East Carolina (2-0) vs Appalachian State (1-1)
Game Info: Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 4:00 pm (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium)
Betting Odds: East Carolina +2.5 / Appalachian State -2.5 --- Over/Under: 56 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Appalachian State Mountaineers and the East Carolina Pirates meet in week 3 college football action from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday afternoon. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Appalachian State vs. East Carolina prediction.
Appalachian State Recap
The Appalachian State Mountaineers come into this one licking their wounds after being demolished by Clemson last week by a final score of 66-20. After this game, App State will head back home to take on South Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference clash.
App State Trying To Rebound
Joey Aguilar has thrown for 540 yards on 51.9% passing with 3 touchdowns while Anderson Castle has 108 rushing yards and a touchdown. Kaedin Robinson has a team-high 11 receptions for 161 yards while Christan Horn has 6 grabs for 136 yards as well on the year. On defense, Ronald Clarke leads the Mountaineers with 13 total tackles while Thomas Davis has a team-high 1.5 sacks while Derrell Farrar has a sack as well on the year.
Why the Appalachian State Mountaineers will win
- Appalachian State has won six of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- East Carolina has lost four of its last five games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
- East Carolina has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four September games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
East Carolina Recap
The East Carolina Pirates come into this one at 2-0 on the year after knocking off Old Dominion by a final score of 20-14. Following this matchup, ECU will head on the road to square off with Liberty.
Garcia Struggling With Turnovers
Jake Garcia has thrown for 591 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions on 64.9% passing while Rahjai Harris has rushed for a team-high 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. Anthony Smith has a team-high 10 receptions for 156 yards while Winston Wright Jr. has 10 receptions of his own. Desirrio Riles also has a pair of touchdowns as well this season. On defense, Zakye Barber has a team-high 17 total tackles while Gavin Gibson has an interception for a TD and Shavon Revel Jr. also has an interception of his own. As a unit, East Carolina has combined for 6 sacks on the year.
Why the East Carolina Pirates will win
- Appalachian State has lost six of its last seven games as a road favorite.
- East Carolina has won four of its last five games against non-conference opponents at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
- Appalachian State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last seven games as a road favorite.
- East Carolina has covered the spread in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Appalachian State vs. East Carolina Prediction
I’m looking at App State here. First off, this is just a spot for a Mountaineers team that was out of the game from the kickoff against Clemson last week, and I don’t think they’ll come out flat in back-to-back games. On the other side, East Carolina has struggled with turnovers mightily this season and while we’re not used to App State struggling in their step-up games, we can often rely on the Mountaineers to carry through against teams on or below their level and I think the Mountaineers gave East Carolina a wake-up call here. Give me App State.
Chris’s Pick Appalachian State -2.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Follow Chris Ruffolo on Twitter @ruffthepickdawg