South Florida @ East Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 11, 2014 ) East Carolina 28, South Florida 17

After its three-game winning streak was snapped last week against Navy, USF hopes to recover as it begins the stretch run of its schedule with a road tilt against American Athletic Conference rival East Carolina on Saturday. The Bulls are tied for second in the AAC's East Division and coach Willie Taggart told reporters, "There is no room for error," if his team has any chance of participating in the first-ever conference championship game.

"I've stressed to the seniors," Taggart told the team web site. "They only have four more guaranteed games. Go out and play every one like it's your last because this is a time you're going to remember." The matchup with the Pirates is key for the Bulls, who will host first-place Temple and Cincinnati in back-to-back games before concluding their regular-season schedule on the road against UCF. "When it's November," USF cornerback Deatrick Nichols told reporters, "it's time to step up and put everything on the line." East Carolina ranks ahead of only winless UCF in the AAC East standings and will hit the field on Saturday with three losses in its last four games.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: East Carolina –4

ABOUT USF (4-4, 2-2 AAC): Quarterback Quinton Flowers, just two games removed from setting a program record for quarterbacks with 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a win over SMU, battled through a thigh contusion in last week's loss to the Midshipmen but Taggart said that he is back to being himself. "That was the first time he'd ever been hurt," Taggart told reporters. "I'm glad it's over now. You're seeing him go out and run around with confidence (in practice)." Wide receiver Rodney Adams has emerged as a player to watch after totaling 225 all-purpose yards against Navy, including a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the game.

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (4-5, 2-3): After getting beaten soundly by Connecticut last week, Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill didn't mince words about his team's performance. "We had guys on both sides of the ball that had opportunities to make plays," McNeill told reporters. "We've got to make them. It's as simple as that." Wide receiver Isaiah Jones leads the AAC and ranks fifth in the nation with 70 receptions on the season, averaging 7.8 catches per game.

EXTRA POINTS

1. USF is 4-1 all-time against East Carolina with a 2-0 mark as the road team in the series.

2. The Pirates' 23 sacks on the season ties them with Temple for second in the AAC, trailing only Houston (25).

3. The Bulls rank third in the AAC, averaging 214.4 yards per game on the ground, with both Flowers (72.2 yards per game) and RB Marlon Mack (102.6) among the top 10 rushers in the conference.

PREDICTION: USF 27, East Carolina 24