The Army Black Knights and the East Carolina Pirates meet in week 5 college football action from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Thursday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an East Carolina vs Army Prediction.
Army Black Knights Recap
The Army Black Knights come into this game looking to rebound from a 45-38 loss in OT to North Texas last time out to slip to 1-2 this season. After this game, Army will head on the road once again for a matchup with UAB.
Black Knights Looking To Get Back To .500
Dewayne Coleman has thrown for 230 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 INTs on 56.5% passing while also leading Army in rushing with 217 yards on the ground with 2 TDs. Hayden Reed has 211 rushing yards and 2 TDs while Cale Hellums has 184 rushing yards with 3 TDs. Noah Short and Briggs Bartosh each have 100+ rushing yards as well this season. Brady Anderson leads the Black Knights with 167 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns while Short also has a team-high 9 catches for 106 yards. On defense, Andon Thomas also has a team-high 29 total tackles while Army’s defense as a whole has combined for a pair of sacks and an interception this season.
Why the Army Black Knights will win
- Army has won four of its last five games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- East Carolina has lost three of its last four games in North Carolina.
- Army has covered the spread in eight of its last nine games after coming off overtime.
Army Black Knights Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 5, Cale Hellums leads Army for touchdowns (3) this season.
East Carolina Recap
The East Carolina Pirates come into this game looking to rebound from a 34-13 loss at the hands of the BYU Cougars last time out to sit at 2-2 this season. After this game, East Carolina will head on the road for a matchup against Tulane.
Pirates Looking To Rebound
Katin Houser has thrown for 1,258 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 68.4% passing while London Montgomery leads ECU with 151 rushing yards and 2 TDs and Parker Jenkins has 102 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Brock Spalding leads the Pirates with 285 receiving yards and a TD while Yannick Smith has 282 receiving yards and 23 catches with 2 touchdowns. Anthony Smith also has a team-high 25 catches for 265 yards and Jayvontay Conner has 162 receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Ja’Marley Riddle has a team-high 20 total tackles along with an interception while Jasiyah Robinson has a team-high 2 sacks. East Carolina’s defense as a whole has combined for 10 sacks and 3 interceptions.
Why the East Carolina Pirates will win
- East Carolina has won four of its last five games against conference opponents.
- Army has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games against teams from North Carolina.
- The favorite has covered the spread in five of East Carolina’s last six games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
East Carolina Pirates Player Prop Facts
- Katin Houser has recorded 275+ passing yards in four consecutive games – longest streak in the FBS, heading into Week 5.
Total Points Facts
- Six of East Carolina’s last seven games have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Four of Army’s last five games in North Carolina have gone UNDER the total points line.
East Carolina vs Army Prediction
I’m leaning towards Army and the points. This is an Army team that could easily be 3-0 with how they battled North Texas and lost in OT and also lost to Tarleton in OT as well to start the year. East Carolina’s licking their wounds after getting beat up at home by BYU, and now have to prep for the option of a short week. Just a rough schedule spot for ECU, so I’ll take Army and the points here.