Connecticut (1-5, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) at No. 18 East Carolina (5-1, 2-0), 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Line: East Carolina by 27.
Series Record: First meeting.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
East Carolina is going for its fifth straight win and bowl eligibility as it tries to keep itself inching upward in the national rankings. The Pirates have a national-TV audience against the Huskies, who are struggling for offense and have lost four straight.
KEY MATCHUP
East Carolina's defense against UConn's running game. The Huskies are averaging just 77.7 yards on the ground and 256.2 total yards per game. They've reached 100 yards rushing only once all year. If they want to beat the Pirates, they could start by finding a running game to keep ECU's powerful offense on the sideline. Then again, East Carolina has the American's best run defense (104.2 yards).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Connecticut: QB Chandler Whitmer has thrown for 856 yards and five touchdowns this year. If the Huskies can't run once again, the fifth-year senior will carry a big burden to move the ball through the air.
East Carolina: WR Justin Hardy is the top target in the passing game and he's marching toward the bowl subdivision record for most career catches. Hardy needs 37 more to pass the record of 349 set by Ryan Broyles of Oklahoma in 2011.
FACTS AND FIGURES
The Pirates had no trouble in their AAC debut against SMU (45-24) then had a tough fight to win 28-17 at South Florida on Oct. 11. ... QB Shane Carden, already ECU's career passing leader, has thrown 16 touchdown passes against four interceptions. ... East Carolina only has two more Saturday games the rest of the season. ... The Pirates are ranked this season for the first time since 2008 under former coach Skip Holtz, who was head coach at UConn from 1994-98. ... This is one of five first-time opponents for the Huskies this year. ... UConn is 2-21 against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.