ECU vs. Army Thursday Night at 7:30 ET

East Carolina opens American Conference play Thursday night at home against defending champion Army, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN SportsCenter broadcasting from Greenville. ECU (2-2) is seeking a bounce-back after a 34-13 loss to BYU and has struggled with penalties and offensive consistency, though coach Blake Harrell said the short week can be used to the team's advantage. Army (1-2) runs a triple-option attack, has rotated quarterbacks Dewayne Coleman and Cale Hellums, and ranks near the top nationally in time of possession and penalties. Oddsmakers list ECU as a modest favorite (about 5.5 points) with the over/under near 52.5. The nationally televised prime-time matchup is being viewed as an early conference test for both programs.