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

Holton Ahlers, explosive run game leads talented East Carolina offense

East Carolina did not have one of the top offenses in the country last season, but they were pretty solid all around. They return nine starters and hope that their explosive running game and downfield passing attack can make them a threat in the AAC.

The offense will once again be led by Holton Ahlers and while he does not get the recognition that some of the other quarterbacks do in the conference, like Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder and UCF’s Dillon Gabriel, he is a very good starting quarterback.

Ahlers threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns, as well as nine interceptions. He needs to cut down on the turnovers, but I expect a really good season out of him in 2021.

The run game received a huge boost last season with the emergence of Rahjai Harris, who had 624 yards rushing and was named to the first team All-AAC team. I think that the Pirates can lean on Harris in games where Ahlers is struggling with turnovers and he should be in for a huge season.

Harris is not the only back that is a stud for the Pirates, as Keaton Mitchell was also an explosive back. This is one of the top tandems in the conference.

The wide receivers were very young last season, but they showed their talent level. CJ Johnson and Tyler Snead are both back and Johnson has massive big play potential, as he averaged over 20 yards per catch and had six touchdowns. Look for Audie Omotosho to replace Blake Proehl in the lineup.

The offensive line returns four starters, but was a weak point at times last season and needs to be more consistent in pass protection.