RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – CBS 17’s Jordan Crammer goes ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ with Brian Bailey from our affiliate station WNCT in Greenville, North Carolina to discuss NC State’s season opener with East Carolina University.
This is the first time the two schools have played each other in football since 2019, when the Wolfpack stomped the Pirates 34-6. ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers went 22-of-39 that day for 168 yards and one interception, a far cry from the Ahlers of today, who just last season stood among the nation’s top 30 in passing yards per game, completions, total offense yards per game and passing yards.
“He’s going to go down as one of the best quarterbacks in East Carolina history stats-wise,” Bailey said. “But he wants to get one of those big signature win and this would be one of those big signature wins.”
Ahlers history with NC State is not limited to that August day in 2019. ECU’s quarterback roomed with NC State quarterback Devin Leary at the Manning Pass Academy in Louisiana over the summer.
“They talked about the game and the atmosphere at Dowdy-Ficklen,” Bailey said. “He said Devin is a great guy and they got to be pretty good friends that week.”
Saturday will be Leary’s first time playing against the Pirates. Like Ahlers, he was with the Wolfpack when the two teams last met but had not year worked his way to the starting job at the time.
