The Week 5 Thursday night game features the Black Knights and Pirates at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. SBR's Isaiah Sirois breaks down the action in his Army vs East Carolina prediction:
ATS Pick: Army +4.5 (-110 FanDuel)
"Following a brutal loss to BYU on Saturday evening, East Carolina must get up and take on Army’s option offense after a short week. Head coach Blake Harrell, who earned the job after five years as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator, has plenty of experience with the option. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a great record against it. East Carolina is 1-4 straight up against service academies since Harrell’s arrival in 2020. The lone win came against Navy, and the Midshipmen still scored 35.
Army isn’t in a great spot, either, as the Black Knights are coming off a tough one-score loss to North Texas. Still, head coach Jeff Monken’s squad showed a lot of grit by rallying from behind to force overtime against the Mean Green. While Army is playing on short rest, the Black Knights didn’t play previously in Week 3.
The spread is out to a very generous +4.5, likely related to an injury suffered late against North Texas by Army quarterback DeWayne Coleman. But the Black Knights have a capable backup for the option in Cale Hellums, so I’m willing to trust them. Since both coaching staffs are familiar with each other – Harrell worked at Kennesaw State with Army’s offensive coordinator – I anticipate a tight game. Back Army to cover the +4.5 at FanDuel.
Maybe even sprinkle something on Army to win this one outright."
Player Prop Pick: Katin Houser Under 277.5 passing yards (-114 FanDuel)
"The East Carolina passing offense has been humming, with quarterback Katin Houser racking up a conference-leading 314.5 passing yards per game. But against an Army team that is built to slow the game down by holding the football, he’ll have far fewer chances to throw than in the first few weeks. Army’s offense ranked dead last in seconds per play last year (33.2) by a full two seconds.
Of course, East Carolina’s offense is built to go fast and throw the football quickly. Offensive coordinator John David Baker’s scheme ranked fourth in seconds per play last year (21.8). Still, it ranked just 70th in yards per pass attempt in 2024 (7.4) and ranks 80th to start this year (7.4). At that rate, Houser will need over 37 throws to surpass this number, a figure I doubt he gets to versus Army.
Even if Houser does manage to get a ton of volume, Army’s passing defense has been effective. The Black Knights ranked 37th in yards allowed per pass attempt last year (6.7) and currently rank 60th (6.9). I trust the Army offense to keep him off the field, and when he is on the field, I trust the Army defense to play at least average defense against him. This prop is too lofty a figure for this matchup, so I recommend buying the Under."
Army vs East Carolina Best Odds:
Who are you taking in tonight's game? Comment below!
ATS Pick: Army +4.5 (-110 FanDuel)
"Following a brutal loss to BYU on Saturday evening, East Carolina must get up and take on Army’s option offense after a short week. Head coach Blake Harrell, who earned the job after five years as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator, has plenty of experience with the option. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a great record against it. East Carolina is 1-4 straight up against service academies since Harrell’s arrival in 2020. The lone win came against Navy, and the Midshipmen still scored 35.
Army isn’t in a great spot, either, as the Black Knights are coming off a tough one-score loss to North Texas. Still, head coach Jeff Monken’s squad showed a lot of grit by rallying from behind to force overtime against the Mean Green. While Army is playing on short rest, the Black Knights didn’t play previously in Week 3.
The spread is out to a very generous +4.5, likely related to an injury suffered late against North Texas by Army quarterback DeWayne Coleman. But the Black Knights have a capable backup for the option in Cale Hellums, so I’m willing to trust them. Since both coaching staffs are familiar with each other – Harrell worked at Kennesaw State with Army’s offensive coordinator – I anticipate a tight game. Back Army to cover the +4.5 at FanDuel.
Maybe even sprinkle something on Army to win this one outright."
Player Prop Pick: Katin Houser Under 277.5 passing yards (-114 FanDuel)
"The East Carolina passing offense has been humming, with quarterback Katin Houser racking up a conference-leading 314.5 passing yards per game. But against an Army team that is built to slow the game down by holding the football, he’ll have far fewer chances to throw than in the first few weeks. Army’s offense ranked dead last in seconds per play last year (33.2) by a full two seconds.
Of course, East Carolina’s offense is built to go fast and throw the football quickly. Offensive coordinator John David Baker’s scheme ranked fourth in seconds per play last year (21.8). Still, it ranked just 70th in yards per pass attempt in 2024 (7.4) and ranks 80th to start this year (7.4). At that rate, Houser will need over 37 throws to surpass this number, a figure I doubt he gets to versus Army.
Even if Houser does manage to get a ton of volume, Army’s passing defense has been effective. The Black Knights ranked 37th in yards allowed per pass attempt last year (6.7) and currently rank 60th (6.9). I trust the Army offense to keep him off the field, and when he is on the field, I trust the Army defense to play at least average defense against him. This prop is too lofty a figure for this matchup, so I recommend buying the Under."
Army vs East Carolina Best Odds:
Who are you taking in tonight's game? Comment below!