EAST HARTFORD, Ct. — The East Carolina football team (4-4, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) will look to move beyond a crushing 24-14 loss to Temple that could have pushed the Pirates into first place in the East Division of the American Athletic Conference.

Instead, the loss pushed the Pirates back to third place in the East, just two spots ahead of Friday’s opponent Connecticut (3-5, 1-3 AAC). This game in East Hartford could serve as a bounce-back game for ECU, as UConn’s three wins have come against FCS’s Villanova, Army and winless Central Florida.

The Huskies’ head coach, Bob Diaco, is a defensive-minded coach. He spent three years as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator from 2010-13. Diaco’s defense has allowed 22.1 points per game this season while the offense is averaging less than 20 points per game.

“This defense was the first defense that, in our first year in the conference, you recognize the size standpoint, the length standpoint,” said sixth-year head coach Ruffin McNeill.

McNeill specifically named UConn safety and third leading tackler Obi Melifonwu. The redshirt junior stands at 6-foot-3 and is a built 210 pounds. and has great speed and mobility.

When getting into the second level, the ECU receivers and backs will be met with size and speed. Redshirt senior safety Andrew Adams is another stands six feet tall and approaches 200 pounds. Adams is the team’s leading tackler with 65 on the season. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Junior Joseph sandwiches the two safeties in the tackle lead. Joseph is an enforcing presence with a 6-foot-1, 242-pound frame. McNeill said the size and athleticism of the defense shows on more than just that side of the football.

“(Diaco’s defensive strength) translates on his special teams,” McNeill said in his weekly press conference. “His coverage teams, the punt coverage and kickoff coverage teams are two of the best in the country, especially in the conference.”

Last week, the Pirates’ lead disintegrated in the fourth quarter as Temple came up with a tipped punt that gave the Owls favorable field position before they took a late lead. The Pirates had a punt blocked with under four minutes left in the game that set up a backbreaking touchdown run by Jahad Thomas.

McNeill said special teams and avoiding the issues that cropped up last week are being adjusted by, essentially, controlling the controllable.

“We have to make sure we concentrate on the details,” McNeill said. “The rules are, we were told not to jump over the shield so we’re to start using that, but at the same time, we have to make sure we are designed to kick the ball in a direction or angle.”

ECU will have to focus on the Huskies’ quarterback Bryant Shirreffs. He has shown mobility as UConn’s second leading rusher with 342 yards and two touchdowns. He is also a strong presence in the pocket as he has thrown for 1732 yards this year (215.4 per game). His touchdown-interception ratio has been poor this season (7-5), but UConn has still found success in the passing game.

Noel Thomas is the leading receiver for UConn this year. He has accumulated 493 yards on 37 receptions. The 6-foot-1 junior has one touchdown and averages 61.5 yards per game. His deep threat on the outside will have to be taken away by senior Josh Hawkins.

Another early-season impact cornerback, Corey Seargent, may return to the field this week after dealing with an injury for the past few weeks. McNeill is hopefully that he will be ready for the Friday night contest.