The Pirates of East Carolina (-5) are set to welcome the Old Dominion Monarchs to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. This afternoon matchup is scheduled to get going at 3:30 p.m. ET and interested parties can watch the action on ESPN 3.
Old Dominion Monarchs at East Carolina Pirates Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, East Carolina is labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 5 points. The Monarchs are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Pirates are -220. There should be some good in-game betting possibilities for this showdown.
The game’s opening line was originally set at -7 and the sharp action has been siding with the Monarchs.
The disappointing Monarchs are down 4.4 units this season and 1-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 3-1. The Pirates are down 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year. They’re 2-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-2.
The Monarchs have gone 1-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Pirates are 1-2 SU.
The Monarchs are on the upswing after a 49-35 win over Virginia Tech last week. Blake LaRussa completed 30-of-49 passes for 495 yards and four touchdowns. Jeremy Cox (130 yards on 20 rush attempts, two TDs) spearheaded the running attack in the win. Travis Fulgham (nine receptions, 188 yards, one TD) and Jonathan Duhart (nine catches, 142 yards, three TDs) shared the receiving duties.
East Carolina just dropped a 20-13 game to South Florida. The defensive unit allowed the Bulls to kill the clock by running for 115 yards on 32 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Jordan Cronkrite had a good outing, recording 129 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts for South Florida. For East Carolina, Reid Herring completed 21-of-48 passes for 253 yards and one interception. Holton Ahlers (48 rushing yards on 12 attempts, one TD) and Darius Pinnix (30 yards on 12 carries) mounted the ground game in the defeat while Trevon Brown (six receptions, 99 yards) and Blake Proehl (five catches, 50 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Each of these squads has a remarkably similar (46-54) run-pass ratio on the season. The Monarchs have run for 121 yards/game and have seven touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Pirates are totaling 148 rush yards per game and have five total rushing TDs.
The Monarchs offense has averaged 296 yards through the air overall and has seven passing scores so far. The Pirates have produced 287 pass yards per game and have three total pass TDs.
Defensively, Old Dominion has let opponents rush for an average of 229 yards and pass for 284 yards per game. The East Carolina defense has allowed 200.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 119.3 yards per game on the ground. The Pirates are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.36 to opponents, while the Monarchs have given up an ugly 8.72 ANY/A.
Offensively, LaRussa is up to 678 passing yards on the year, and has completed 42-of-68 attempts with five passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. LaRussa has a sparkling 10.29 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 10.69 over the last two outings.
Jonathan Duhart (375 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns on the year), Jeremy Cox (207 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Travis Fulgham (246 receiving yards, one TD) have each played key roles recently.
Reid Herring has completed 58-of-113 passes for 562 yards, two TDs and three INTs for East Carolina. His ANY/A stands at a less-than-spectacular 4.05 for the season and 6.23 across his past two games.
We’re thinking the Pirates will control tempo by feeding their ball-carriers early and often. In addition to Trevon Brown (156 receiving yards this season), Anthony Scott (73 rush yards) and Darius Pinnix (30 rush yards) have delivered significant production to the Pirates’ recent offensive gameplans.
Betting Prediction: Old Dominion Monarchs at East Carolina Pirates
SU Winner – East Carolina, ATS Winner – East Carolina
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Each team defense has recorded seven sacks this season.
East Carolina has lost one fumble in 2018 while the Old Dominion offense has lost two.
The Monarchs offense has tallied three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Pirates have accounted for one such play.
The Old Dominion defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while East Carolina has given up two such plays.
The Old Dominion offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while East Carolina has created four such runs.
The Monarchs defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Pirates have given up five such runs.
As a team, Old Dominion has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last two contests.
East Carolina has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last two.
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