An occasional series looking ahead to what USF will face in its American Conference schedule
USF at East Carolina, November 6. Kickoff time 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2
East Carolina is feeling frisky again.
After losing seasons in seven out of nine years, the Pirates put together 8-5 and 9-4 seasons the last two years, including a pair of wins in the Military Bowl over ACC teams.
Much of that revival coincides with the decision to tap Blake Harrell to replace Mike Houston as head coach in the middle of the 2024 season. The Pirates were 3-4 and coming off blowout losses to Charlotte and Army when Harrell took over.
They won five of their final six games that year and kept it going last season, matching USF's 9-4 overall record and 6-2 finish in the American Conference. The Pirates were severely short-handed in the Military Bowl against heavily favored Pitt, but beat the Panthers 23-17. Harrell is 14-5 since he was elevated to the lead position.
The Bulls and Pirates didn't play last season.
This year's game could be pivotal in the conference race. Both USF and the Pirates have high expectations coming into this season.
Why East Carolina could be really good: A lot depends on who wins the quarterback job. The Pirates lost 2025 starter Katin Houser and his 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns to the Transfer Portal (Illinois), so Harrell brought in two candidates to replace him -- Mitch Griffis and Emory Williams.
Griffis arrives from Texas Tech, where he was a backup last year. Before that, though, he was a starter at Wake Forest. He transferred to Marshall but never suited up there, deciding instead to "retire" from football and work construction. He changed his mind and wound up in Lubbock last year before joining the Pirates for this season -- his sixth in college football.
Williams played three seasons at Miami as a backup. In that time he saw action in 12 games, including last year's game between the Hurricanes and USF. He threw a pair of passes in that, completing both.
The receivers could be a strength. Ray Ray Joseph transferred from Miami may finally get his chance to start after seeing little action beyond special teams.
Brock Spaulding returns after catching 42 passes last year, and Jeremiah Melvin, who comes over from Wake Forest, is 6-foot-5 and represents a big target.
Why East Carolina might struggle. Like USF, the Pirates have a large roster turnover. Only three starters from last year return. Running back London Montgomery, who led the team with 742 yards and seven scores, transferred to Florida.
The offensive line lost two stalwarts to the portal -- guard Emmanuel Poku (South Carolina) and left tackle Jimarion McCrimon (NC State).
Also, they lost 10 of their 11 starters on the American's top-ranked defensive in 2025. The pass rush was the key to their success last year and it could be difficult to replicate that.
USF poached defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge. Jordon Hankins takes over as that job after coming over from Memphis.
X factors: This game is on a Friday night with a national TV audience, so the East Carolina home crowd should be wild and rowdy. The Pirates have designated this as their "black out" game, and if both teams have met expectations to this point, the pre-game hype could be considerable.
Because it's a night game in November, the weather could be a factor as well.
Previously in this series:
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