The rivalry clash between NC State and East Carolina in last season’s Military Bowl ended on a sour note when the in-state foes engaged in a brawl that led one of the game’s officials with a bloody gash on his face. Making matters worse for NC State was that it suffered a 26-21 defeat to the Pirates, further soiling an already disappointing year and locking up its first losing record since 2019.
Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren still has not gotten over the loss nor the way his team responded. He sent a strong message at ACC Media Days on Thursday, making it very clear how he feels about the upcoming season-opening rematch against the Pirates.
“I don’t want to just win that game. I want to beat the s— out of that team,” Doeren said, via ESPN’s David Hale. “Not because of them but because of how we played. I told our team in the locker room, that’s the most embarrassed I’ve ever been as a coach — not because we lost but because of how we behaved at the end of it.”
WATCH: Umpire bloodied as brawl breaks out between NC State and East Carolina in final minute of Military Bowl
Cameron Salerno
The bowl game scuffle sparked after East Carolina took a knee to drain the remainder of the clock and conclude its victory. ECU’s Yannick Smith took a towel from NC State’s Tamarcus Cooley, and when the latter retaliated, chaos ensued.
Nearly seven months later, Doeren is still stewing.
“I’m not going to be part of football like that,” Doeren said. “So they can change or they can find a new coach because I’m not going to do it anymore. To me, it’s disrespectful to the game of football. It’s disrespectful to the staff and the fans. And they understand. And they understand what this game is about. It’s about winning the football game. And if it’s my way, it’ll be in blowout fashion. But they’re a good football team, and they’ve got a lot of good parts coming back. So it’ll be fun.”
Officials ejected eight players at the end of the fracas. That was not before one of them got caught in the crossfire, though. An East Carolina player pushed an NC State player in the back, and the latter’s helmet made contact with Rod Tucker and opened a bloody gash under his left eye.
It was an emotional loss for NC State. The Wolfpack rallied from down 20-7 in the fourth quarter to take a 21-20 lead, but the Pirates responded with a game-winning 86-yard touchdown run from Rahjai Harris with less than two minutes to play. The defeat snapped NC State’s three-game winning streak in the rivalry series, which dates back to 1970.
The Wolfpack still holds the all-time advantage with a 19-14 record against the Pirates. In this season’s matchup, NC State is an 11.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel.
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