East Carolina Pirates (7-5) vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9-3)
Game Info: Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at 6:45 pm (Protective Stadium)
Betting Odds: East Carolina Pirates -7.5 -- Over/Under: 64.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The East Carolina Pirates will play the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Tuesday night in the college football TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
The East Carolina Pirates are 7-5 this season after they defeated Temple by a score of 49-46 in their last game. East Carolina allowed 575 total yards, but was able to force one turnover and one turnover on downs in the win. East Carolina finished the season, losing two of their last three games, allowing at least 27 points in all three games. The East Carolina offense is averaging 30.8 points per game with 288.5 passing yards per game, and 170.5 rushing yards per game. Holton Ahlers has thrown for 3,408 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions for the Pirates this season. Keaton Mitchell has rushed for 1,325 yards and 13 scores, while Isaiah Winstead has caught 82 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns for East Carolina. The ECU defense is giving up 27 points per game and 410.9 yards per game.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are 9-3 this season after they lost to Troy in the Sun Belt Title game by a score of 45-26 in their last game. Coastal Carolina out gained Troy by a total of 432-411, but turned the ball over two times in the loss. Coastal Carolina lost their final two games of the season, but they did start the season with a 9-1 record. The Coastal Carolina offense is averaging 29.1 points per game with 249 passing yards per game and 162 rushing yards per game. Grayson McCall has thrown for 2,633 yards, 24 touchdowns, and two interceptions for the Chanticleers this season. McCall has entered the transfer portal, but does plan to play in this game. CJ Beasley has rushed for 704 yards and four touchdowns, while Sam Pinckney has caught 67 passes for 917 yards and three scores for Coastal Carolina. The Coastal Carolina defense is allowing 30.1 points per game and 412.6 yards per game.
Coastal Carolina is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 December games. The over is 10-4 in Coastal Carolina’s last 14 non-conference games. East Carolina is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 December games. The over is 7-1 in East Carolina’s last 8 games on turf.
Coastal Carolina comes into this game with some serious issues on defense, but they should be able to move the ball easily as long as McCall plays. East Carolina was solid on defense for the first part of the season, but allowed a lot of points over their last few games. I think this is a game that could go either way, but make sure you double-check that McCall is going to play. As long as he is suiting up, I like Coastal Carolina.
David’s Pick Coastal Carolina +7.5
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
