Navy at East Carolina: 10/17/20 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports
East Carolina Pirates (0-2) vs Navy Midshipmen (1-1)
Game Info: Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 12:00 pm (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium)
Betting Odds: East Carolina Pirates +2.5 -- Over/Under: 61 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Navy Midshipmen will travel to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to take on the East Carolina Pirates this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Navy Midshipmen improved to 2-2 (2-0 AAC) on the season after defeating the Temple Owls, 31-29, this past Saturday. Navy was sold in the 1st half, going into halftime with a 21-10 lead, and was able to hang on late for the victory after stopping Temple’s game-tying two-point conversation with just 1:02 left in the 4th quarter. Navy was outgained by Temple by a 407-299 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 1-0 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Midshipmen was Nelson Smith who had 120 yards & 2 TD’s on 20 carries.
On the season, Navy is averaging 17.0 ppg on 259.8 total yards per game (93.8 passing yds/g; 166.0 rushing yds/g). Navy is a team that focuses offensively on running the football and has been led by FB Jamale Carothers who has 229 rushing yards & a TD on 57 attempts. Also, in the backfield for the Midshipmen has been FB Nelson Smith (38 att, 185 yards, 4 TD), RB Myles Fells (10 att, 93 yards), and QB Xavier Arline (12 att, 29 yards). Navy uses a variety of QB’s and has been led by QB Dalen Morris (58.8 Comp %, 203 yards, TD) & QB Tyler Goslin (40.0 Comp %, 137 yards, TD). The leading receivers for Navy have been Mychal Cooper (5 rec, 92 yards, TD) and Mark Walker (5 rec, 87 yards).
Defensively, Navy is allowing their opponents to average 37.0 ppg on 442.5 total yards per game (167.3 passing yds/g; 275.3 rushing yds/g).
The East Carolina Pirates picked up their first win of the season, improving to 1-2 (1-1 AAC) on the year, after defeating the South Florida Bulls, 44-24, this past Saturday. East Carolina was outstanding offensively against the Bulls and did not have any trouble cruising to victory after taking a 38-17 lead going into the 4th quarter. East Carolina outgained South Florida by a 432-398 margin and won the turnover battle by a 2-0 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Pirates was RB Rahjai Harris who had 115 yards & 2 TD’s on 19 carries.
On the season, East Carolina is averaging 33.7 ppg on 392.3 total yards per game (224.3 passing yds/g; 168.0 rushing yds/g). Offensively, East Carolina has been led by the RB duo of Rahjai Harris (35 att, 158 yards, 2 TD) & Keaton Mitchell (24 att, 108 yards). QB Holton Ahlers has completed 57.1% of his passes for 673 yards, 6 TD, & 4 INT while also gaining 77 yards on 24 carries. The top receiving threats for the Pirates have been Tyler Snead (16 rec, 155 yards, TD), C.J. Johnson (6 rec, 151 yards, 3 TD), and Blake Proehl (17 rec, 138 yards).
Defensively, East Carolina is allowing their opponents to average 392.3 ppg on 505.0 total yards per game (317.3 passing yds/g; 187.7 rushing yds/g).
The Midshipmen are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall and 4-2 ATS in their last 6 away games. The Pirates are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games in October, however, are 3-2 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Navy has been able to pick up a couple of nice wins in conference play this season against Temple & Tulane, however, this is not the same Navy team we’ve seen in recent years as both the offense and defense has struggle on the season. East Carolina picked up a nice win on the road agianst South Florida and although their defense can give up points, their offense has been solid in both their rushing and passing attacks. East Carolina’s biggest weakness on defense is against opposing passing attacks which shouldn’t be too much of a worry agianst Navy’s run-first offense and as I think the Pirates offense will be able to put up points against the Midshipmen, I’m taking the home team and points in this one. Good Luck!
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Brett’s Pick East Carolina Pirates +2.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
