Birmingham Bowl 2015: ECU vs. Florida TV Info, Spread, Time, Injury News, More
A Jan. 3 matchup against East Carolina at high noon in the Birmingham Bowl is not exactly how the season was supposed to unfold for the Florida Gators.
After all, this is an SEC program that has multiple crystal footballs in the trophy case. Birmingham Bowl trophies just don’t have the same allure as national championships, even in a down season. It would not be much of a jump to assume this game means more for East Carolina than it does for Florida, considering it is a chance for a team in the American Athletic Conference to beat the SEC.
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Here is a look at the essential information for the game.
2015 Birmingham Bowl
Matchup: Florida vs. East Carolina
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Spread: Florida -7 (via Odds Shark, as of Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET)
Injury Report (via USA Today, as of Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET)
| Demage Bailey | DE | 11/23/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| DaQuan Barnes | WR | 10/20/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | back |
| Desi Brown | LB | 10/20/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | leg |
| Trevon Brown | WR | 12/29/2014 | is questionable for the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Questionable | knee |
| Devaris Brunson | LB | 09/16/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Kirk Donaldson | LB | 10/20/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Darren Dowdell | TE | 10/20/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | leg |
| Lamar Ivey | S | 12/29/2014 | is questionable for the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Questionable | wrist |
| Domonique Lennon | FS | 12/29/2014 | will miss the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Out | ineligible |
| Dontae Levingston | T | 12/29/2014 | is questionable for the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Questionable | disciplinary |
| Christian Matau | G | 10/20/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Cody Purdie | CB | 12/29/2014 | is questionable for the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Questionable | wrist |
| Davonte' Spruill | LB | 12/08/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Terry Williams | NT | 12/29/2014 | will miss the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against Florida | Out | eligibility |
| Neiron Ball | LB | 11/17/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Jarrad Davis | LB | 11/17/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Will Grier | QB | 12/29/2014 | is questionable for the Birmingham Bowl Saturday against East Carolina | Questionable | back |
| Mark Herndon | RB | 09/21/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Thomas Holley | DT | 08/18/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | hip |
| J.C. Jackson | CB | 09/11/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Jake McGee | TE | 09/07/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | leg |
| Leon Orr | DT | 11/08/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
Preview/Prediction
Any game that features East Carolina—even one against an SEC opponent—comes down to its high-octane offense.
The Pirates finished fifth in the country in yards per game (532.8), 15th in scoring offense (37.2 points per game) and third in passing yards per game (367.3). Think all of those numbers came because of a weak American Athletic Conference schedule?
Think again.
The Pirates squared off with three Power Five conference opponents in South Carolina, Virginia Tech and North Carolina and put up an average of 581.3 yards and 40.3 points in those three contests. The only game they lost in that stretch came against South Carolina, but they destroyed the Tar Heels to the tune of 70-41.
The main reason East Carolina was such a formidable offense was quarterback Shane Carden, who was second in the nation with 4,309 passing yards and 28 touchdown tosses. Wide receiver Justin Hardy was his main weapon, and he finished with 1,334 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and earned third-team All-American honors.
Tony Barnhart of The SEC Network noted that the individual matchup between Hardy and second-team All-American cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III of Florida is the one to watch in this bowl:
East Carolina may feature a dominant offense, but Florida’s strength is on the defensive side of the ball. The Gators were a solid 22nd in the country in scoring defense and ninth in yards allowed per game.
Florida interim head coach and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin discussed the upcoming matchup, per STATS LLC, via ESPN.com:
"Our guys know the challenge we have ahead of us. Everyone keeps mentioning all the stats and numbers, which are very impressive and eye opening. The most important thing to me, when you turn on the film, is that they have a group of guys who play the game the right way.
They play really hard and with great energy. They have great enthusiasm, and you can tell they take great pride in what is going on.
"
On the other side of the ball, Florida is not going to inspire much confidence with its offense. The Gators didn’t even reach 300 yards in five separate games and finished an abysmal 106th in the nation in passing yards. A large portion of Florida’s statistical output came in blowout victories over Eastern Michigan and Eastern Kentucky.
It’s not like East Carolina is a defensive juggernaut, but it was a middle-of-the-road 54th in the country in scoring defense. It struggled against the Tar Heels (41 points allowed) and Cincinnati (54 points allowed), but the good news for the Pirates is they are impressive against the run.
In fact, they finished ninth in the country in rush defense, which is critical in this game because the Gators move the ball on offense on the ground (43rd in the country in rushing yards per game and 106th in passing).
The Gators may be a much stronger defense than East Carolina is accustomed to facing, but the Pirates should contain the middling Florida attack. That means the high-powered East Carolina offense won’t have to score as many points as it usually does to win.
Conference affiliation won’t matter in this one. Look for an East Carolina upset behind one of the most dynamic offenses in the country and a formidable run defense that will stop the Florida rushing attack.
Prediction: East Carolina 31, Florida 20
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