The No. 16 Houston Cougars (9-0) look to continue their flawless record as they play the No. 25 Memphis Tigers (8-1). The AAC’s leading passer, Greg Ward Jr. (2,116 yards, 13 TDs), and the top passer, Paxton Lynch (3,014 yards, 19 TDs), will have a major impact on this contest. It starts at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 14 and will air on ESP2.
In last week’s game, Houston won a close one against Cincinnati 33-30. Tyler McCloskey had a good performance in the win, totaling two receptions for 22 yards and one TD. Demarcus Ayers finished with 56 receiving yards on five catches. Memphis didn’t have the same success as Houston, losing big to Navy 45-20. Paxton Lynch had a big game passing the ball for the Tigers, completing 26 of 42 passes for 305 yards, one TD and one interception. Mose Frazier had 61 receiving yards on six receptions.
The Cougars, a five-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Memphis visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 71 points.
Sitting at 9-0 Straight Up (SU) and 6-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Cougars will look to improve heading into Week 11. The Cougars passing game will face below-average pass coverage. The Tigers currently rank 120th in the nation with 290.1 passing yards allowed per game. The Houston pass defense has played at another level the past five games. It has given up 229.6 passing yards per game during that span. A crucial part of the game will be whether the Tigers can secure the ball from Houston’s hungry defense. It averages the third-most fumbles recovered in the nation with 1.2 per game. The Cougars hope to continue the trend of torching Memphis’s defense during the first quarter, when they allow 8.3 points per game. With the 10th-highest time of possession per game at 33:32, expect Houston to control the clock this week.
In the other locker room, the Tigers head into Week 11 with records of 4-4-1 ATS and 8-1 SU. The Tigers went 4-1 SU and 2-2-1 ATS over the last five games. Chances are Memphis will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 352.1 passing yards per game ranks ninth in the nation. Teams need to stay focused in the first quarter against the fast-starting Tigers, who average 10.3 points in the first 15 minutes. Special teams is usually an area of weakness for the Cougars, giving up 112.1 return yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Houston, ATS Winner – Houston, O/U – Over
Notes
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Memphis.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston’s last 7 games when playing Memphis.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 7 games when playing Houston.
Memphis is 6-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Houston is 8-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
Among all FBS teams, the Houston offensive passing game is ranked 40th in the country, while the Memphis pass defense is only ranked 120th. The Tigers passing attack is ranked ninth, compared to the 107th-ranked pass defense of the Cougars.
