The East Carolina University Pirates host the Virginia Tech Hokies at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this week. Players will take the field Saturday, Sep 26 at 11:30 a.m. ET and the game will air on ABC and the ESP2.
East Carolina was dominated by Navy 45-21 last week. Bryce Williams had a good game in the loss, registering five receptions for 47 yards and two TDs. Isaiah Jones also had a big day, contributing 130 yards on 10 receptions. Virginia Tech is hoping for a similar result to last week’s performance when they routed Purdue 51-24 in its matchup. Bucky Hodges had a solid game for the Hokies, totaling three receptions for 11 yards and two TDs. Isaiah Ford had a big game as well, totaling 128 yards on six receptions.
The Pirates, a six-point underdog, will be looking to maintain home-field advantage when Virginia Tech comes to town.
The Pirates enter the game with both records currently 1-2 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Pirates utiliize their passing attack frequently. They pass 48 times per game, which is the fourth-most in the nation. Turning to the Pirates defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Pirates have the 25th-best pass defense in the nation and give up 161 yards per game through the air.
Across the field, the Hokies have a record of 2-1 both ATS and SU. Offensively, they could have an easy time scoring against a defense that is poor statistically. The Pirates give up a whopping 32.0 points per game. The Pirates have not found a lot of success stopping their opponents’ running games. The Hokies will look to exploit a run defense that ranks 122nd in Division I with 254 rushing yards allowed per game. This week, the Hokies will be tasked with shutting down East Carolina’s offense, which averages a meager 24.3 points. The Pirates will need to secure the ball against the turnover-minded Hokies. The defense ranks fourth in the country in turnovers with three per game. The Hokies usually get a boost in the second quarter, when they average 12.7 points this year. Virginia Tech tends to control the time of possession during games, averaging a time of 33:28 for 24th in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – VaTech, ATS Winner – VaTech
Notes
East Carolina is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
East Carolina is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games.
East Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of East Carolina’s last 6 games.
East Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
East Carolina is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home.
East Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of East Carolina’s last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech is 2-1 SU when leading at the half this season. East Carolina is 1-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
The East Carolina offensive passing attack is ranked only 30th in the nation, while the Virginia Tech pass defense is ranked 19th. The Hokies passing game is ranked just 63rd, compared to the 25th-ranked pass defense of the Pirates.
