East Carolina vs Connecticut NCAA Football Picks and Tips 11/23/2019

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Connecticut Huskies

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2019

Week 13

Location: Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Connecticut +14

Total/Over-Under: 67

Rentschler Field is the site where Jack Zergiotis and the Connecticut Huskies will take on the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday. Connecticut opens this contest as 14-point dogs. The Pirates are 6-4-0 ATS and 4-6-0 when betting on the total. The Huskies are 4-6-0 when wagering on the over/under and 4-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the East Carolina Pirates played the SMU Mustangs and took the defeat by a score of 59-51. Tay Williams paced the team on the ground for that game. He tore off a long run of 14 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for 61 yards on 14 carries which gave him an average of 4.4 yards per run. Tyler Snead was the receiving yardage leader by earning 240 yards on 19 receptions. He notched an average of 12.6 yards per catch for that game. Leading the way at QB for the Pirates was Holton Ahlers who went 32/42 with 498 yards through the air and tossed 6 TD's. He ended the game without an interception. The Pirates ran the football 35 times and added 146 yards giving them an average of 4.2 yards per rush. For the contest, the Pirates had a total of 27 1st downs and they totaled 1 penalty for 15 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. On the day, they ran 77 plays for a total of 644 yards. When discussing the defense, East Carolina gave up 33 catches on 46 tries for a total of 414 yards, and a completion percentage of 71.7%. On the ground, the Pirates gave up 222 yards on 37 runs which gave them an average of 6.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed. In the game, they allowed 636 yards and earned 1 turnover.

The Pirates come into this matchup with a record of 3-7 for this season. For total yardage, they are currently ranked 5th in the American Athletic Conference and 52nd in Division 1 with 4,270 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country with an average of 26.6 points per contest, ranking them 83rd in Division 1. As a unit, they are averaging 148.6 rushing yards per game which is 9th in the conference. The Pirates have one of the worst defenses in college football, allowing 33.1 points per game ranking them 10th in the American Athletic Conference. When talking about rushing yards, East Carolina is allowing 206.1 yards per game putting them 11th in the conference and 113th in the country. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.9 yards per carry putting them 10th in the AAC and 102nd in Division 1 overall. In total, they have conceded 2,061 rushing yards through 10 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Pirates have conceded 2,784 yards. Opponents are completing 62.3% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.9 yards per try.

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In their last outing, the Connecticut Huskies played the Cincinnati Bearcats and were defeated 48-3. Leading the way at QB for the Huskies was Mike Beaudry who went 6/9 with 35 yards passing but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He ended the game with no interceptions. Kevin Mensah paced the team in rushing for that game. He had a long run of 18 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He scurried for 115 yards on 24 carries which gave him an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Ardell Brown was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 29 yards on 3 catches. He had an average of 9.7 yards per catch for that game. The Huskies rushed the ball a total of 40 times and generated 148 yards earning them an average of 3.7 yards per run. For the contest, the Huskies earned 13 first downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 71 yards telling us that this team was extremely undisciplined. In all, they ran 63 plays for 218 yards. When discussing the defense, Connecticut conceded 16 catches on 28 tries for a total of 200 yards, and a completion percentage of 57.1%. In the running game, the Huskies conceded 307 yards on 43 runs which is an average of 7.1 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they gave up a total of 507 yards and earned 1 takeaway.

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The Huskies step onto the field holding a record of 2-8. In discussing the offensive production, the Huskies have one of the most lackluster offenses in Division 1. Connecticut is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 137.5 rushing yards per contest, ranking them 97th in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,375 rushing yards through 10 contests, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Huskies average 328.4 yards per game overall putting them 116th in college football and 12th in the American Athletic Conference. The Huskies are conceding 40.6 points per game which puts them at 12th in the conference and 128th in college football. Their passing defense is one of the middling units in Division 1. They are conceding 223.3 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Huskies are currently ranked 7th in the American Athletic Conference. When it comes to points given up, they have given up 406 total points. In terms of yards on the ground, they are giving up 229.1 yards per contest ranking them 124th in the country and 12th in the conference. This season, they have conceded a total of 2,291 yards rushing and 28 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Pirates/Huskies college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates -14

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