Appalachian State Mountaineers vs East Carolina Pirates Matchup

Appalachian State comes in as the slight -2.5 point favorite on the road as they take on East Carolina in a week three non-conference matchup. The game is set for 4:00 ET at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville and will be broadcast on ESNU. The Mountaineers are 1-1 on the season, while the Pirates are 2-0. The over/under line is at 60.5 points for this one.

Mountaineers vs. Pirates Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Appalachian State Mountaineers at East Carolina Pirates
Where: Greenville at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Date: Saturday, September 14th
Betting Odds APPLST -2.5, APPLST -136 | ECAR +113 O/U 60.5

Mountaineers Preview:

Appalachian State is looking to bounce back after a 66-20 loss to Clemson on the road. The Mountaineers, who were +17 point underdogs, not only lost the game but also failed to cover the spread. The combined score of 86 points surpassed the over/under line of 52.5 points, resulting in an over bet cashing. This game ended with a 46-point margin of victory for Clemson.

Clemson dominated from the start, leading 35-0 after the first quarter. Appalachian State managed to score in the second quarter, but Clemson added 21 more points, leading 56-13 at halftime. The Mountaineers added just seven more points in the third quarter, and the fourth quarter was scoreless for both teams.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

Appalachian State's offense, led by quarterback Joey Aguilar, put up 363 total yards in their matchup against Clemson. Aguilar threw for 214 yards and one touchdown, connecting with Kaedin Robinson three times for 58 yards, the most on the team. The Mountaineers' offense found the end zone once through the air and once on the ground.

Anderson Castle was effective in the running game, averaging 11.4 yards per carry. He finished with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown, but the team managed just 149 yards on the ground.

Mountaineers Team Defense

Appalachian State's defense will be looking for a major bounce-back performance after giving up 66 points to Clemson. The Tigers put up 460 passing yards and five touchdowns, while the Mountaineers' secondary allowed 32 completions on 39 attempts. On the ground, Appalachian State allowed 252 yards and four rushing touchdowns, leading to a total of 712 yards of offense for Clemson.

Pirates Preview:

Pirates Offense Breakdown

East Carolina's offense put up 466 yards in their 20-14 win over Old Dominion, with 283 yards coming through the air. Jake Garcia completed 65.8% of his passes for 283 yards, but he also threw four interceptions, finishing with a passer rating of 48.36. Anthony Smith was his top target, hauling in five receptions for 70 yards.

The Pirates' ground game added 183 yards, with Rahjai Harris leading the way. Harris carried the ball 26 times for 131 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Pirates Team Defense

East Carolina's defense will be looking to improve after allowing 287 total yards in their last game. Old Dominion's offense found some success through the air, with 192 passing yards on 20 completions. The Pirates' defense was more effective against the run, giving up just 95 yards on the ground. Despite forcing one interception, East Carolina allowed one touchdown through the air.

Mountaineers vs Pirates Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last ten games away from home, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have a straight up record of 3-7 while going 3-6-1 vs. the spread. The team averaged 29 points per game in this stretch.
East Carolina has a 2-3 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 17 points per game while allowing 19. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
Through their last three games as the underdog, the East Carolina Pirates have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 2-1.
In their last five contests as the favorite, Appalachian State has a poor record vs the spread going 2-3. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 5-0.