East Carolina will face Coastal Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl

GREENVILLE, North Carolina – East Carolina University will represent the American Athletic Conference in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl 2022 league announced Sunday afternoon. Pirates eligible for bowling for second straight year under head coach mike houston, will face Coastal Carolina University of the Sun Belt Conference on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Protective Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

“We are honored to accept an invitation to the Birmingham Bowl and to play in the playoffs for the second year in a row under the guidance of head coach mike houston“I am thrilled to have our student-athletes, coaches and staff represent Eastern Carolina University, our community and all of us,” said East Carolina Athletic Director Jon Gilbert. east of North Carolina. Working with Mark Meadows and the Birmingham Bowl, I know our young men will have a first class bowl experience. We have a dedicated group, including a special group of seniors who have worked to rebuild our football programme. We look forward to Pirate Nation joining us in Birmingham.”

For the first time since the 2013-14 campaigns, the Pirates had back-to-back winning seasons posting identical 7-5 marks. East Carolina presents a powerful offense led by the quarterback Holton Ahlerswho passed for a career-high 3,408 yards and 23 touchdowns, while first-team All-AAC running back Keaton Mitchell rushed for a personal best 1,325 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Defensively, the Pirates gave up just 27.0 points per game (the third fewest since 2015) and held opponents to 111.4 rushing yards per game in 2022, which ranks them 18th nationally.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the young men in our program who have shown exemplary commitment and dedication to moving our football program forward in a positive direction,” Houston said. “Playing in back-to-back bowling matches is another step in our journey towards restoring the importance of pirate football. I know our young men will be prepared, focused and excited to represent Purple and Gold in Birmingham.”

This will be the Pirates’ second bowl appearance under Houston after the 2021 Military Bowl, which was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols under the Boston College program. ECU is also set to play its third bowling game in the Birmingham area after appearing in the Inaugural Papajohns.com Bowl in December 2006 (against South Florida) and the Birmingham Bowl in January 2015 (against Florida).


Once finalized, Birmingham Bowl ticket information will be sent to Pirate Club members and the Pirate Nation.