After losing in the final minutes at Navy in the American Athletic Conference opener, UCF (2-2) will look to bounce back vs. the East Carolina Pirates (3-2) in a battle of dynamic offenses at the Bounce House on Saturday.
What challenges do the Pirates offer the Knights in Saturday’s contest?
An efficient offensive unit
The East Carolina offensive unit has had no problem moving the ball and putting points on the board this season. Averaging an impressive 442 total yards per contest, the Pirates rank within the nation’s top 35 in total yards per game. In addition, the Pirates are averaging over 30 points per game.
This unit is led by junior quarterback Holton Ahlers, who ranks No. 30 of all D1 quarterbacks with his 1,266 total passing yards on the year.
A decent portion of these yards came from the Pirates’ week three outing vs. Marshall, where Ahlers threw for a noteworthy 368 yards. Ahlers also threw two touchdowns in the Pirates’ 42-38 win.
East Carolina can move the ball using the ground game as well.
ECU freshman running back Keaton Mitchell is arguably the most dangerous player on the Pirates’ roster, ranking sixth in the nation with his 574 rushing yards on the season. More notably, Keaton is averaging an astounding 9.6 yards per carry, ranking just second of all D1 running backs.
Keaton has carried in four touchdowns for the Pirates this season – his longest being an 88-yard run.
The Knights’ run defense will certainly need take a step forward after allowing 348 rushing yards in last weekend’s loss at Navy.
This may be a tough task for this unit, who just lost one of its key contributors, as starting linebacker Eriq Gilyard, who ranks fourth on the team with 23 tackles, recently entered the transfer portal.
What advantages do the Knights have going into the matchup?
A robust Knights offense vs. a struggling Pirates defense
The brightest spot on this UCF team is its offense, which ranks No. 14 in the nation with its 496.5 average yards per contest.
The Knights have primarily been successful through their run game, averaging 226.3 rushing yards per contest. This feat ranks among the top 17 of all D1 teams.
Senior running back Isaiah Bowser, whose absence was felt last weekend, leads the Knights in rushing with 268 rushing yards on the year. Bowser has rushed for five touchdowns so far this season – four of those coming in the first half of his record-tying performance vs. Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 11.
Bowser could potentially have another breakout performance against an ECU defensive unit that is allowing over 160 rushing yards per game.
UCF freshman quarterback Mikey Keene, who threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns in his starting debut last weekend, could also have a big day against this under-performing defense.
The Pirates have especially struggled to defend the pass, allowing an eye-catching average total of 320.4 passing yards per contest – the nation’s fifth-most.
The AAC conference battle is scheduled to kickoff at 6 p.m.
According to ESPN, the Knights are favored by 10 points and have an 81.3 percent chance to win the game.
