Two high-powered offenses will dictate this one as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-4) take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-4). The AAC’s leading passer, Dane Evans (2,938 yards, 17 TDs), is a player to watch in this game. Players will take the field Saturday, Nov 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET and it will air on ESNN.
Cincinnati lost a close one to Houston 33-30 last week. Gunner Kiel had a big game throwing the ball in the loss, completing 28 of 51 passes for 523 yards, four TDs and two interceptions. Chris Moore also had a big day, contributing 140 receiving yards and two TDs on six receptions. Tulsa is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated UCF 45-30. Ramadi Warren had a great game on the ground for the Golden Hurricane, totaling 168 yards and three TDs on 19 carries. Conner Floyd added 72 receiving yards and two TDs on three catches.
Cincinnati is a 16-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 76 points.
With a 5-4 record both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Bearcats will look to improve as they head into Week 11. In their five most recent matchups, the Bearcats went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Cincinnati offense features a strong passing attack, currently ranking fifth in the nation with 387.6 passing yards per game. During their last five games, the Bearcats gave up 185.0 passing yards per game. In the first quarter, Cincinnati is tough to stop, putting up 10 points in the first 15 minutes. Based on Tulsa’s average time of possession of 28:13 per game which ranks 104th in the nation, look for the Bearcats to control the clock.
Across the field, the Golden Hurricane have a record of 4-4-1 ATS and 5-4 SU. Over their last five games, the Golden Hurricane have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-2-1 record ATS for those betting with them. The Golden Hurricane are usually effective at throwing the ball, owning the eighth-best yards per pass average in the nation at 14.9. Switching gears to the Tulsa defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Bearcats. The Bearcats are matching up with Tulsa’s run defense at an inopportune time. Over the last five games, opponents only averaged 153.2 yards on the ground, lower than Tulsa’s season average of 215.7 yards. Turnovers could allow the Golden Hurricane to slide by the Bearcats, who are 114th in the country in giveaways with 2.2 per game. Cincinnati needs to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Golden Hurricane, who average 12.1 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cincinnati, ATS Winner – Cincinnati, O/U – Under
Notes
Cincinnati is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 5 games.
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games at home.
Tulsa is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games on the road.
Tulsa is 3-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Cincinnati is 4-2 SU when leading after three quarters.
Cincinnati is 3-3 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and also an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Cincinnati rushing attack is ranked 43rd in the country, while the Tulsa run defense is only ranked 112th. The Golden Hurricane rushing game is ranked 40th, compared to the 87th-ranked run defense of the Bearcats.
