The East Carolina Pirates (+12) are heading north to face their AAC foe Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. ESNN will televise the action and the daytime game is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: East Carolina Pirates at Temple Owls
East Carolina is a significant road underdog in this AAC game and is currently receiving 12 points. The Pirates are also receiving +340 moneyline odds while the Owls are -475. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 55 points, and if one side can get out in front early, it would likely lead to a solid betting opportunity in-game.
Sharp bettors are siding with the Pirates. The opening line was originally -14 while the over/under was set initially at 55.5.
The Pirates are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-2.
The Owls have lost 3.1 units this season. The team is 3-2 ATS and also has an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Pirates have gone 2-2 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against AAC opponents. The Owls are 2-3 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Pirates just notched a 37-35 win over Old Dominion last week. The passing game could’ve been sharper as Reid Herring completed 24 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Anthony Scott (62 yards on 15 rushes, one TD) and Holton Ahlers (63 yards on eight carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack in the win while Tahj Deans (five receptions, 48 yards, one TD) and Trevon Brown (four catches, 79 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties.
Temple just came up short in a 45-35 barnburner to Boston College. The defensive unit let the Eagles eat up the clock by running for 275 yards on 66 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. AJ Dillon was on a different level for Boston College, recording 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts. For Temple, Anthony Russo completed 20-of-45 passes for 255 yards and two interceptions. Ryquell Armstead (171 rushing yards on 24 attempts, four TDs) led the ground game in the defeat as Isaiah Wright (seven receptions, 114 yards) and Branden Mack (four catches, 59 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
East Carolina has run the ball on 45.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Temple has a rush percentage of 50.9 percent. The Pirates have run for 155.8 yards per game and have seven touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Owls are logging 141.6 rushing yards per game and have eight total rush TDs.
The Pirates offense has logged 293.3 yards/contest through the air overall and has six passing scores so far. The Owls have produced 215.8 pass yards per outing and also have six total pass TDs.
Defensively, East Carolina has allowed opponents to run for an average of 94.8 yards and pass for 213.0 yards per game. The Temple defense has allowed 187.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 183.6 yards per game on the ground. The Owls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.65 to opponents, while the Pirates have given up a 5.64 ANY/A.
Herring has been more productive than Russo lately, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 5.79for the season (and 5.26 over the last two games). Russo’s ANY/A is 4.99 for the season and 2.60 over his past two outings.
When these two squads faced each other a year ago, Temple won handily 34-10.
East Carolina Pirates at Temple Owls NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Temple, ATS Winner: Temple, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
The Temple defense has sacked opposing QBs 17 times this season. East Carolina has produced 16 sacks.
The Temple offense has lost two fumbles in 2018 while East Carolina has let one get away.
The Pirates offense has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Owls have accounted for five such plays.
The East Carolina defense has allowed three pass plays of 40+ yards, while Temple has given up zero such plays.
Both defenses have produced six rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The East Carolina offense has recorded 15 running plays of 10+ yards while Temple has accounted for 17 such plays.
The Pirates defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Owls have given up eight such runs.
Temple was favored by 14 points in its last outing and the Over/Under going into it was 54.5. The over cashed and Temple did not cover in that 45-35 defeat to Boston College.
Over its last three contests, Temple is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three contests, East Carolina is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
East Carolina was favored by 7 points in its previous game and the O/U was set at 61.5. The over cashed and East Carolina did not cover in the 37-35 victory over Old Dominion.
East Carolina, as a team, has averaged 4.17293233082707 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.0 over its last two.
Temple has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.5 over its past two.
