Aztec4Life
Montezuma Mesa Survivor
**PapaJohns.com Bowl**
Teams: East Carolina Pirates vs. South Florida Bulls
Location: Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama
Date/Time of game: 1pm EST on Saturday, December 23rd
South Florida
The USF Bulls had a solid regular season, finishing 8-4 as they head to their second consecutive bowl game. They finished 4th in the Big East behind Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Not to mention they beat the Mountaineers 24-19 in their last regular season game, and were barely edged out by Rutgers 20-22 earlier this year. Other than a bad game against Louisville, this team has played well all season long.
Offensively, the Bulls have been relatively consistent, averaging 23 points/game. Grothe has shown improvement as the season has progressed, and despite the fact he's only a Freshman, the kid looks like a veteran leader. He can hurt you with his arm, and his legs, and is a good game manager. The return of Ricky Ponton added a bit of a boost to the rushing attack, as the Bulls average 143 yards/game on the ground.
Defensively, the Bulls are only giving up an average of 17.8 points/game. USF is effective at stopping both the run and the pass, and has great speed at the linebacker position. They give up 120 yards/game on the ground, and 176 yards/game through the air. Last time I checked, when the defense as a whole gives up less than 300 total yards/game, that's pretty darn good. Remember, these statistics include games against rushing giants like Rutgers and West Virginia. This is a solid defense.
East Carolina
The ECU Pirates finished 2nd in East Conference USA standings with a record of 7-5. This will be their first Bowl appearance in the last 5 years. The Pirates had a rough start to the season, dropping 4 of their first 6 games before turning things around by winning 5 of their last 6.
ECU posesses a very potent offense, as they average 230 yards/game through the air, and 121 yards/game on the ground. Senior QB Pinkney has shown terrific leadership all season long, and is also a solid game manager, completing 60% of his passes on the year. The running game is led by Senior RB B. Fractious, who is averaging 4.5 yards/carry and has 4 TDs on the season. This offense is very balanced, and has no glaring weaknesses.
Defensively, the Pirates have not been very consistent this year. They have struggled to stop the run, giving up almost 145 yards/game on the ground. Their secondary play is their stronger point, as they only give up an average of 189 yards/game through the air. Though the Pirates finished strong, they showed a tendency to struggle against solid rushing opponents, as the Rice Owls gashed them for 179 yards in their second to last game of the regular season.
My pick: South Florida -3 [2.5 Units] --> **took the line early and bought half a point
My reasoning: Keeping it as simple as I can, if you compare Strength of Schedule between these two teams, it's hard not to laugh. Since they are in the Big East, USF plays quality opponents often. To their credit, the Bulls have quality wins against both WV and Pittsburgh this season, while they dropped tough games to Rutgers and Louisville. In contrast, ECU plays in a very, very weak Conference USA East. The Pirates most quality wins coming against Virginia, Southern Miss, and NC State. Their key losses have come against Navy, WV, and Rice. Just looking at those key wins and losses, it's qutie apparent that USF has faced tougher opponents. ECU's best win was probably against Southern Miss, which is nothing to be proud of. But in my honest opinion, here is the most telling statistic...
South Florida Offense - 35 Touchdowns
South Florida Defense - 19 Touchdowns
East Carolina Offense - 28 Touchdowns
East Carolina Defense - 31 Touchdowns
I'll gladly lay 3 points in this one, as I personally feel USF far outclasses ECU.
Best of luck on whatever you decide, fellas. :cheers:
Teams: East Carolina Pirates vs. South Florida Bulls
Location: Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama
Date/Time of game: 1pm EST on Saturday, December 23rd
South Florida
The USF Bulls had a solid regular season, finishing 8-4 as they head to their second consecutive bowl game. They finished 4th in the Big East behind Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Not to mention they beat the Mountaineers 24-19 in their last regular season game, and were barely edged out by Rutgers 20-22 earlier this year. Other than a bad game against Louisville, this team has played well all season long.
Offensively, the Bulls have been relatively consistent, averaging 23 points/game. Grothe has shown improvement as the season has progressed, and despite the fact he's only a Freshman, the kid looks like a veteran leader. He can hurt you with his arm, and his legs, and is a good game manager. The return of Ricky Ponton added a bit of a boost to the rushing attack, as the Bulls average 143 yards/game on the ground.
Defensively, the Bulls are only giving up an average of 17.8 points/game. USF is effective at stopping both the run and the pass, and has great speed at the linebacker position. They give up 120 yards/game on the ground, and 176 yards/game through the air. Last time I checked, when the defense as a whole gives up less than 300 total yards/game, that's pretty darn good. Remember, these statistics include games against rushing giants like Rutgers and West Virginia. This is a solid defense.
East Carolina
The ECU Pirates finished 2nd in East Conference USA standings with a record of 7-5. This will be their first Bowl appearance in the last 5 years. The Pirates had a rough start to the season, dropping 4 of their first 6 games before turning things around by winning 5 of their last 6.
ECU posesses a very potent offense, as they average 230 yards/game through the air, and 121 yards/game on the ground. Senior QB Pinkney has shown terrific leadership all season long, and is also a solid game manager, completing 60% of his passes on the year. The running game is led by Senior RB B. Fractious, who is averaging 4.5 yards/carry and has 4 TDs on the season. This offense is very balanced, and has no glaring weaknesses.
Defensively, the Pirates have not been very consistent this year. They have struggled to stop the run, giving up almost 145 yards/game on the ground. Their secondary play is their stronger point, as they only give up an average of 189 yards/game through the air. Though the Pirates finished strong, they showed a tendency to struggle against solid rushing opponents, as the Rice Owls gashed them for 179 yards in their second to last game of the regular season.
My pick: South Florida -3 [2.5 Units] --> **took the line early and bought half a point
My reasoning: Keeping it as simple as I can, if you compare Strength of Schedule between these two teams, it's hard not to laugh. Since they are in the Big East, USF plays quality opponents often. To their credit, the Bulls have quality wins against both WV and Pittsburgh this season, while they dropped tough games to Rutgers and Louisville. In contrast, ECU plays in a very, very weak Conference USA East. The Pirates most quality wins coming against Virginia, Southern Miss, and NC State. Their key losses have come against Navy, WV, and Rice. Just looking at those key wins and losses, it's qutie apparent that USF has faced tougher opponents. ECU's best win was probably against Southern Miss, which is nothing to be proud of. But in my honest opinion, here is the most telling statistic...
South Florida Offense - 35 Touchdowns
South Florida Defense - 19 Touchdowns
East Carolina Offense - 28 Touchdowns
East Carolina Defense - 31 Touchdowns
I'll gladly lay 3 points in this one, as I personally feel USF far outclasses ECU.
Best of luck on whatever you decide, fellas. :cheers:
