Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Friday, November 26, 2021
Venue: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
Where to Watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Cincinnati -14, ECU +14; Over/Under: 58 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Cincinnati -13.5, ECU +13.5; Over/Under: 58 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Cincinnati -14, ECU +14; Over/Under: 58.5 points
Season Record
Cincinnati Bearcats: 11-0 (2nd place, AAC)
East Carolina Pirates: 7-4 (3rd place, AAC)
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Cincinnati Bearcats vs East Carolina Pirates Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Cincinnati Bearcats: won at home on Nov. 20 against the SMU Mustangs 48-14.
East Carolina Pirates: won on the road on Nov. 20 against the Navy Midshipmen 38-35.
Cincinnati Bearcats Analysis
Cincinnati is coming into this game with an 11-0 record overall and they are 5-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game according to the football schedule. This will be their 8th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 7-0 in their conference games this season on their way to the championship game. They have not lost a game all season and come into this one on that 11 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Desmond Ridder played a great game in that one as he completed 17/23 passes for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns. Evan Prater and Jordan Jones also threw 1 touchdown pass each as well. Jerome Ford led the team in rushing with 82 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 carries while Ridder ran in 1 TD on the ground himself. Tre Tucker had a nice day as he led the receivers with 114 yards on 7 receptions while Tyler Scott had 94 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Alec Pierce caught 2 touchdown passes while Jones and Ridder caught the other 2 with 1 TD each. Arquon Bush led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Curtis Brooks led the defense in sacks in that game with 2 while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 440 points in their 11 games this season averaging 40 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 176 points against them allowing 16 PPG. Their offense is averaging 429.7 YPG while their defense is allowing 304.2 YPG.
East Carolina Pirates Analysis
ECU is coming into this FBS game with a 7-4 record overall and they are 4-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 8th American Athletic Conference matchup on their conference schedule this year and they are currently 5-2 in their conference games this season. They are coming into this one on a 4 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Holton Ahlers played a great game in that one as he completed 27/32 passes for 405 yards and 3 touchdowns. Keaton Mitchell led the team in rushing with 94 yards and 1 touchdown on 18 carries. Tyler Snead had a nice day as he led the receivers with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 receptions while Audie Omotosho had 90 yards on 7 receptions. CJ Johnson had 89 yards on 3 receptions while Ryan Jones caught the other touchdown pass. Bruce Bivens led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 3 assisted ones. Elijah Morris recorded the only sack in that game while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 343 points in their 11 games this season averaging 31.2 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 280 points against them allowing 25.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 446.4 YPG while their defense is allowing 389.4 YPG.
Cincinnati vs East Carolina Prediction
Cincinnati is coming into this game as a 14 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Cincinnati has a lot of talent on their football team this season and have been playing great in all of their football games. They played a lot better in their last game, finally playing like the team that deserves to be in the college football playoffs. They held a hot SMU team to just 14 points while scoring 48 points themselves. They have 1 game left of the regular season and they should be using this game as a booster to boost their chances to get into the playoffs and that means another blowout here. Cincinnati has the offense and the defense to do it, they are one of the best teams in the nation looking to improve their rank even more. The best bet to place in this game is on Cincinnati to cover the spread here.
Cincinnati East Carolina Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, November 26, 2021 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Cincinnati 49 ECU 14.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Cincinnati Bearcats: 174-159 ATS in all games. 79-74 ATS in road games. 103-94 ATS against conference opponents. 51-42 ATS in November games.
East Carolina Pirates: 163-175 ATS in all games. 94-100 ATS as an underdog. 30-40 ATS as a home underdog. 74-79 ATS in home games. 99-106 ATS against conference opponents.
Key Injuries
Cincinnati Bearcats: C. Smith (K) day-to-day - Undisclosed injury.
East Carolina Pirates: J. Powell (OL) Ques Fri - Undisclosed injury. B. Malovic (OL) out for season - Lower Body injury.
Notable Quotes
"I don't know what the difference was -- sometimes the opponent, sometimes just recognizing the challenges that are ahead of you. Every game is a challenge. But I think that there was a little something different coming into this one, not just that they were 8-2, the way they had played all year and the things that they had done. But I did sense a little more urgency, a little bit more of that energy. And not just on Saturday, but in the entire week.” - Head coach Luke Fickell after his team’s win against SMU in their last game.
“It was a special day Saturday, but the more special thing was, they have already turned their attention to the next game,. Because that is their mentality. That’s winning culture.” - Mike Houston on his team’s culture this season.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Bearcats
WR Pierce, Alec
WR Scott, Tyler
WR Young Jr., Michael
TE Whyle, Josh
QB Ridder, Desmond
RB Ford, Jerome
East Carolina Pirates
WR Omotosho, Audie
WR Johnson, C.J
WR Tyler Snead
TE Calhoun, Shane
QB Ahlers, Holton
RB Mitchell, Keaton
Statistical Leaders (Stats)
Cincinnati Bearcats
Passing: D. Ridder (2699)
Rushing: J. Ford (966)
Receiving: A. Pierce (666)
Touchdowns: J. Ford (16)
East Carolina Pirates
Passing: H. Ahlers (2901)
Rushing: K. Mitchell (1077)
Receiving: T. Snead (769)
Touchdowns: K. Mitchell (9)
Coaches:
Cincinnati Bearcats: Luke Fickell (6th season)
East Carolina Pirates: Mike Houston (3rd season)