East Carolina football

According to Las Vegas odds, East Carolina is a 1.5-point favorite to defeat the No. 22 Temple Owls tonight, despite already having three losses on the season.

Although the undefeated Owls (6-0, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) have built quite a resume so far this season, they haven’t played a difficult schedule, which leaves questions of how good they really are.

Temple’s most notable victory came against Penn State (5-2), the only team it has faced with a record over .500. The other five teams they have beaten combine for a 8-23 record.

Despite the recent implementations of the air raid around college football, the Owls have stayed true to their traditional running attack. They have ran the ball on over 60 percent of their plays this season, averaging 162 yards per contest.

Starting running back Jahad Thomas averages 5.2 yards a carry, totaling 756 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He appears to be the main focal point of their rushing attack, as Temple has rushed for 13 of their 22 offensive touchdowns.

“Last year was the first year he [Thomas] played tailback since high school. When he signed with Temple, he was a corner,” ECU defensive coordinator Rick Smith said. “He was feeling his way last year as a tailback. He is a true tailback now, and he’s good at it.”

Temple’s run game calls for a big effort from the Pirate (4-3, 2-1 AAC) defense, as it is allowing an average of 186 yards per game on the ground.

“They’re going to run to the ball like a crazy bunch of you-know-whats,” Smith said. “We’re going to stop the run. That’s our first goal.”

The Owls are grounded by an astoundingly strong conference-leading defense. They lead the American in nearly every defensive category, and have the 13th-ranked defense and fifth-ranked red zone defense nationally.

Temple allows just 14.7 points per game, keeping teams below 300 yards of total offense on average, which is a cause of concern for any high scoring team like the Pirates.

Its defense is anchored by linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who has already registered three interceptions, three sacks and 52 tackles in 2015. Matakevich finished each of his previous three collegiate seasons with over 100 tackles, including 16 in last year’s meeting against the Pirates.

The defense as a whole has proven to be disruptive, as it has already combined for 11 interceptions and 17 sacks in its first six games. The Pirates have turned the ball over 13 times this season.

“Their defense is pretty good, but we think our defense is pretty good too,” ECU inside linebacker Zeek Bigger said. “Either way it goes, it’s going to have to be a battle of the defenses. That’s how it’s going to end up.”

Even with the heavy load of rushing, Temple’s passing attack is far from non-existent.

Quarterback P.J. Walker has completed 93 of his 153 attempts for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns with three interceptions. Walker is currently tending to an injured shoulder, but is still expected to make today’s start. Both of Temple’s starting receivers, Robby Anderson and Ventell Bryant, stand at 6-foot-3, which could cause problems for the sub-six-foot Pirate cornerbacks.

The Owls spread their workload, as they have had 17 players register a reception, and Anderson leads the team with only 262 yards receiving. To put his production into perspective, Anderson would be fifth in receiving yards if he were on the Pirates roster.

“P.J. (Walker) was coming along last year when was learning the position. He’s doing a good job distributing the ball,” ECU head coach Ruffin McNeill said. “He’s got some weapons around him.”

The matchup is at 7 p.m. inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, where the Pirates are 3-0 when hosting their annual blackout game.

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