Temple at East Carolina: 11/6/21 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
East Carolina Pirates (4-4) vs Temple Owls (3-5)
Game Info: Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 3:00 pm (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium)
Betting Odds: East Carolina Pirates -16 -- Over/Under: 54.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Temple Owls will travel to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to take on the East Carolina Pirates this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Temple Owls lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 3-5 on the season after being defeated by the UCF Knights, 49-7, this past Saturday. Temple had no answers on either end of the field for UCF and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 21-0 margin. Temple was outgained by UCF by a 428-297 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 3-2 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Owls was WR Jose Barbon who had 2 receptions for 45 yards & 1 TD.
On the season, Temple is averaging 20.1 ppg on 323.4 total yards per game (209.8 passing yds/g; 113.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Temple has used two QB’s this season in D’Wan Mathis (59.6 Comp %, 1186 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT) & Justin Lynch (66.7 Comp %, 492 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT). The top receiving threats for the Owls have been Jose Barbon (28 rec, 370 yards, 2 TD), Randle Jones (22 rec, 366 yards, 3 TD), Amad Anderson Jr. (15 rec, 215 yards, TD), & Jadan Blue (29 rec, 177 yards, TD). Leading the way for the Owls backfield has been the duo of Edward Saydee (61 att, 236 yards, 2 TD) & Tayvon Ruley (33 att, 175 yards, TD).
Defensively, Temple is allowing their opponents to average 35.8 ppg on 385.0 total yards per game (166.6 passing yds/g; 218.4 rushing yds/g).
The East Carolina Pirates snapped their 2-game losing streak and improved to 4-4 on the season after defeating the South Florida Bulls, 29-14, on October 28th. East Carolina trailed by a 14-6 margin going into halftime, however, the Pirates dominated South Florida on both ends of the field in the 2nd half and pulled away after a 25-yard TD run by Keaton Mitchell gave the Pirates a 26-14 lead with 10:26 left in the 4th quarter. East Carolina outgained South Florida by a 471-391 margin and won the turnover battle by a 4-3 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Pirates was RB Rahjai Harris who had 100 rushing yards & 1 TD on 22 carries.
On the season, East Carolina is averaging 28.8 ppg on 425.1 total yards per game (262.4 passing yds/g; 162.8 rushing yds/g). Offensively, East Carolina has been led by the RB duo of Keaton Mitchell (104 att, 756 yards, 5 TD) & Rahjai Harris (109 att, 425 yards, 3 TD). QB Holton Ahlers has completed 60.2% of his passes for 1983 yards, 11 TD, & 6 INT while also rushing for 4 TD. The top receiving threats for the Pirates have been Tyler Snead (39 rec, 469 yards, 2 TD), C.J. Johnson (24 rec, 347 yards, TD), Audie Omotosho (25 rec, 335 yards, 3 TD), & Jsi Hatfield (11 rec, 242 yards, 2 TD).
Defensively, East Carolina is allowing their opponents to average 26.6 ppg on 426.5 total yards per game (269.6 passing yds/g; 156.9 rushing yds/g).
The Owls are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points. The Pirates are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 conference games.
Temple has really struggled as of late, losing their last 3 games by an average of 37.0 ppg, which includes a 20-point loss against the 2-6 South Florida Bulls. Temple has really struggled on both ends of the field as they come into this game ranked just 117th in scoring offense & 118th in scoring defense and as I think the East Carolina rushing attack will have no trouble putting up plenty of points against the Owls 123rd ranked rushing defense, I think East Carolina wins this one by 3 TD and cover this large home spread.
Brett’s Pick East Carolina Pirates -16
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
