East Carolina Football vs William & Mary: Preview
The Pirates look to improve to 2-2 against FCS foe William & Mary.
Who: East Carolina (1-2) vs William & Mary (2-1)
When: Saturday, September 21, 2019 – 6:00 P.M. EST
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
TV channel: ESPN3
Live stream: Fubo TV
Line: N/A
Weather: Clear, 82°at kickoff
Last Week:
East Carolina was blown out by Navy 42-10
William & Mary beat Colgate 38-10
One Player to Watch on William & Mary:
Senior Defensive tackle Bill Murray
And this selection isn’t just because of his excellent name. Murray has 3.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks after three games. He has the talent to wreak havoc in the Pirates’ backfield and get after Holton Ahlers, who has been sacked seven times already this season.
If ECU Wins:
The Pirates would be back to .500 and in a decent spot heading into its final non-conference matchup. The Pirates would own two wins over FCS opponents after getting blown out by N.C. State and Navy. This wouldn’t do much to alleviate concerns about the team but it could be a good opportunity to get the Pirates on track.
If ECU Loses:
Man, if the Pirates lose on Saturday it’s hard to see how this team wins more than two or three games this season. After getting blown out by its only FBS opponents, the Pirates would add a loss to an FCS squad to its resume. If it can’t beat William & Mary, then it definitely isn’t beating the likes of Temple, Cincinnati, and UCF in AAC play. This loss would likely doom them to a 2-10 record.
Prediction:
ECU will avoid disaster this weekend but it will be close. Ahlers throws for 300 yards and the Pirates eke out a five-point win.