The Houston Cougars (+8) are heading northeast to face their conference foe Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial. The vital afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and ABC will broadcast the action.
Houston Cougars at Memphis Tigers Betting Preview
The Cougars come into this Friday AAC game as a big underdog and they’re currently getting 8 points. The Cougars are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Tigers are -330. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at a seriously-high 75.5 points. It appears that this contest should offer some live betting scenarios.
The O/U hasn’t changed after it was initially posted at 75.5. Having said that, the opening line was -7 so sharp bettors have been siding with the Tigers.
The Cougars are down 3.9 units so far and 6-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U mark of 7-4. The underwhelming Tigers have lost 9.2 units this season. They’re 7-4 ATS and have an even O/U record of 5-5.
The Cougars have gone 8-3 straight up (SU), including 5-2 SU against conference opponents. The Tigers are 7-4 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
The Cougars are coming off a resounding 48-17 win over Tulane last week. The passing game could’ve been better as the Cougars completed 17-of-30 passes for 190 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Clayton Tune went six-for-15 for 108 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while D’Eriq King completed 11-of-15 for 82 yards and one touchdown. Patrick Carr (139 rushing yards on 18 attempts, two TDs) and D’Eriq King (82 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the running attack while Marquez Stevenson (five receptions, 38 yards) and Romello Brooker (five catches, 57 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Memphis just earned a 28-18 win over SMU. Brady White completed 18-of-31 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Patrick Taylor Jr. (112 yards on 20 rush attempts, two TDs) and Darrell Henderson (75 yards on 16 carries) spearheaded the running game as Joey Magnifico (five receptions, 43 yards, two TDs) and Kedarian Jones (four catches, 48 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Houston has run the ball on 53.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Memphis has a rush percentage of 58.8 percent. The Cougars have run for 236 yards per game (including 226 per game against American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 28 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Tigers are totaling 265 rush yards per game (244 in conference) and have 36 total rushing TDs.
The Cougars offensive scheme has averaged 305 yards through the air overall (276 per game against conference opposition) and has 41 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have produced 258 pass yards per contest (235.1 in the AAC) and have 25 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Houston has allowed 179 rush yards and 299 pass yards per game. The Memphis defense has given up 241.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 156.0 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cougars have given up an ANY/A of 6.50 to opposing QBs, while the Tigers are allowing an ANY/A of 6.29.
Offensively, King has put up 2,660 passing yards on the year. The signal-caller has connected on 64 percent of his 299 attempts with 31 passing scores and only five interceptions. King has a 9.68 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 6.62 over the last two outings.
D’Eriq King (549 rushing yards, 13 rush TDs, 12 receiving yards this season), Patrick Carr (689 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Bryson Smith (64 rush yards, 168 receiving yards, one TD) have each played significant roles of late.
Brady White has managed to complete 179-of-283 passes for 2,554 yards, 22 TDs and five INTs for Memphis. His ANY/A sits at 8.89 for the year and 7.84 across his past two games.
We’re looking for the Tigers to control the game’s pace by feeding the running backs early and often. Damonte Coxie (929 receiving yards, seven TDs this season) has stepped up lately, but Darrell Henderson (1,355 rush yards, 15 rush TDs, three receiving TDs) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (670 rush yards, 11 rush TDs, one receiving TD) have been focal points in the Tigers’ recent offensive strategies.
These two teams faced off last year with the final result being a 42-38 victory for Memphis.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Pick: Houston Cougars vs. Memphis Tigers
SU Winner – Memphis, ATS Winner – Memphis, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Memphis D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 29 times this year. Houston has produced just 21 sacks.
Memphis has lost seven fumbles this season while Houston has lost eight.
The Cougars offense has created 15 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Tigers have accounted for 10 such plays.
The Houston defense has allowed 12 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Memphis has given up 11 such plays.
The Houston offense has created 27 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Memphis has created 37 such runs.
The Cougars defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Tigers have given up 16 such runs.
The O/U for Memphis’ last outing was set at 75. The under cashed in the 28-18 triumph over SMU.
In its last three contests, Memphis is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three contests, Houston is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Houston’s previous game was 68. The under cashed in the team’s 48-17 win over Tulane.
As a team, Houston has produced 5.0 yards per carry across its past three contests and 5.5 over its last two.
Memphis has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.2 over its last two.
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