By the numbers: East Carolina vs. BYU


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PROVO — The Cougars have a lot to work on. The win over the Huskies was sloppy and the score, 30-13, was not indicative of what actually transpired. The Cougars will need to clean up those mistakes to prepare for an East Carolina team that has looked pretty good this season.

The Pirates are coming off a 49-23 trouncing of the SMU Mustangs. The 3-2 Pirates have looked pretty good this season, with their two losses coming against undefeated teams Florida and Navy. The Pirates boast one of the higher scoring offenses in the country and will look to exploit every BYU defensive weakness.

This game will come down to which team can win the key statistical matchups. Here are what the Cougars and Pirates will focus on Saturday:

BYU rushed for a season-high 174 yards against Connecticut

Did the Cougars finally find a run game? The Huskies have a middle of the pack run defense that gives up around 170 rush yards/game. But yes, the Cougars finally established the run game and will need to continue to run the ball on the Pirates.

As I said in the KSL.com Campus Report, the BYU offense needs the run game to be successful. Tanner Mangum can't be asked to throw for 350-plus yards every game. Algernon Brown, who finished with 18 carries for 95 yards, and Francis Bernard, who finished with 11 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown, will need to play similarly to do well against the Pirates.

The Pirates have a below-average run defense. The Pirates are allowing opposing offenses to run for 192 yards/game. If the Cougars can run for at least 192 yards against the Pirates, the Cougars will have a very good shot at coming away with a win.

Mitchell Juergens (87) is swarmed by teammates after catching the go ahead touchdown as BYU and Boise State play Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
Mitchell Juergens (87) is swarmed by teammates after catching the go ahead touchdown as BYU and Boise State play Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)

BYU suffered 7 shoulder injuries against Connecticut

Bronco Mendenhall told the media that there were "up to seven different shoulder injuries" against the Huskies. He did not disclose who suffered the injuries, but at least one is wide receiver Mitchell Juergens.

Juergens left the UConn game with what was diagnosed as a shoulder sprain. After returning to the locker room, the training staff evaluated the severity of the sprain and deemed it minor enough for Juergens to return to the game.

Juergens is a big part of the Cougars' receiving threat. He leads the Cougars in receiving yards with 324 on 25 receptions. That's impressive given last season Juergens finished with 28 receptions for 424 yards. Juergens will play a big role against the Pirates with his ability to open up the field for both the run game and the outside receivers.

East Carolina will play 2 quarterbacks against BYU

Two-quarterback systems are usually frowned upon in college football, but the Pirates have found a way for its two signal callers to coexist. James Summers will most likely start and Blake Kemp will come in every other series or so.

Summers is a dual-threat quarterback. For the season, Summers is 17-22 for 276 yards passing with three touchdowns. Where he's dangerous is with his legs. In his last two games, Summers has rushed 30 times for 254 yards and four touchdowns.

Kemp is a pocket passer. Kemp has completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 1,107 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as five interceptions.

The Cougars will find it tough to scheme for two different quarterbacks but will need to account for Summers' escapability. He's only been sacked once as opposed to Kemp, who has been sacked six times. The Cougars are a top-30 team in sacks with 13 sacks so far in 2015.

Mangum's freshman school record 365 yards passing against UConn

Coming into their matchup with the Huskies, the Cougars knew they were going to throw against a solid Huskie secondary. The Huskies are 27th in the FBS in passing defense, and they were rocked by a freshman quarterback. Mangum's 365 yards passing was amazing looking at how the Huskies' pass defense has been really good this season.

The Pirates' pass defense is good but isn't as solid as that of the Huskies. The Pirates are allowing only 210.6 passing yards/game. They have yet to face a quarterback with the arm strength of Mangum. Mangum will need to get his receivers involved early and often to keep the Pirates' defense on its heels throughout the game.

Mangum is currently on pace to set freshman school records in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns.

BYU is one of the worst punt return teams in the FBS, averaging only 3.9 yards/return.

Is anybody else scared for Micah Hannemann's life when he doesn't call for a fair catch? It's a miracle he hasn't been knocked into the next state yet. Hannemann will catch the punt and fall forward, gaining about 4 yards. He either needs to learn how to call for the fair catch or maybe the Cougars need to find a new punt returner (paging Devon Blackmon).

The Pirates are in the top 20 in punt return coverage. The Pirates are only allowing opposing punt returners 2.3 yards/return. Not sure how many times the teams will punt in what's expected to be a high-scoring affair, but don't expect any exciting punt returns from the Cougars' side of things. Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.

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