

East Carolina Defense

Scoring: 20.3 points per game (28th in FBS)
Total: 348.9 yards per game (48th)
Passing: 228.7 yards per game (88th)
Rushing: 120.3 yards per game (tied-36th)

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