Pirates bracing for physical Knights

East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery said his team needs to step up its effort if it hopes to open American Athletic Conference play with a win Saturday against UCF.

The Knights are coming off a 53-14 win at FIU while the Pirates suffered a 54-17 loss at Virginia Tech.

East Carolina wrapped up non-conference action 2-2, but the Pirates suffered back-to-back losses to South Carolina and the Hokies.

UCF broke a two-game losing streak with the win over FIU and also enters conference play with a 2-2 record.

“We better be a lot more physical,” Montgomery said after his team’s loss to Virginia Tech. “That’s where it all starts. Everything that you saw today had a direct connection to a team being more emotionally ready to go. More than anything else, it was a team that was more physical.

“They won the physical battle. They didn’t necessarily make all the plays in the world, but I thought they played until the whistle blew. I thought their kickoff team ran through the back of the end zone every time. They played with tremendous energy.

“Physically, we have to get ourselves to play like they played throughout the entirety of the game.”

East Carolina opened as a consensus seven-point favorite to beat UCF, according to Vegasinsider.com.

However, the lines quickly shifted and the Pirates were listed as a four-point favorite by Las Vegas betting outlets Monday afternoon.

Next game: UCF at East Carolina, Noon Saturday, CBS Sports Network