Liberty Bowl: East Carolina vs. Kentucky Preview

Kentucky lost six of its final eight games, but still earned a bowl berth. God bless the bowl system for finding place for a team that lost 63-5 against Florida.
The fans at the Liberty Bowl will watch the East Carolina Pirates and the Kentucky Wildcats clash January 2.

Oddsmakers currently have the Pirates listed as 3-point favorites versus the Wildcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 42.

Ben Hartman’s 36-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining gave East Carolina a 27-24 upset win over Tulsa in Week 15.

The Pirates covered the 12.5-point spread, while the final score played UNDER the day’s posted total of 66.

Kentucky was crushed 28-10 by Tennessee in Week 14 as a 4-point road underdog. The combined 38 points went as a PUSH against the posted total of 38.

Alfonso Smith ran for the only touchdown in the loss.

Team records:
East Carolina: 9-4 SU, 5-8 ATS
Kentucky: 6-6 SU, 4-7 ATS

East Carolina most recently:
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing outside the conference are 4-6
After playing Tulsa are 3-0

Kentucky most recently:
When playing in January are 0-1
When playing on turf are 4-5
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing outside the conference are 10-0

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of East Carolina’s last 7 games
East Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
East Carolina is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
Kentucky is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Kentucky is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games