East Carolina will head to southwestern Ohio for a Thursday night showdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-3, 3-1) that should render one team a serious contender for the American Athletic Conference championship and the other probably out of the race.

“We will face a really, really good Cincinnati football team,” said head coach Ruffin McNeill at Monday’s press conference. “They’re very talented and a team that has been at the forefront in this league, along with Louisville. We know we’re facing a tough group that is well coached. (Cincinnati head coach) Tommy (Tuberville) has been doing this a long time. It’s going to be another hostile road environment, so it’s a great test for our staff and players. We are going to have to play some of our best football of the year.”

The Pirates are coming off a nightmarish showing in Philadelphia two Saturdays ago against Temple, losing 20-10, and Cincinnati probably features more overall talent than the Owls, especially on offense.

While ECU boasts the conference’s top receiver, Cincinnati features what is likely its top receiving corps. Six Bearcat receivers have hauled in 15 or more catches on the season. Shaq Washington (43 receptions for 468 yards) is the primary possession receiver, while Chris Moore (22.6 yards per reception), Mekale McKay (18 yards per reception) and Johnny Holton (19.1 yards per reception) are all true, legitimate deep threats. Max Morrison is also second in catches with 31 for 337 yards.

Cincinnati is amidst a quarterback controversy, but not for lack of production. Sophomore Gunner Kiel, a highly decorated high school star and Notre Dame transfer, started the season and performed as advertised, but was forced to sit the last couple weeks due to rib injuries. A healthy Kiel is expected for Thursday, but the more experienced Munchie Legaux was impressive in his stead, leading the Bearcats to wins over South Florida and Tulane. The senior was 30-for-39 for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

ECU defensive coordinator Rick Smith said in game week practice that he is preparing for both quarterbacks. Fortunately for ECU’s preparation, they are similar; both like to operate in the pocket, while both can scramble as well. On the flip side, the two Cincinnati quarterbacks may be the two best the Pirates have seen this season. It will be a true test for a decent, but mistake-prone Pirate secondary.

“We’re facing the best offense that we’ve seen so far in Cincinnati,” said Smith. “Their offensive line is very athletic so we have our hands full.”

The Pirates suffered their share of turnovers against the Owls, but one of the issues for an ECU defense that played extremely well was its lack of created turnovers. Temple fumbled four times and recovered all of them, and ECU finished with no takeaways. That will be a focus area Thursday.

“The most important stat in football is turnovers,” said Smith. “If you’re in the plus in turnovers, you’re probably going to have a good year. Last year, we had 18 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. This year, we have one recovery and seven interceptions. We’re way behind.”

Plenty of optimism remains for ECU on offense considering the Pirates outgained Temple in yardage, 428-135. ECU has a great shot to win on Thursday if it can limit its self-inflicted damage even slightly; the Pirates coughed up the ball seven times at cold, rainy Lincoln Financial Field and lost seven of those fumbles. They also racked up double-digit penalties and triple-digit penalty yardage for the third consecutive week — all of this and the Pirates still only lost by 10 points.

Questions immediately surrounded ECU and its ability to perform in cold weather, but it’s important to note that the northern home team boasts a significant advantage over the southern opponent if it is frigid and wet. The jury is still out on how McNeill’s squad can perform in the cold alone, and the forecast looks clear on Thursday.

In regards to the penalty woes, ECU brought officials to practice run-throughs, hoping to help ease what’s been a bumpy transition into the new conference in that area. McNeill claims the American is the most penalized league in the nation.

“Last week, I talked to [head coach] Jim Mora at UCLA and [head coach] Art [Briles] at Baylor, and they’ve been having a lot of holding calls against their teams as well,” said McNeill. “Penalties have almost quadrupled since 2013, so it’s not just here in Greenville. I’m not sure if it’s the high-paced teams or what. We’re making sure the kids are getting more repetitions because they more the get, the better they’re getting and that’s the approach we’ve taken.”

While the Pirates’ most recent loss probably had more to do with themselves than the opponent, Temple did well for itself by taking ECU quarterback Shane Carden’s safety-net Justin Hardy out of the game. Carden was still able to throw 217 yards, but in crucial situations, he was forced to target other receivers, rather than the sure-handed Hardy. ECU suffered its share of drops in the rain as a result; Hardy finished with just four receptions for 35 yards — his lowest total of the season.

Don’t expect the senior, who is just 18 receptions from tying the FBS record for career catches, to be contained by a Cincinnati pass defense that ranks 106th in the country as a part of the whole defensive unit, which ranks 113th.