The AAC’s third-leading rusher, Marlon Mack (718 yards, 4 TDs), will be on display when the South Florida Bulls meet the East Carolina Pirates. It’s been a rough season for East Carolina (4-5) and it hasn’t gotten any better as of late, having lost three of its last four. Players will take the field Saturday, Nov 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on CBSS.
East Carolina fell to Connecticut 31-13 last week. Isaiah Jones had a solid outing in the loss, registering nine receptions for 85 yards. Marquez Grayson finished with 87 rushing yards on nine attempts. South Florida came up short as well, getting beat by Navy 29-17. Quinton Flowers had a solid game throwing the ball for the Bulls, completing 12 of 20 passes for 208 yards. Rodney Adams added 86 receiving yards on three receptions.
East Carolina is favored by a narrow three-point margin in its matchup against the Bulls.
The Pirates enter the game with a record of 4-5 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Pirates have records of 2-3 for both SU and ATS. The Pirates have performed better than their season rushing average of 148.8 yards, averaging 176.0 yards over the last five games. Transitioning to the East Carolina defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Bulls will be matching up against a stout East Carolina run defense which has allowed only 134.8 rushing yards over its last five matchups. For the season, it allows 177.1 rush YPG. On special teams, South Florida may give up some big plays to the Pirates in the return game. The Bulls have allowed 116.1 return yards per game, making them one of the worst in Division I.
Across the field, the Bulls have 4-4 SU and 5-2-1 ATS records this season. The Bulls went 3-2 SU and 3-1-1 ATS over the last five games. South Florida has found a lot of success on the ground. Its 213.9 rushing yards per game ranks 23rd in Division I. The South Florida pass defense has given teams headaches during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 230.2 passing yards against this scary unit. The Pirates have got to hold on to the ball against the Bulls. The Pirates are 108th in the country in turnovers with 2.1 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – South Florida, ATS Winner – South Florida
Notes
East Carolina is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
East Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
East Carolina is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of East Carolina’s last 7 games at home.
East Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing South Florida.
South Florida is 4-1 SU when leading at the half this season. East Carolina is 3-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
South Florida is only 1-2) SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet 3-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Based on overall FBS ratings, East Carolina holds the upper hand in the passing game. Its passing attack (ranked 29th in the nation) will face the 65th-ranked pass defense of South Florida, while its 76th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 108th-ranked passing game of the Bulls.
