The No. 18 Houston Cougars (8-0) look to extend their perfect record as they play the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-3). The AAC’s third-leading passer, Greg Ward Jr. (1,955 yards, 11 TDs), will be key to the outcome of this contest. Players will take the field Saturday, Nov 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET and it will air on ESP2.
Houston routed Vanderbilt 34-0 last week. Chance Allen had a solid game in the win, totaling three receptions for 95 yards. Demarcus Ayers added 59 receiving yards and a TD on five receptions. Not to be outdone, Cincinnati cruised past UCF 52-7. Gunner Kiel had a big game passing the ball for the Bearcats, completing 15 of 15 passes for 319 yards and five TDs. Johnny Holton had a big game as well, totaling 146 receiving yards and two TDs on three receptions.
The Cougars, a nine-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Cincinnati visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is presently unavailable.
The Cougars enter the game with records of 8-0 Straight Up (SU) and 6-2 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Cougars have America’s seventh-ranked running attack with 274.8 yards per game. Turning to the Cougars defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Bearcats will be matching up against a stout Houston pass defense, which only allowed 190.2 passing yards over their last five matchups. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Bearcats can avoid turning the ball over against the Cougars, whose defense leads the nation with 2.8 turnovers per game. The Cougars make it hard on their opponents in the second quarter. Houston averages 15.9 points during that period, one of the best in the country. On special teams, Houston has some playmakers. They average 118.1 return yards per game, 16th in Division I.
Across the field, the Bearcats have 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS records this season. The Bearcats went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS over the last five games. Cincinnati has found a lot of success through the air. Its 370.6 passing yards per game ranks sixth in Division I. The Cincinnati pass defense has given teams problems during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 235.2 passing yards against this scary group. The Bearcats usually get going immediately from the initial kickoff, averaging 11.2 points in the first quarter this year.
Predictions: SU Winner – Houston, ATS Winner – Houston
Notes
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston’s last 7 games at home.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati.
Houston is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU when leading at the half this season. Houston is 7-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Cincinnati is 3-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle this season, and an even 1-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Houston has drawn an average of 8.2 penalties on opponents over its last five games, but Cincinnati is a perfect 3-0 SU this season when penalized at least eight times in a game.
