Lock of the week: East Carolina (2-4) @ Cincinnati (3-3) (-2)
Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 7:00 pm (Nippert Stadium)
Tv: CBS Sports Network:

This is a resurrection game for College Football journeyman Gunner Kiel. Kiel is that guy who peaked in high school. Coming out of Columbus, Indiana, Kiel was a five-star recruit and was the number one rated quarterback in the 2012 class. Kiel had committed to Indiana, then moved to LSU, but before signing day he switched his commitment to Notre Dame. After getting beat out for the starting gig by Everett Golson, Kiel transferred to Cincinnati. Kiel served as the primary Bearcats starter for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Kiel suffered a season ending injury during the middle of the 2015 campaign. Everyone thought Kiel’s college football career was dead when he lost the starting job to sophomore Hayden Moore before the season. When Moore got hurt in week 3, for some dumbass reason redshirt freshmen Ross Trail stepped in for two starts. The results were disastrous, Trail threw for just 474 yards with only 1 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Moore came back to start in Cincy’s 20-9 loss to Connecticut. Hayden Moore couldn’t score a touchdown against freakin Connecticut.

This whole situation has resulted in a disastrous offensive season for the Bearcats. The Bearcats ranked 77th in total offense and are scoring just 23 points per game, tied for 105th nationally. During Tuberville’s press conference on Thursday he addressed the offensive struggles, but also used it to make an exciting announcement; “We’ve been having trouble scoring points,” Tuberville said. “Today, (offensive coordinator) Zac Taylor walked in and said, ‘Coach, Gunner Kiel has won the position.’ I said, let’s go.” It’s about time Tuberville pulled his head out of his ass. If he would have started Kiel from game one he wouldn’t be enduring this trainwreck of a season. In his career, Kiel has thrown for 6,000 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. A motivated Kiel should carve an ECU defense that ranks 88th in total defense. Both teams have had an extra week to prepare for this matchup. Kiel reportedly had two great weeks of practice which is probably the main reason why he won back his job.

This is a matchup that will light up the scoreboard. ECU has a dynamic offense that ranks 13th in total offense and third in passing offense. Despite all those yards, the Pirates have only average 28 points per game due to their huge struggles with the turnover bug. The Pirates have a horrendous turnover margin of minus 9 ranking them 126th worst in the country.

The Pirates offense features one of the best receivers in the country in Zay Jones. Their quarterback Philip Nelson who is interestingly another former blue chip 2012 recruit that has had a long voyage across the football landscape. The extremely talented signal-caller opted to “stay home” and play his college football for the University of Minnesota and was one of the Gophers most prized commitments. After enjoying successful freshmen and soph campaign, Nelson surprisingly decided to transfer to Rutgers. Before he took a snap in Scarlet, Nelson was involved were involved in a highly-publicized assault case in downtown Mankato in May of 2014. Rutgers parted ways with the signal caller and after 8 months of probation Nelson walked on at ECU. A year later, Nelson has become the signal caller and has enjoyed a solid season completing 68.7 percent of his passes for 1,841 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, capitalizing on a second chance in his final season of eligibility.

Each team will be hungry and desperate for a win since both parties are winless in conference matchups. The storylines of these two quarterbacks turn this AAC cellular dweller matchup a must watch game. A reenergized Bearcats team should win this game. Expect each offense to put on a show but the Bearcats will come out victorious 45-38.