East Carolina Pirates vs Central Florida Knights Game Preview and Prediction - 10/09/2021

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Tuesday, Oct 05, 2021
Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 9, 2021
Venue:  Bounce House, Orlando, FL
Where to Watch:  ESPN+

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  ECU +10.5, UCF -10.5; Over/Under:  67 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  ECU +10, UCF -10; Over/Under:  67 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  ECU +10, UCF -10; Over/Under:  67 points
 

Season Record

East Carolina Pirates:  3-2 (3rd place, AAC)
Central Florida Knights:  2-2 (8th place, AAC)
 
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East Carolina Pirates vs Central Florida Knights Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
East Carolina Pirates:  won at home on Oct. 2 against the Tulane Green Wave 52-29.
Central Florida Knights:  lost on the road on Oct. 2 against the Navy Midshipmen 34-30.
 
 
 

East Carolina Pirates Analysis

ECU is coming into this game with a 3-2 record overall and they are 1-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the year and they are already off on the right foot with a 1-0 record in their conference games this regular season. Their season started off rocky as they lost 2 in a row against the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the South Carolina Gamecocks, but they have turned it around winning their last 3 games straight against the Marshall Thundering Herd, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, and against Tulane in their last game. They are now on a three-game winning streak coming into this one. Holton Ahlers played a good game in their last one as he completed 21/32 passes for 288 yards and 2 touchdown passes. Mason Garcia also took a snap in the game and he completed 1/1 pass for 14 yards and 1 touchdown. Keaton Mitchell had a massive day for their running game as he led the team in rushing with 222 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries. Rahjai Harris also had a nice day rushing for 70 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 carries. Tyler Snead led the receivers with 78 yards and 1 touchdown on 4 receptions while Audie Omotosho also had 4 receptions for 76 yards receiving. Xavier Smith led the defense with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted ones. Jeremy Lewis, Aaron Ramseur, Jireh Wilson, and Rick D'Abreu all combined for the only 2 sacks in the game for them. Ja'Quan McMillian, Warren Saba, and Jireh Wilson all came away with 1 interception each in that game. They have scored 161 points in their first 5 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 148 points against them. Their offense is averaging 441 YPG while their defense is allowing 477.2 YPG. 
 
 

Central Florida Knights Analysis

The UCF Knights are coming into this college football game with a 2-2 record overall and they are 2-0 in their home games this season where they will be playing this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are already behind with a 0-1 record in their conference games this season. They started their year off good with 2 wins over the Boise State Broncos and the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats but that good fortune quickly faded as they have now lost their last 2 games against the Louisville Cardinals and against Navy in their last game. Mikey Keene struggled in that game as he completed 16/26 passes for 178 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Johnny Richardson led the team in rushing with 59 yards on 11 carries but they did not really have much of a run game in that one. Brandon Johnson led the receivers with 79 yards and 2 touchdowns on 4 receptions. Bryson Armstrong had a big day on defense as he led the defense with 10 solo tackles and 12 assisted ones in that game. Josh Celiscar had the only sack in the game for them and no one on the defense came away with an interception in that one. They have scored 164 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 121 points against them. The UCF offense is averaging 497.5 YPG while their defense is allowing 367.3 YPG.
 

 

East Carolina vs Central Florida Prediction

UCF has not looked good this season, especially in their last game losing to Navy. They have been able to score points but their defense is allowing way too many in return. ECU has looked pretty good in their last few games and even in their losses earlier this year they did not get blown out in them. This is an important conference game as ECU already has a leg up on UCF in conference play. This should be a close game where both teams trade points back and forth. The best bet to place in this game is on ECU to cover the spread and on the over as it should be a closer game with a lot of points scored by both sides as the defenses are not that great.
 
East Carolina Central Florida Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 9, 2021 (6:00 pm ET start time) is UCF 41 ECU 37.
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NCAAF Betting Trends

 
East Carolina Pirates: 158-174 ATS in all games. 91-100 ATS as an underdog. 77-86 ATS in road games. 94-105 ATS against conference opponents.
Central Florida Knights: 140-128 ATS in all games. 85-77 ATS as a favorite. 68-56 ATS in home games. 85-79 ATS against conference opponents.
 

Key Injuries

 
East Carolina Pirates:  B. Malovic (OL) out for season - Lower Body injury.
Central Florida Knights:  D. Marks (WR) Ques Sat - Leg injury. I. Bowser (RB) Ques Sat - Knee injury. J. Robinson (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury.
 

Players to Watch

 
East Carolina Pirates: Keaton Mitchell is one player to watch here. He leads his team in rushing yards and in touchdowns scored this season. He is coming off of a massive game where he had over 200 yards rushing himself. Look for him to get a lot of touches here as he has been hot in the running game and he has a lot of talent when he gets the ball in his hands. They will need him to play well if they are to pull off an upset here.
 
Central Florida Knights: Isaiah Bowser is one player to watch here. He leads his team in rushing and in touchdowns scored this season. He is a very important piece in this offense but he is questionable for this game with an injury. Keep an eye on him to see if he plays as that will be a massive blow to their offense if he does not and if he does look for him to see how that knee injury affects his play and if he can still be that same explosive player in this game.
 

Notable Quotes

 
“They have got to mentally prepare themselves to play the game the way we want them to play it. Fast, physical, high intensity, high energy,. There’s things that you do out on that field that don’t just come naturally as a human being. Mentally you got to get yourself ready to go out there and play the game that way.” Mike Houston on the way his team has been practicing over the last few weeks.
 
 
“They did the things that it took to win. We did the things that really hurt us, and that had a lot to do with us losing. Bottom line is we didn’t get it done.” - New head coach Gus Malzahn after his team’s loss to Navy.
 
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
East Carolina Pirates
WR Hatfield, Jsi 
WR Johnson, C.J
WR Snead, Tyler 
TE Calhoun, Shane 
QB Ahlers, Holton 
RB Mitchell, Keaton 
 
Central Florida Knights
WR Johnson, Brandon 
WR Jaylon Robinson
WR Ryan O'Keefe
TE Hescock, Jake 
QB Gabriel, Dillon 
RB Bowser, Isaiah 

Statistical Leaders

 
East Carolina Pirates
Passing: H. Ahlers (1266)
Rushing: K. Mitchell (574)
Receiving: T. Snead (280)
Touchdowns: K. Mitchell (4)
Sacks: S. Ware (2.5)
Tackles: J. McMillian (22)
 
Central Florida Knights
Passing: D. Gabriel (818)
Rushing: I. Bowser (268)
Receiving: R. O'Keefe (242)
Touchdowns: I. Bowser (5)
Sacks: J. Celiscar (2)
Tackles: B. Armstrong (22)
 
Coaches:
East Carolina Pirates: Mike Houston (3rd season)
Central Florida Knights: Gus Malzahn (1st season)
 

Weather Forecast

84 degrees F scattered thunderstorms, 78% humidity, 60% chance of rain, up to 8 mph wind speeds NE.


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

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