Two prolific offenses will be on display in this one as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-2) take on the East Carolina Pirates (3-3). The AAC’s leading passer, Dane Evans (1,839 yards, 10 TDs), will be featured in this game. Tulsa enters the week with a lot at stake. The season has been filled with ups and downs, but recent weeks have been particularly bad, with losses in two of their last three. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 17 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
In last week’s matchup, East Carolina lost to BYU 45-38. Isaiah Jones had a great game in the loss, pulling in 10 receptions for 95 yards and one TD. Blake Kemp also had a great game with 371 yards and two TDs through the air. Tulsa is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated Louisiana-Monroe 34-24. D’Angelo Brewer had a good performance running the ball for the Golden Hurricane, rushing 16 times for 91 yards. Dane Evans had a great game as well, adding 341 yards and two TDs through the air.
East Carolina is an 11-point favorite against the Golden Hurricane.
Sitting at 3-3 Straight Up (SU) and 4-2 Against The Spread (ATS), the Pirates will look to improve heading into Week 7. A focal point of East Carolina’s offense is its passing game, which ranks 22nd in the country with 293.8 passing yards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Pirates look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. The Golden Hurricane will need to stop East Carolina’s defense from getting to their quarterbacks in order to be successful in this game. The Pirates rank 19th in the nation in sacks with 2.8 per game. In the first quarter, East Carolina is tough to stop, putting up 10.5 points in the first 15 minutes.
As for their opponent, the Golden Hurricane head into Week 7 with records of 2-2-1 ATS and 3-2 SU. Chances are Tulsa will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 367.8 passing yards per game ranks seventh in the nation. Moving on to the Tulsa defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Pirates need to be careful with the football against the Golden Hurricane. Their defense ranks 12th in the country with 1.2 fumbles recovered per game. East Carolina needs to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Golden Hurricane, who average 11.4 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. A fast-paced offense, Tulsa takes a lot of snaps during games. On average, the team runs 92.2 plays per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – East Carolina, ATS Winner – Tulsa
Notes
East Carolina is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of East Carolina’s last 5 games.
East Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
East Carolina is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of East Carolina’s last 12 games at home.
East Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tulsa.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of East Carolina’s last 5 games when playing Tulsa.
Tulsa is 1-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. East Carolina is 3-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Among all FBS teams, the East Carolina offensive passing game is ranked 22nd nationally, while the Tulsa pass defense is only ranked 112th. The Golden Hurricane passing attack is ranked seventh, compared to the 78th-ranked pass defense of the Pirates.
