East Carolina Pirates vs Appalachian State Mountaineers Prediction, 9/16/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Appalachian State Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023

Location: Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Mountaineers (-9)

Total/Over-Under: 50.5

The Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-1) are welcoming the East Carolina Pirates (0-2) at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday, September 16, 2023. East Carolina opens as 9-point dogs. The over/under has been set at 50.5.

The East Carolina Pirates come into this game with a record of 0-2 for this year. In their last game, the Pirates played against the Marshall Thundering Herd and ended up losing by a score of 31-13. Mason Garcia went 10/23 with 62 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a quarterback rate of 71.8 and walked away from the game with 1 interception. Mason Garcia was the leader on the ground for the Pirates with 16 carries for 118 yards (7.4 yards per attempt). In all, they ran 69 plays which gave them 269 yards. The East Carolina Pirates ran the football 38 times and totaled 146 yards, earning them an average of 3.8 yards per carry. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Pirates conceded 131 yds on 38 attempts, which calculates to 3.4 yds per run surrendered. East Carolina gave up 17 pass completions on 30 attempts for a total of 261 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.7%.

The Pirates have earned 504 yards in total over the course of this season. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, East Carolina has totaled 1 touchdown through the air and 0 touchdown on the ground. They have surrendered the ball 3 times. East Carolina has accounted for 25 first downs offensively, and they have been called for 23 infractions for 230 yds. As a unit they maintain an average of 124.5 yards on the ground which is 96th in college football. Concerning scoring, the East Carolina Pirates are sitting at 8.0 PPG.

Regarding yards via the pass, the Pirates have conceded 541 yards which has them ranked 101st in D-1. They have yielded 270.5 yards per game through the air in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 70.5%. For the year, they have yielded 397.0 yards per contest which has them ranked 100th in college football. They have relinquished 4 touchdowns through the air as well as 4 touchdowns pounding the rock. The opposition is running for 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground and 126.5 rushing yards per game this year. During the season, they have given up 253 yards via the running game in 2 games. The Pirates are sitting in 104th in the nation in terms of team defense, allowing 30.5 points per game.

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The Mountaineers come into this matchup with a record of 1-1 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Mountaineers took a loss by a final score of 40-34 when they faced the North Carolina Tar Heels. Joey Aguilar (2 touchdowns) finished the game with 275 yds on 22/43 through the air while his quarterback rating was 115.6. He tossed 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.4. Nate Noel ran the ball 26 times for 127 yds, ending the game with 4.9 yds per carry for Appalachian State. The Mountaineers finished the game with 494 yards on 87 plays (5.7 yards per play). Appalachian State ran the ball for 5.0 yards per carry, finishing with 219 yards on 44 attempts. Appalachian State gave up 45 running attempts for 319 yds (7.1 yards per carry). The Mountaineers pass defense conceded a completion percentage of 70.0%, surrendering 208 yards on 21 out of 30 passing.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers have an average of 444.0 yards per outing, which is good for 45th in the country. The Appalachian State offense has totaled 90 penalty yds on 9 violations, which is good for 90th in D-1 in terms of helping out the other team. They average 183.0 run yards per game and have toted the ball for 366 yards for this season. They have thrown 1 pick while losing 0 fumbles and they have earned 53 1st downs. When it comes to their ability to score points, the Mountaineers rank 30th in D-1 maintaining an average of 39.5 points per contest. During the season to this point, the Mountaineers currently sit at 522 passing yards in addition to holding an average of 261.0 passing yards per game, putting them at 52nd in college football.

The Mountaineers are relinquishing 32.0 points per game, which has them sitting 109th in Division 1. Appalachian State has given up a total of 458 rushing yards (229.0 yards/game) as well as 7 touchdowns via the rush on the season. This year, they have surrendered 64 pts. They have given up 1 touchdown via the pass and 214.5 yards per outing, which has them sitting 68th in Division 1. The Mountaineers defense has been on the field for 151 plays, which is good for 108th in the nation. Their defense has tallied 1 fumble and 2 picks on the year.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +9

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