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 North Carolina 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-for-39 that day for a mere 168 passing yards and one interception, a far cry from the Ahlers the nation knows today.

Just last season Ahlers 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,” Brian Bailey, WNCT’s Sports Director, told us. “But he wants to get one of those big signature wins 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 current N.C. 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 (Stadium),” 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. He was on the team, but had not yet worked his way to the starting job at the time.