Military Bowl Odds: East Carolina Pirates vs Maryland Terrapins Preview & Pick
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Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. Maryland Matchup
Pirates vs. Terrapins
Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Broadcast: ESPN
Pirates vs. Terrapins from Bodog.com
Pirates: +7
Terrapins: -7
Total: 68
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The East Carolina Pirates folded down the stretch in the regular season, so it’s no surprise they’re an underdog on Military Bowl odds against the Maryland Terrapins.
Maryland (8-4, 7-4 ATS) closed out the regular season by covering five of its last six games, four of them as underdogs. The Terps didn’t have much momentum on the field, though, as they haven’t won back-to-back games since late October.
The offense rolled up 30 points to game and was relatively balanced. Danny O’Brien averaged 188 passing yards per game with 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Maryland’s passing attack is very heavily focused on Torrey Smith; the receiver caught 65 passes for 1045 yards and 12 touchdowns. No other player caught more than 36 passes, 324 yards or three touchdowns. On the ground, Davin Meggett, Da’Rel Scott and D.J. Adams formed a three-headed monster in the backfield. The trio combined for 1328 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Maryland allowed just over 22 points per game on defense. The “D” was pretty average against the run, allowing 132 yards per game on the ground. Against the pass, the Terps surrendered 220 yards per game. They have lots of ball hawks floating around, as they collected 17 interceptions on the year (25 takeaways overall).
East Carolina (6-6, 6-6 ATS) dovetailed to close out the regular season, losing four of its last five games. That includes back-to-back losses to end the season and 1-4 run against the spread.
The defense deserves most of the blame. The Pirates allowed a whopping 43 points per game this season, and they’re vulnerable to the pass and run. Opponents racked up 258 yards per game through the air against the Pirates; on the ground, 220 yards per game. The pass defense is definitely the bigger issue, as the unit rarely even makes big plays. East Carolina had just nine interceptions this season.
On the other side of the ball, the Pirates put up pinball scores, averaging 38 points per contest. Dominique Davis led a wide-open passing attack, throwing for 3699 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Unlike Maryland, East Carolina spreads the football, as six different players caught at least 20 passes. The ground attack is solid if unspectacular—strong enough that opposing defenses can’t shift all of their attention to Davis and company.
Turnovers will be the difference in this game. Maryland is great at producing them, and the Terps rarely give the ball away; they finished with a +13 turnover margin. East Carolina, meanwhile, produced a -5 turnover margin. The Terrapins will strike the necessary balance to protect the football and score some points, while the Pirates will make one or two mistakes that swing the game.
Gambling Trends:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of East Carolina’s last 5 games
East Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
East Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Maryland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Maryland’s last 6 games
East Carolina vs. Maryland pick: Terrapins -7
Ian Van Den Hurk has covered amateur and pro sports for years, including a successful run handicapping anything from football to mixed martial arts.
