The East Carolina Pirates (+22) are set to pay a visit to their conference rival South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESNN.
East Carolina Pirates vs. South Florida Bulls Betting Preview
East Carolina is the noticeable underdog here and is currently receiving 22 points by bookmakers. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 64.5 points, and it appears that there ought to be be multiple solid in-game betting scenarios for the showdown.
With the game’s total initially set at 63.5, sharp bettors are siding with the over.
The Pirates are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 1-1. The Bulls have gained 2.5 units this season. The team is 1-2 ATS and also has an O/U record of 1-1.
The Pirates are 1-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any AAC competition yet. The Bulls are 3-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Pirates are coming off a resounding 41-19 win over North Carolina on September 8 where Reid Herring completed 19-of-32 passes for 290 yards and one touchdown. Anthony Scott (73 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) and Hussein Howe (50 yards on 15 carries) led the ground attack in the win while Deondre Farrier (five receptions, 52 yards) and Trevon Brown (four catches, 90 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties.
South Florida enters this one having just earned a 25-19 win over Illinois. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Fighting Illini to rush for 212 yards on 48 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Mike Epstein was outstandingfor the Fighting Illini, recording 113 rushing yards and a score on 19 attempts, along with 56 yards on five catches. For South Florida, Blake Barnett completed 23-of-40 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jordan Cronkrite (136 yards on 22 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Barnett (17 yards on 10 carries) mounted the ground attack in the win while Mitchell Wilcox (eight receptions, 109 yards) and Randall St. Felix (six catches, 120 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
East Carolina has run the ball on 44.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while South Florida has an overall rush percentage of 51.7 percent. The Pirates have rushed for 144 yards per game and have four touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Bulls are putting up 194 rush yards per game and have five total rushing TDs.
The Pirates offense has averaged 302 yards through the air overall and has three passing scores so far. The Bulls have recorded 328 pass yards per game and have seven total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, East Carolina has allowed 122 rush yards and 211 pass yards per game. The South Florida defense has allowed 131.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 274.3 yards per game on the ground. The Bulls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 2.42 to opponents, while the Pirates have given up a 6.30 ANY/A.
Offensively, Herring is up to 290 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has completed 19-of-32 attempts with one passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. Herring’s got a 9.00 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.57 over the past two games.
For the home team, Blake Barnett has connected on 47-of-74 passes for 716 yards, five TDs and two INTs. Barnett’s ANY/A sits at 9.42 for the season and 7.38 across his past two outings.
When these two programs faced each other last year, South Florida won easily 61-31.
Free Pick: East Carolina Pirates at South Florida Bulls
SU Winner – South Florida, ATS Winner – East Carolina, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The South Florida D has recorded 10 sacks on the year while East Carolina has just one.
South Florida has lost zero fumbles in 2018 while East Carolina has lost one.
The Pirates offense has created zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bulls have put up four such plays.
The East Carolina defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while South Florida has given up two such plays.
Both defenses have produced three rushing plays of 20+ yards. The East Carolina offense has recorded seven running plays of 10+ yards while South Florida has accounted for 20 such plays.
The Pirates defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Bulls have given up nine such runs.
South Florida was getting 14 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 59. The under cashed and South Florida covered in that 25-19 victory over Illinois.
East Carolina was the underdog by 15 points in its last game and the Over/Under going into it was 59. The over cashed and East Carolina covered in the 41-19 win over North Carolina.
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