Action Network

east carolina pirates vs rice owls-odds-predictions-picks-college football betting-saturday sept 30

East Carolina vs Rice Prediction, Pick: Offenses Should Thrive in Houston

East Carolina vs Rice Odds

[gamematchup league=”NCAAF” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/ecu.png” awayname=”East Carolina” awayslug=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/east-carolina-pirates” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/riced.png” homename=”Rice” homeslug=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/rice-owls” date=”Saturday, Sept. 30″ time=”7:00 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN+” col1text=”Spread” col2text=”Total” col3text=”Moneyline” col1awayText=”+3″ col1awayLine=”-105″ col1homeText=”-3″ col1homeLine=”-115″ col2awayText=”45.5″ col2homeText=”45.5″ col2awayLine=”-105o / -115u” col2homeLine=”-105o / -115u” col3awayText=”+135″ col3homeText=”-160″ col3awayLine=”” col3homeLine=”” bookname=”BetMGM” bookthumbnaillogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/902516_MGM2.png” bookreviewslug=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/betmgm”][/gamematchup]

East Carolina travels to Houston to take on its American Athletic Conference foe, Rice.

For East Carolina, it’s the first game in conference play, while Rice has already dropped one conference game. Both need a win to have any chance to contend for the top spot in the AAC.

East Carolina comes into this game following a 44-0 win over Gardner-Webb at home. This was the Pirates’ first win of the year and broke their three-game losing streak, which included losses to Appalachian State, Marshall and Michigan. They’re 2-2 against the spread and have gone 2-2 toward the total.

Rice comes into this game with a 2-2 record and is coming off of a 42-29 loss at South Florida. Prior to said loss, the Owls had been riding a two-game winning streak. The Owls are 3-1 against the spread and have gone over in three games.

It will be a hot, windy day in Houston at kickoff. There will be winds ranging from 5.6 to 10.4 mph that could have an impact on passing and special teams.

Read on for our East Carolina vs Rice Prediction, Pick. 

Check out our NCAAF Betting Hub for more college football previews, predictions, news and analysis.

_InlineAdBlock

[subheader sizedown=”false” center=”false” text=”East Carolina Pirates” subtext=”” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/ecu.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/east-carolina-pirates” link1follow=”false”][/subheader]

In his fifth season as head coach, Mike Houston has East Carolina off to a slow start. The Pirates are averaging 22.0 points per game and 4.3 yards per play.  They have a 39% Success Rate and average 2.34 points per opportunity. They average 27.2 seconds per play.

East Carolina is averaging 31.3 pass attempts per game and 150.0 passing yards. Alex Flinn and Mason Garcia have split the work as primary QB for the Pirates. The two QBs have completed 53.7% of their passes for 4.87 yards per attempt.

As a team, they have a 37% Passing Success Rate and average 1.25 passes over 20 yards per game.

The Pirates have averaged 132.5 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per rush. Rahjai Harris leads the team with 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

As a team, the Pirates have a 42% Success Rate on the ground and average five rushes over 10 yards per game. The offensive line has generated just 2.88 Line Yards per attempt and has allowed a 16% Stuff Rate.

The defense has been slightly more successful than the offense. Opponents have averaged 26.0 points per game and 5.2 yards per play. They allow a 36% Success Rate, 2.32 points per opportunity and generate Havoc on 20% of plays.

[appcard imageurl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/509930_NCAAFArticleCard.png” cta=”The must-have app for college football bettors” firstupsell=”The best NCAAF betting scoreboard” secondupsell=”Free picks from proven pros” thirdupsell=”Live win probabilities for your bets” buttontext=”DOWNLOAD NOW” buttonurl=”https://action.onelink.me/qhpb/4fb1273b”][/appcard]

[subheader sizedown=”false” center=”false” text=”Rice Owls” subtext=”” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/riced.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/rice-owls” link1follow=”false”][/subheader]

In his five prior season as the head coach, Mike Bloomgren hasn’t ever had a season with at least six wins. He has the team off to a strong 2-2 start in 2023, though.

The Owls are averaging 35.2 points per game and 6.2 yards per play. They have a 46% Success Rate and have averaged 5.05 points per opportunity. They play at a methodical pace of 29.3 seconds per play.

Rice averages 34.0 pass attempts per game and 323.8 passing yards. Transfer QB JT Daniels seems to have finally found a home. He’s completing 64.0% of his passes for an average of 9.9 yards per attempt. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.

As a team, the Owls have a 53% Success Rate and have averaged 5.0 passes over 20 yards per game.

The Owls average 82.0 rushing yards per game and 2.6 yards per attempt. Juma Otoviano and Dean Connors lead the team with 30 and 29 rush attempts, respectively.

As a team, the Owls have a 40% Rushing Success Rate. The offensive line generates 2.33 Line Yards per attempt and has allowed a 24% Stuff Rate.

Rice is allowing 31.8 points per game and 6.1 yards per play. The Owls allow a 42% Success Rate, 3.69 points per opportunity and generate Havoc on 21% of plays.

_InlineAdBlock

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”East Carolina vs Rice” subtext=”Matchup Analysis” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/ecu.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/east-carolina-pirates” link1follow=”false” logo2url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/riced.png” link2=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/odds/rice-owls” link2follow=”false”][/subheader]

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how East Carolina and Rice match up statistically:

East Carolina Offense vs. Rice Defense
Offense
Defense
Edge
Rush Success 83 106
Line Yards 76 77
Pass Success 107 45
Havoc 91 45
Finishing Drives 130 76
Quality Drives 119 109
Rice Offense vs. East Carolina Defense
Offense
Defense
Edge
Rush Success 100 21
Line Yards 127 12
Pass Success 14 103
Havoc 72 52
Finishing Drives 16 14
Quality Drives 48 72
Pace of Play / Other
PFF Tackling 33 90
PFF Coverage 50 102
Special Teams SP+ 111 117
Middle 8 73 99
Seconds per Play 27.2 (73) 29.3 (105)
Rush Rate 51.9% (80) 48.3% (102)
Data via CollegeFootballData.com, SP+, Pro Football Focus and SportSource Analytics.

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”East Carolina vs Rice” subtext=”Betting Pick & Prediction” center=”false” logo1url=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png”][/subheader]

Sharps have been moving on East Carolina as a underdog in this matchup. While only 45% of bets have been on the Pirates, approximately 82% of the money is on them.

As of this writing, 69% of the bets and 84% of the money have backed the over, but the line has moved down since open.

My preferred play is to take the over at 46.5.

Both teams have shown the ability to put up 40+ point games in spite of their slow pace of play. Rice should be able to consistently find success passing. And with their struggles running the ball, the Owls will almost assuredly lean on Daniels to keep the offense moving.

[quickslip picktext=”Pick: Over 46.5 (Bet to 47.5)” linktext=”Bet the Over Instantly at FanDuel With QuickSlip!” link=”https://switchboard.actionnetwork.com/v1/deeplink?marketId=42.397627145&selectionId=7017916&context=qs-articles” linkfollow=”false” bookthumbnaillogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/392973_FanDuel.png”][/quickslip]

What is QuickSlip?

QuickSlip is an Action Network feature that allows users to automatically pre-load their bet slip at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Posted

in

by

Matt Wispe

Tags:

, , , ,