Navy Midshipmen Prepare for Conference Finale Against East Carolina Pirates

The Navy Midshipmen ready for their final conference game before a break to prepare for their showdown with Army West Point.

Aug 31, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen head coach Brian Newberry looks onto the there field during the first half against the Bucknell Bison at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Just a few weeks ago the Navy Midshipmen were undefeated and eyeing an opportunity to play in the American Athletic Conference championship game, perhaps even against their arch-rival Army West Point.

Now, the Midshipmen (7-3, 5-2 in American) are hoping to end their conference slate with a victory over East Carolina (7-4, 5-2) on Friday.

Win or lose, the Midshipmen are heading into a bowl game. But a victory over the Pirates, followed by two full weeks of preparation for Army, would give everyone around Annapolis a boost.

Navy enters the game having lost three of its last four contests, including a 35-0 throttling at the hands of Tulane, which handed Army its berth in the AAC title game.

East Carolina has won four straight games entering their AAC finale.

Here is a preview of the game.

Navy at East Carolina

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Greenville, N.C.

Time: noon ET, Friday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WBAL 1090 AM and 101.5 FM (flagship).

Coaches: East Carolina — Blake Harrell (4-0 at East Carolina, overall); Navy — Brian Newberry (12-10 at Navy, overall).

Fun fact: Harrell was a defensive backs and linebackers coach at The Citadel from 2014-18.  

All-Times Series: Navy leads series, 9-2.

Last meeting: Navy 10, East Carolina 0 (2023).

Series notes: The series dates back to only 2006. Navy has won seven of the last eight games. Both Navy losses have been in Annapolis.

Last Week: Navy was idle, 28-0; East Carolina def. North Texas, 40-28.

About East Carolina: It’s been an interesting season in Greenville, as Pirates leadership fired head coach Mike Houston after a 3-4 start.

His defensive coordinator, Blake Harrell, took over as interim coach and since then ECU has won four straight game to clinch bowl eligibility.

One of the more compelling offseason stories will be whether ECU sees fit to offer Harrell the full-time job or go outside for a new coach. Harrell has spent nearly his entire college career in North Carolina and may wish to stay.

He’s given the Pirates a significant jolt, so much so that he may have exceeded leadership’s expectations, making him an enticing as a full-time hire — to ECU and other schools.

About Navy: Newberry is beginning to reward Navy’s faith in him after he was elevated to replace Ken Niumatalolo after the 2022 season.

After winning 11 games and the Liberty Bowl in 2019, the Midshipmen took a big tumble in their final three seasons under Niumatalolo, as Navy never won more than four games.

Newberry stepped in and helped the Midshipmen improve by one win (5-7) last season. Now, the Midshipmen have already claimed bowl eligibility and a national ranking, as they were No. 24 in the AP Top 25 earlier this season.

With the Army game still left, along with a bowl game, there's a possibility the Midshipmen could hit double digits for the first time since that 2019 season. If so, it would be the fourth time the program has done that since 2009.

Next Up: Navy faces Army on Dec. 14; East Carolina will await its bowl bid.