Who’s Playing
South Florida @ East Carolina
Current Records: South Florida 2-5; East Carolina 3-4
What to Know
After two games on the road, the East Carolina Pirates are heading back home. The Pirates and the South Florida Bulls will face off in an American Athletic battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. East Carolina is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
East Carolina fought the good fight in their overtime contest against the Houston Cougars on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result, falling 31-24. Despite the defeat, East Carolina got a solid performance out of QB Holton Ahlers, who passed for two TDs and 278 yards on 37 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown. Ahlers hadn’t helped his team much against the UCF Knights two weeks ago, so this was a nice turnaround for him.
The East Carolina defensive unit accumulated five sacks for a loss of 51 yards. It was a group effort with five guys contributing.
Meanwhile, South Florida ran circles around the Temple Owls on Saturday, and the extra yardage (526 yards vs. 217 yards) paid off. South Florida strolled past Temple with points to spare, taking the matchup 34-14. The Bulls can attribute much of their success to RB Jaren Mangham, who rushed for two TDs and 152 yards on 26 carries.
The Pirates are the favorite in this one, with an expected 9.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a three-game streak of ATS wins.
East Carolina is now 3-4 while South Florida sits at 2-5. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: East Carolina is 224th worst in the nation in passing yards allowed per game, with 297.5 on average. The Bulls have experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the game with the 233rd most yards allowed per game in the nation, having given up 502 on average. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium — Greenville, North Carolina
- TV: ESPN
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds
The Pirates are a big 9.5-point favorite against the Bulls, according to the latest college football odds.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
South Florida have won five out of their last six games against East Carolina.
- Oct 10, 2020 – East Carolina 44 vs. South Florida 24
- Oct 26, 2019 – South Florida 45 vs. East Carolina 20
- Sep 22, 2018 – South Florida 20 vs. East Carolina 13
- Sep 30, 2017 – South Florida 61 vs. East Carolina 31
- Oct 08, 2016 – South Florida 38 vs. East Carolina 22
- Nov 07, 2015 – South Florida 22 vs. East Carolina 17
