2021 Military Bowl Preview: Boston College vs. East Carolina

The Military Bowl is a chance for two teams to create momentum heading into 2022 and show that their respective programs are heading in the right direction. These programs aren’t where they want to be, but they are showing signs of being ready to build for the future.

Boston College Eagles vs. East Carolina Pirates
Date: Monday, December 27th, 2:30 PM ET

Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD

CFB Odds: Boston College -3

Boston College Eagles

The Boston College Eagles are going to be happy to play in this bowl game, even though this injury-marred season fell well short of expectations. Boston College was dealt a big setback early in the season when starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec got injured. That was a massive blow, and it prevented this team from making a serious bid for the ACC Atlantic Division championship. Yet, without Jurkovec for several games, the Eagles still did well enough to make this bowl game. Therefore, they should be happy about their season, adjusting for the negative circumstances they had to deal with. Now they have learned that Jurkovec will return for the 2022 season. That should make everyone in the locker room especially happy, giving this team the emotional lift which often matters in bowl games. You saw this in the UCF versus Florida game. UCF, as the “little brother” to Florida, was really excited about playing that game. The Knights were hungrier and more energized than the Gators, who just wanted their miserable season to be over. Motivation matters, and Boston College will bring that to the Military Bowl. With Jurkovec getting three weeks of rest since Boston College’s last regular-season game (he did return to the lineup late in the season after his lengthy injury absence), he has a chance to show a better level of form and give the Eagles a much more potent passing attack compared to what they had for most of the season.

East Carolina Pirates

The Pirates are also going to be thrilled to play this game. Coach Mike Houston has improved the program, getting East Carolina to score a road win at Memphis and also at Navy. Those tough, close wins showed how much ECU had evolved from previous seasons, in which those kinds of games often slipped away and turned into brutal losses. The Pirates aren’t an overwhelmingly strong team, but they compete better than they used to. That small but real difference is why the Pirates were able to qualify for a bowl game. ECU was competitive against Cincinnati, the champion of ECU’s conference (the AAC) and a College Football Playoff participant. There’s plenty of reason to think that ECU can win this game.

Outlook

In what should be a close game the whole way, Boston College’s strong offensive line, combined with a rested Phil Jurkovec, should give the Eagles enough potency on offense to make the winning plays against a feisty and resolute East Carolina defense. Don’t expect either team to run away with this game. It’s going to be decided late in the fourth quarter.

Eagles vs. Pirates Prediction:

Eagles 26, Pirates 23