Pinned
Link copied
East Carolina will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. They will take on the SMU Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. East Carolina will really need to gear up for this challenge, as SMU will be their toughest opponent yet.
East Carolina scored first but ultimately less than Rice in their match two Saturdays ago. They took a 24-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Owls. Despite 114 more yards than Rice, East Carolina couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed nine in total. All those points came courtesy of Andrew Conrad: he added nine points with three field goals.
Meanwhile, SMU didn't have too much trouble with Charlotte at home two Saturdays ago as they won 34-16.
SMU can attribute much of their success to Jaylan Knighton, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Knighton's longest rush was for an incredible 95 yards.
SMU's victory bumped their season record to 3-2 while East Carolina's defeat dropped theirs to 1-4.
While only East Carolina took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking ahead, SMU shouldn't be too worried about this matchup, as the experts have them favored by 11 points. Anyone thinking of taking them against the spread should keep this in mind: the team hasn't covered the last four times they've played East Carolina.
