East Carolina @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2015 ) Cincinnati 19, East Carolina 16

Teams with two weeks to find some answers to pull out a first American Athletic Conference victory meet Saturday when East Carolina visits Cincinnati. The Bearcats lost for a third time in four games 20-9 at Connecticut on Oct. 8 while the Pirates dropped a fourth straight 38-22 at USF, and had a contest with Navy the following Thursday rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew.

Cincinnati is 0-3 in conference play for the first time since 1999 and has been outscored 64-6 in the second half of conference games this season, including 13-0 against UConn. “We’ve had some heart-to-heart talks about laying it on the line for four quarters,” Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville told reporters this week. “Motivating yourself as a teammate, being leaders. All those things go hand-in-hand." East Carolina, losers of four straight, is averaging a conference-high 515 yards per game under first-year coach Scottie Montgomery, but the defense has recorded just one sack all season and yielded 139 points in the last three games after dropping a respectable 20-15 decision at South Carolina. In their last outing, the Pirates rallied from 18 down against USF to pull within two before a two-point conversion failed with seven minutes remaining.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network: LINE: Cincinnati -1.5.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (2-4, 0-2 AAC): The Pirates' most dynamic offensive threat is senior wideout Zay Jones, who leads the nation with 84 catches for 840 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Philip Nelson (68.7 completion percentage, 1,841 yards, 11 TDs, four interceptions), who has been knocked out of each of the past two games, is set to return against the Bearcats. Backs James Summers (359 yards, 5.6 yards per carry) and Anthony Scott (306, 4.9) share carries, but Summers is expected to take on a bigger workload this week.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (3-3, 0-3): The Bearcats rank 11th in the AAC in scoring (23 points per game) and last in rushing (125 yards per game) and gained only two yards on the ground against UConn. Sophomore quarterback Hayden Moore, who missed two games with an ankle injury prior to throwing for 315 yards in the loss to UConn, has thrown for 1,100 yards in four games with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Running backs Tion Green (360 yards) and Mike Boone (254) lead the ground attack while Nate Cole is the top threat in the passing game with 35 catches and four TDs.

EXTRA POINTS

1. East Carolina leads the series 12-7, but Cincinnati has won five straight, including a 19-16 triumph last season when Andrew Gantz kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired.

2. Jones, who had 12 catches for 124 yards against the Bearcats last season, has reached double digits in receptions in five games this season, including a school-record 22 against South Carolina - the most in FBS this season and one off the all-time FBS mark.

3. East Carolina is last in FBS in scoring percentage in the red zone (62.1) while the Bearcats' defense ranks fifth in the country in permitting scores inside the red zone, allowing an AAC-low 66.7 percent.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati 31, East Carolina 28