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The East Carolina Pirates (4-4) head north to take on the Connecticut Huskies (3-5) Friday night. Check out the East Carolina vs. Connecticut prediction and game preview.

East Carolina vs. Connecticut Prediction & Preview

Broadcast

Date: Friday, October 30
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Network: ESPNU

Follow and/or Contact @Rich Cirminiello 

Why You Need To Care

As the 2015 regular season enters its final turn, East Carolina and Connecticut are posturing for bowl eligibility. The Pirates are looking to bounce back from a physically and emotionally draining home loss to Temple last Thursday that knocked them back down to .500. The Huskies are reeling. They’re just 1-5 since Week 3, losing Saturday to Cincinnati, with the lone victory coming over winless UCF.

Why East Carolina Will Win

The Pirate offense was derailed by Temple, but it was just a brief detour. And now that the Huskies have begun showing cracks on D, yielding 612 yards to Cincinnati on Saturday, ECU is poised to get back on track. The staff has done a nice job of mixing the quarterbacks, passer Blake Kemp and runner James Summers, and the skill talent is much more diverse than it is at UConn.

Why Connecticut Will Win

Sure, the Huskies are a one-note, spotty offense that relies too heavily on QB Bryant Shirreffs. However, the Pirates have been anything but consistent on defense through the first eight games. It’s a beatable unit that’s going to be challenged by not only Shirreffs, but also RB Arkeel Newsome and WR Noel Thomas.

Player Who Matters

Summers took a backseat to Kemp last week because of how difficult it is to run on the Owls. But the Huskies are giving up more than 4.7 yards per carry, while being gashed the last two weekends. The Pirates will want to unleash the shiftiness of Summers, while also giving more touches to backs Chris Hairston and Anthony Scott.

What’s Going To Happen?

While Connecticut is stuck in a tailspin, East Carolina still harbors enough veteran talent to finish 2015 with a respectable seven or eight wins. The Pirates’ edge on offense will be the difference at Rentschler Field. The quarterback collaboration and the receiver depth will keep ECU ahead throughout, bringing it to within a game of bowl eligibility.

East Carolina vs. Connecticut Prediction

Prediction: East Carolina 31, Connecticut 20, Line: East Carolina -7, o/u: 53
Must See Rating: 5: Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church – 1: The Peanuts Movie … 1.5