BYU @ East Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2015 ) East Carolina 38, Brigham Young 45

BYU's offense is sick - and a trip to East Carolina could prove to be the cure. The Cougars carry a six-game losing skid into Saturday's date with the Pirates, an intriguing meeting between one of the country's worst offenses and Division I's most porous defense.

BYU has manufactured just 60 points during the skid, and couldn't do much of anything en route to a 35-10 drubbing at the hands of Mississippi State last weekend. The Cougars recorded a paltry 176 total yards and eight first downs, prompting a familiar refrain from starting quarterback Tanner Mangum: "We sustained some drives, but just couldn't finish. That's on us. We have to be able to convert on third and fourth down." But like manna from above, BYU has been gifted a date with a Pirates team that is surrendering a whopping 50 points per game, more than five points clear of any other team in Division I. East Carolina was humbled 63-21 by Central Florida last time out, marking the third time the Pirates have surrendered more than 60 points in a game this season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: BYU -5.5

ABOUT BYU (1-6): Mangum will look to make Saturday's encounter in Greenville a get-right game; the junior signal-caller has yet to exceed 200 passing yards in a game so far in 2017, and has thrown seven interceptions over his previous four games. The running game averages 3.3 yards per carry, but BYU's two primary running backs - Ula Tolutau and Squally Canada - average 4.3 YPC between them while accounting for all three of the Cougars' rushing scores to date. The BYU defense has had trouble limiting opponent drive extensions, allowing foes to convert 44.2 percent of their third-down opportunities - good for 109th in the nation.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (1-6): The Pirates are not only the only NCAA team surrendering 50 points per contest - they're also allowing a Division I-worst 600 total yards per game. Quarterback Thomas Sirk has asserted himself well amid East Carolina's defensive struggles, throwing for 250 or more yards in three straight games before settling for just 91 yards in last week's loss to the Knights. The Pirates' running game has been abysmal, averaging just 3.2 yards per attempt; the team has been outgained by nearly 1,200 yards on the ground through the first seven games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. BYU ranks outside the top 100 nationally in third-down conversion rate (33.0 percent).

2. East Carolina has surrendered 37 red-zone scores in 42 opponent chances; both figures lead Division I.

3. Pirates WR Davon Grayson leads the AAC in receiving yards (631) and ranks fourth in receiving touchdowns (four).

PREDICTION: BYU 27, East Carolina 21