College Football Pick: North Carolina A&T at East Carolina

The Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference North Carolina A&T Aggies are at the AAC’s East Carolina Pirates today. This game was supposed to be played on Sep 1 but was postponed due to inclement weather. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. E.T. Our college football North Carolina A&T plays East Carolina pick has the Pirates at -7.0 and the over/under at 62.5.

The Aggies are a FCS school, while the Pirates are a FBS school, playing in what is considered to be the top-rated conference in the Group of Five. North Carolina A&T are perhaps the top team in the MEAC. They are formidable.

North Carolina A&T Offense vs Pirates D

The Aggies come into this game with a 1-0 record, as they took down Jacksonville State Gamecocks of the Ohio Valley Conference 20-17. QB Lamar Raynard likes to throw. In the game against Jacksonville, he tossed two TD passes. However, he was just 12-of-34, and Raynard, who was the MEAC offensive player of the year in 2017, threw one pick. WR Zachary Leslie comes into the game as the team’s leading pass catcher with three receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown. Senior Marquell Cartwright will be a featured offensive weapon, as he’s both an effective running back and receiver.

East Carolina certainly has some issues on defense. Last season, they were ranked 130th in points allowed. The Pirates gave up 45.0 PPG. The team has a new D-coordinator in David Blackwell. Blackwell, a former ECU player, comes to the team after serving as Jacksonville State’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach the last four years. The defense is thin on the line and in the secondary. Sophomore Aaron Ramseur (57 TKLs, 2.5 TFL, 2 INTs) is the lynchpin for the LB group. If the Aggies can run often and throw occasionally, they could make some headway against the Pirate D.

East Carolina Offense vs Aggie D

Reid Herring takes over the role of quarterback, as both starters from last season depart. He does have a strong arm. The O-line is decent, and showed improvement last season and should be better this year. The rush attack is the strength of this team, while the receiving group is thin. RBs Hussein Howe and Darius Pinnix combined last season for just over 600 yards and five TDs. Senior WR Trevon Brown, who led the team in every receiving category last year, is back. He’s a major weapon.

In their game against Jacksonville, North Carolina A&T forced four turnovers. Included was one pick and three fumble recoveries. LB Antoine Wilder is the anchor of the defense. He’s a solid run-stopper and pick man. In the opener against Jacksonville, he had one fumble recovery and one interception. This is a solid defense that for the most part last season kept point totals low. They are opportunistic and will try to exploit any mistakes made by the opposition.

College Football North Carolina A&T Plays East Carolina Pick

A few notes on special teams. Aggie punting is overall accurate and dependable, while field goals can be an adventure. On kick returns, Malik Wilson is capable of breaking out at any time. East Carolina’s special teams are questionable. PK Jake Verity, who was perfect on extras and 16-of-25 on field goals, did hit two from 50-plus last season. He struggled between the 40 and 49 yard lines. Verity takes over punting duties too. Kick returns feature Trevon Brown, who does a respectable job.

Here’s our college football North Carolina A&T plays East Carolina pick. We like the under at 62.5. There should be a lot of scoring chances, but we don’t think these teams will quite reach the 62-point mark. Also, for our college football North Carolina A&T plays East Carolina pick, we are taking the Aggies at +7.0.

Summary Aggies at Pirates Picks: North Carolina A&T at +7.0 and under 62.5