Two American Athletic Conference foes go head to head Saturday as the East Carolina Pirates host the University of Central Florida Knights. The Pirates are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference while Central Florida is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference. UCF has won the last 5 meetings between these two, including a 20-16 last season. However, East Carolina has covered in the last 3 matchups. The Knights are 5 point favorites in this one. Can the Pirates cover again?
The UCF has been a perennial power in the AAC and this season is no different. They are 5-1 on the season and are unbeaten in the AAC at 2-0. They are tied with Cincinnati at 2-0 and are just a half game behind Tulane, who is 3-0. They come into this game ranked No. 38 in the college football power rankings. The Knights are coming off an impressive 70-13 win over AAC foe Temple, They had been 23.5 point favorites, so they blew that line out of the water. They were equally impressive the previous week, as they blew out SMU 41-19 as only a 3 point favorite. Their only loss this season came against the ACC's Louisville. they were defeated at home by the score of 20-14 as five point favorites.
John Rhys Plumlee is the 3rd player in UCF history with 3 pass TD and 3 rush TD in a game, joining McKenzie Milton in 2018 and Daunte Culpepper in 1998. pic.twitter.com/zu t8Oe9YbW
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 14, 2022
The Knights had their way with Temple last Saturday, rolling up a ridiculous 737 total yards against the Owls in the 70-13 win. They had 29 first downs to 19 for Temple and they only gave up 293 total yards. This was a beat down of the highest order. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was near perfect, going 18 for 22 for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. He also rushed for 37 yards and 3 touchdowns, So for those keeping score at home, Plumlee had a whopping 7 touchdowns on the day. Kobe Hudson caught 4 passes for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns while Ryan O'Keefe had 7 catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. UCF averages 41.3 points per game, which ranks 13th nationally. They are 5th in total yards and 4th in rushing yards. Defensively, they give up just 14.3 points per game, which ranks 7th best in the nation.