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Get ready for an American Athletic battle as the East Carolina Pirates and the Temple Owls will face off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. Neither of those teams managed to put together many points in their previous contests, so their meeting could be a low-scoring affair.
A victory for East Carolina just wasn't in the stars last week as the team never even grasped a temporary lead. They were dealt a punishing 42-3 defeat at the hands of the Houston Cougars. The Pirates were in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 21 to nothing. The losing side was boosted by RB Keaton Mitchell, who picked up 129 yards on the ground on 14 carries.
Meanwhile, the matchup between Temple and the Cincinnati Bearcats last week was not a total blowout, but with Temple falling 23-3 at home, it was darn close to turning into one. QB E.J. Warner had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw two interceptions with only 4.64 yards per passing attempt.
Since the offense as a whole struggled to get points on the board, Temple's defense had to pick up the slack, as it got past Cincinnati's offensive line to sack the QB five times for a total loss of 21 yards. Leading the way was DE Layton Jordan and his 2.5 sacks. Jordan now has 6.5 sacks through 11 games.
The Pirates are the favorite in this one, with an expected 10-point margin of victory. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with East Carolina, who are 5-4 against the spread.
East Carolina is now 6-5 while Temple sits at 3-8. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: East Carolina comes into the game boasting the 20th fewest rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation at 11. As for Temple, they rank fourth in the nation when it comes to sacks, with 37 on the season.
