NC State will be playing a football game on December 1. Where and against whom still isn’t certain.
While coach Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack would prefer to take on a team from the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte that day, it now has a contingency plan just in case it falls short of its goal of winning the Atlantic.
State and East Carolina issued a joint statement Tuesday announcing that they would play one another at Carter-Finley Stadium on the Saturday following their final scheduled games provided that neither advances to its respective conference title game that same day.
The game would be played at noon, a starting time necessitated by a concert to be held at PNC Arena later that evening, and would serve as a replacement for contestes washed out by Hurricane Florence last month.
“This replacement game makes sense for both schools,” State athletic director Debbie Yow said in a statement. “NC State lost a home game and ECU lost a road game due to Hurricane Florence. We’re pleased to be able to secure this 12th game for both our fans and our team.”
The 23rd-ranked Wolfpack, which is 4-0 overall (1-0 in the ACC), was supposed to play West Virginia on Sept. 15. The Pirates (2-2, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) were scheduled to play at Virginia Tech that same day, but instead evacuated to Orlando, Fla., to escape the storm that devastated many areas in the Eastern part of the state.
In addition to the possible matchup this season, State and ECU also announced the extension of their current home-and-home series to include games at Carter-Finley on Aug. 30, 2025 and Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Sept. 3, 2028. The Wolfpack and Pirates are already scheduled to open next season against one another in Raleigh and again in Greenville in 2022
“The opportunity to extend the football series with NC State is of great importance to ECU, the region and our fan base,” ECU chancellor Cecil Staton said. “We had to make that decision Monday in order to formalize an agreement to capitalize on this opportunity and we are pleased that we could bring this to formal contract.”
Season tickets and parking for the originally scheduled game against West Virginia will be honored for the ECU game on Dec. 1 Fans who purchased single game tickets for the West Virginia game through a point of sale other than State will need to contact the seller directly regarding those ticket purchases.
Pirate Club members and ECU season ticket holders, meanwhile, will receive information how to purchase tickets through the school’s allotment once details are finalized.
State will make a limited number of single game tickets available starting next Monday for a game Doeren and his players hope they won’t be available to play
“While we remain focused on ACC play,” the Wolfpack coach said, “we’re glad to schedule this game should it be needed.”
