East Carolina at Old Dominion NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 9/28/2019

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium

Stone Smartt and the Old Dominion Monarchs play the East Carolina Pirates at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium on Saturday, September 28, 2019. Old Dominion opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites. The Pirates are 1-3-0 ATS and 0-4-0 when betting on the total. The Monarchs are 0-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-1-0 against the spread.

Key East Carolina Pirates Injuries

09/19/19 RB Darius Pinnix Undisclosed is out indefinitely
09/01/19 DB Colby Gore Suspension is out indefinitely
09/01/19 LB Delvontae Harris Suspension is out indefinitely
09/01/19 DB Juan Powell Suspension is out indefinitely

Key Old Dominion Monarchs Injuries

No key injuries to report

In their last outing, the East Carolina Pirates took on the William & Mary Tribe and ended up getting the victory by a score of 19-7. Leading the way at QB for the Pirates was Holton Ahlers who went 20/34 with 210 yards passing and completed 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Trace Christian led the team in rushing for the game. His longest run of the day went for 21 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He racked up a total of 91 yards by way of 14 carries which meant he was running for 6.5 yards per run. Tyler Snead was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 67 yards on 5 catches. He had an average of 13.4 yards per reception for the game. The East Carolina Pirates ended up running the ball 48 times and racked up a total of 270 yards which gave them an average of 5.6 yards per attempt. For the game, they totaled 82 plays for a total of 480 yards. For the game, the Pirates got 25 first downs and they had a total of 9 infractions for 83 yards telling us that this team had an undisciplined week of practice. In terms of defense, East Carolina allowed 13 catches on 28 attempts for a total of 138 yards, and a completion percentage of 46.4%. In the running game, the Pirates allowed 122 yards on 35 attempts which means they allowed 3.5 yards per attempt allowed. For the game, they gave up 260 yards and forced 1 turnover.

The Pirates head into this matchup 2-2 for the 2019 season. They are one of lowest scoring teams in the nation averaging 20.8 points per contest, ranking them 111th in Division 1. As a unit, they are averaging 190 rushing yards per game which is 7th in the American Athletic Conference. For total yards, they currently sit at 5th in the conference and 55th in Division 1 with 1,545 yards. The Pirates have one of the middle tier defenses in the country, allowing 23 points per game ranking them 7th in the American Athletic Conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Pirates have allowed 785 yards. Opponents are completing 57.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 7.7 yards per try. When talking about yards on the ground, East Carolina is allowing 166.8 yards per contest which has them at 9th in the conference and 87th in D-1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.1 yards per carry ranking them 8th in the American Athletic Conference and 74th in Division 1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 667 rushing yards through 4 games.

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In their last outing, the Old Dominion Monarchs played the Virginia Cavaliers and took the loss by a score of 28-17. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Monarchs was Stone Smartt who went 16/26 with 206 yards passing and added 1 TD. He tossed 1 interception in the game. Kesean Strong led the team on the ground for that contest. He had a long run of 14 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He ran for 39 yards on 13 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.0 yards per run. Matt Geiger was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 47 yards on 1 reception. He notched an average of 47.0 yards per catch for that contest. The Old Dominion Monarchs ran the football 44 times and racked up 64 yards earning them an average of 1.5 yards per rush. In the game, they finished with a total of 70 plays which gave them a total of 270 yards. On the day, the Monarchs earned a total of 16 first downs and they totaled 5 penalties for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, Old Dominion allowed 15 completions on 24 tries for a total of 175 yards, and a completion percentage of 62.5%. Against the run, the Monarchs allowed 69 yards on 29 tries which means they allowed 2.4 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they allowed a total of 244 yards but weren't able to foce a turnover.

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The Monarchs come into this matchup with a record of 1-2. Old Dominion hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 133.7 yards on the ground per game, putting them 90th in D-1. As a team, they have compiled a total of 401 yards rushing through 3 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Monarchs average 295.7 yards per contest overall putting them 118th in the nation and 13th in the conference. The Monarchs are giving up 26.7 points per contest ranking them 5th in the conference and 76th in the country. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road groups in the country. They are allowing 215.3 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Monarchs currently sit at 5th in Conference USA. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 80 total points. In terms of rushing yards, they are conceding 89.7 yards per contest ranking them 22nd in the country and 1st in Conference USA. For this season, they have conceded a total of 269 yards on the ground and 5.1 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Pirates/Monarchs college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +1.5

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