GREENVILLE, N.C. – Riding a five-game winning streak, No. 18 Cincinnati has established itself as the favorite in the American Athletic Conference East Division. The Bearcats have a strong chance to remain unbeaten in conference play on Saturday night when they travel to East Carolina, a team that is still looking for its first AAC win.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Cincinnati -23.
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The story of the season for Cincinnati has been its defense, which ranks second in the nation in turnovers gained and has recorded five in each of its last two games. The Bearcats' success has come with using, on average, 20 players per game on defense, including several underclassmen. Notably, sophomore safety Ja'Von Hicks has accounted for seven of the team's takeaways. Cincinnati now faces yet another favorable matchup in the Pirates, who have turned the ball over 12 times on the season and are mired in a three-game losing streak.
ABOUT CINCINNATI (6-1, 3-0 AAC)
Quarterback Desmond Ridder has thrown a touchdown in all but one game on the season and has 14 total scores through the air to just five interceptions. Tight end Josiah Deguara leads the Bearcats in receiving with 21 receptions and four touchdowns and has caught a pass in each of his last 20 games, dating back to last season. On the ground, junior running back Michael Warren II leads the team with 498 rushing yards and four scores, although they pale to last season’s numbers when he rushed for 1,329 yards and 19 TDs.
ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (3-5, 0-4)
After a strong showing two weeks ago, quarterback Holton Ahlers struggled once again against USF, failing to throw a touchdown and being replaced late in the fourth quarter, leaving him with the same number of passing scores and interceptions on the season. Perhaps the most promising weapon is freshman wide receiver C.J. Johnson, who has 32 receptions overall and at least five in three of the past four games. Senior defensive lineman Kendall Futrell has recorded eight sacks on the season, tying him for 10th in the country.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Cincinnati WR Alex Pierce ranks 16th in the country with 20.5 yards per reception.
2. East Carolina has at least one takeaway in each of the last seven games.
3. East Carolina has not beaten a ranked opponent since 2014.
PREDICTION: Cincinnati 48, East Carolina 20
