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The East Carolina Pirates haven't won a contest against the Cincinnati Bearcats since Nov. 18 of 2017, but they'll be looking to end the drought on Friday. East Carolina and Cincinnati will face off in an American Athletic battle at 3:30 p.m. ET at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The defensive coordinators will surely put in extra hours ahead of this game since these teams' offenses combined for 1,107 yards last week.
Things were close when the Pirates and the Navy Midshipmen clashed this past Saturday, but East Carolina ultimately edged out the opposition 38-35. QB Holton Ahlers had a stellar game for East Carolina as he passed for three TDs and 405 yards on 32 attempts in addition to picking up 48 yards on the ground.
Special teams collected 12 points for East Carolina. K Owen Daffer booted in three field goals, the longest a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter, which ultimately accounted for the difference in the matchup.
Meanwhile, when you finish with 345 more yards than your opponent like the Bearcats did this past Saturday, a favorable outcome is almost sure to follow. They blew past the SMU Mustangs 48-14. With Cincinnati ahead 27 to nothing at the half, the game was all but over already. QB Desmond Ridder was a one-man wrecking crew for Cincinnati, passing for three TDs and 274 yards on 23 attempts in addition to rushing for one TD and 46 yards and snatching one receiving TD. Ridder's 53-yard touchdown toss to WR Tyler Scott in the first quarter made for one of the most memorable moments of the afternoon.
East Carolina is now 7-4 while Cincinnati sits at 11-0. A couple defensive stats to keep an eye on: East Carolina is stumbling into the matchup with the 197th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 18 on the season. The Bearcats have had an even harder time: they are 160th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 14 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
