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The East Carolina Pirates have had a week off and are no doubt ready to get back on the field. East Carolina and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will face off in an American Athletic battle at 9 p.m. ET on Friday at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa will be strutting in after a win while the Pirates will be stumbling in from a defeat.
East Carolina was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap two weeks ago as they fell 27-23 to the Navy Midshipmen. Despite the loss, East Carolina got a solid performance out of RB Rahjai Harris, who rushed for one TD and 172 yards on 22 carries. That touchdown -- an 80-yard rush in the fourth quarter -- was one of the highlights of the contest.
Special teams collected 11 points for East Carolina. K Jake Verity delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game. This makes it three perfect games in a row for him.
Meanwhile, the Golden Hurricane took their game against the South Florida Bulls last Friday by a conclusive 42-13 score. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Tulsa had established a 42-13 advantage. RB Deneric Prince was the offensive standout of the matchup for Tulsa, rushing for two TDs and 109 yards on 15 carries. Prince put himself on the highlight reel with a 62-yard TD scramble in the third quarter.
East Carolina is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. However, those who like betting on the underdog should be happy to hear that they are 2-0 against the spread when expected to lose.
East Carolina is now 1-2 while Tulsa sits at a mirror-image 2-1. The Golden Hurricane are 1-0 after wins this season, and the Pirates are 1-1 after losses.
