East Carolina football hopes late-season momentum can carry over into 2021

Last season did not go as planned for East Carolina football. The Pirates were supposed to be potential darkhorses in the AAC because of their star quarterback Holton Ahlers and a high-powered offense.

After a 1-6 start and coming off of a 38-point loss to eventual AAC champion Cincinnati, the Pirates rattled off two wins over Temple and SMU and looked like the team that was expected of them heading into the season. Now in 2021, Ahlers is back and leading a really solid offense that can keep them in games, but they are going to have to improve on the defensive side, which ranked 102nd in total defense last season.

East Carolina has struggled to get back to relevance under their past two head coaches after Ruffin McNeil had three straight seasons of eight or more wins and then was surprisingly dismissed. The Scottie Montgomery era was a dreadful experience for ECU and they thought they hit a home run hire when they hired Mike Houston, but the results have yet to come in.

This is going to be a big year for Houston, as most of the team is compromised of Houston’s recruits and transfers and Ahlers should be the best he has been in his third season.

The big concerns for East Carolina are going to be their defense and their offensive line. The good thing for the Pirates is that they are bringing back loads of experience and there are some opportunities for some wins, even against a fairly tough schedule.

This is a big season for Houston and the Pirates and they need to deliver on it.