The University of South Florida Bulls are headed to Greenville, NC to face the 3-4 (1-2) East Carolina University Pirates. The 2-5 (1-2) Bulls are looking to put two wins together after notching their first FBS victory in two years over Temple, 34-14. ECU is coming off an overtime loss to Houston and a last minute loss to UCF in their past two games. There’ll be no quarter given in this Thursday night primetime matchup. Bulls Insider went Behind Enemy Lines to learn more with Pirate Illustrated’s Mark Lindsay.
BI: Last week, it took the 6-1 Houston Cougars overtime to beat the Pirates. In the game before that, UCF needed to score in the final 23 seconds of the game to get past ECU, 20-16. The Pirates are 3-4, but look like they could easily be 5-2, with two big conference upset wins in their resume. How good is ECU this year?
ML: ECU is much better than they were the past few years. While there is still improvement to be made in some areas, the Pirates are getting better every week. The trick now is to turn that improvement into victories. To do that takes confidence and that confidence is slowly growing on a game by game basis. They are two plays away from being 5-2 right now.
The Pirates still have the ability to come out flat and not play their best. With a short week after a five our rain delay pushed a 3 p.m. kickoff in Houston into the 9 o’clock hour, ECU did not return home until Saturday morning. They had to scrap their Sunday practice in order to get their legs back under them. It will be interesting to see if the team can recharge before game time.
BI: Midway through the season, ECU has the 27th ranked quarterback in Holton Ahlers and the 25th ranked running back in Keaton Mitchell, but the team ranks just 57th in scoring offense and 68th in total offense. Why isn’t that offensive production turning into points and wins?
ML: The running game has been mysteriously absent of late and that puts pressure on the quarterback to generate offense via the passing game. Ahlers takes an inordinate amount of sacks and has squandered a few key opportunities to keep drives alive with his legs when in reach of a first down. Turnovers at inopportune times have not helped either. Some of that improves with increased confidence and it has at times.
The ECU defense is playing much better. They have the ability to apply a lot of pressure in opposing offenses in the backfield. Last week the Pirates generated 13 tackles for a loss and five sacks. Good defense helps the offense along. It will be interesting to see how things turn out on Thursday.
BI: USF is coming off their first win over an FBS opponent in over two years. What does the team and fans think of this game? Easy win?
ML: No one at East Carolina is taking USF lightly. The Bulls are coming off a dominating twenty point win over Temple and they did much of their damage on the ground. That could present defensive issues for ECU where the Pirates expect to get the Bulls’ best effort. Both teams are in dire need of a victory. One of these two teams could end up with an easy victory, but neither of them are likely expecting a walk in the park.
BI: Aside from Ahlers and Mitchell, who can Bulls’ fans expect to hear making big plays on offense on Thursday night? And, on defense?
ML: The Pirates have a bevy of receivers including Ryan Jones at tight end, Audi Omotosho, C.J. Johnson, Jsi Hatfield and always dangerous Paul Hornung Award watch list nominee Tyler Snead at the receiver positions. Rahjai Harris is a bigger running back at 224 pounds and has the ability to create problems for opposing defenses.
Defensively, Elijah Morris and Jeremy Lewis along the defensive line are playing stellar football for ECU along with linebackers Myles Berry, Jirah Wilson, senior Bruce Bivens and Gerard Stringer who can really blitz and hit.
On the back end, All AAC cornerback selection Ja’Quan McMillian who started every game as a freshman, leads a Pirate secondary corps that gets a lot of help from Malik Fleming at the other corner along with senior safeties Warren Saba and UNC transfer D.J. Ford.
BI: Last season, ECU beat the Bulls 44-24 for just the second win in the all-time, 11 game series. In addition, USF is 5-0 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Do you think ECU will win? If so, how / why?
ML: The Pirates have every opportunity to win. They seem to be in every game so far and have already won their fair share of games while losing several close ones against pretty good teams like Houston and UCF.
ECU comes in angry about the way the Houston game ended last week. They are playing the best defense we have seen in Greenville for the better part of a decade and it seems to be getting better and more aggressive every week. If East Carolina can avoid unnecessary turnovers and capitalize on good opportunities to score, the odds are probably in the Pirates' favor to pick up the win. If not, all bets are off.
ML: East Carolina 35 USF 24
