When East Carolina meets Pitt in Saturday’s Military Bowl, the Pirates will be without three key offensive performers. At least wide receiver Anthony Smith will be suiting up for the Pirates in the game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
Smith will be going for a personal milestone as he enters the game 103 receiving yards away from 1,000 for the season.
He will likely have to be at his best if ECU is going to be competitive during this game featuring 8-4 teams.
That is because ECU is without three key offensive players: quarterback Katin Houser, receiver Yannick Smith, and tight end Jayvontay Conner, who have entered the transfer portal.
The biggest loss is Houser, who threw for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions while running for 193 yards and nine scores.
Yannick Smith caught 44 passes for 583 yards and five touchdowns. Conner contributed 23 receptions for 333 yards and three scores.
Another key will be who will be replacing Houser. The two quarterbacks in the running are redshirt senior Mike Wright Jr. and true freshman Chaston Ditta, who have each attempted seven passes this season.
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Wright is a well-traveled quarterback who began his career in 2020 with Vanderbilt. After three seasons with the Commodores, he spent 2023 at Mississippi State and the 2024 season at Northwestern.
He has 16 career starts, including two last year at Northwestern, where he threw for 354 yards and one interception.
Whomever plays quarterback will have the benefit of throwing to Anthony Smith, the sixth-year receiver who began his career at North Carolina State.
Smith spent four years with the Wolfpack, where he caught just 13 passes. He transferred last year to East Carolina and had 41 receptions for 799 yards and six touchdowns.
This season, the 6-foot-3, 189-pound Smith has 60 receptions for 897 yards and five touchdowns and earned first-team All-American Conference honors.
Smith began this season with six receptions for 66 yards against his former NC State team in a game East Carolina lost 24-17.
His best game this year came in a 41-27 win over Tulsa when Smith had four receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Smith has caught at least one pass in 21 consecutive games. During last year’s 26-21 win over NC State in this same Military Bowl, Smith had three receptions for 32 yards against his former team.
It will be a homecoming for Smith, who is from Huntington, Maryland, which is about an hour from Annapolis.
East Carolina’s Defense Intact
As of this writing, the Pirates haven’t lost many defensive players of consequence to the transfer portal. ECU has the No. 1 scoring defense in the American Conference, allowing 20.3 points per game. The Pirates were also the American’s top team in rushing defense, allowing 120.3 yards per game.
Besides Anthony Smith, ECU’s other first-team all-conference selections were offensive tackle Jimarion McCrimon, defensive lineman Zion Wilson, and safety Ja’Marley Riddle.
Wilson has a team-high seven sacks, while Riddle leads the Pirates in tackles (70) and interceptions (three).
Pitt Military Bowl Preview
Pitt is 6-2 since true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel entered the starting lineup. Heintschel has thrown for 2,098 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
ECU’s defense will be tested by a Pitt team that as of this writing was leading the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 35.1 points per game.
Leading the Panthers is two-time second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference linebacker Rasheem Biles, who has a team-high 84 tackles in just nine games. His 9.4 tackles per game is second in the ACC, and he has two interceptions that were both returned for touchdowns.
