In a matchup that showcases two squads ranked in the Top 20 nationally, the No. 11 Washington Huskies (-18) are set to face off against the No. 20 BYU Cougars at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. FOX will broadcast the action and the game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
BYU Cougars at Washington Huskies Betting Preview
BYU is projected to play the role of underdog and is currently getting 18 points in this game. The Cougars are also receiving +800 moneyline odds while the Huskies are -1450. If one team can find paydirt in the early stages, it would probably result in a decent live betting opportunity.
The line initially opened at -17 and the sharp action has been siding with the Huskies.
The Cougars have gained 2.1 units so far and are 3-1 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have recorded an O/U mark of 0-4. The Huskies are up 1.0 unit this season. The team is 1-3 ATS and also owns an O/U record of 0-4.
The Cougars are 3-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Huskies are also 3-1 SU.
The Cougars are trying to keep things going following a solid 30-3 win over McNeese last week. The Cougars defense did its part in the win, limiting the Cowboys to just 134 passing yards and 73 rushing yards. On the offense, Tanner Mangum completed 15-of-25 passes for only 118 yards and one touchdown. Squally Canada (57 rushing yards on 10 attempts) and Lopini Katoa (64 yards on 10 carries, two TDs) led the ground attack while Aleva Hifo (four receptions, 38 yards) and Dallin Holker (three catches, 23 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Washington enter this one after just earning a 27-20 win over Arizona State. Jake Browning completed 15-of-22 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Myles Gaskin (86 rushing yards on 21 attempts) and Salvon Ahmed (71 yards on 10 carries) spearheaded the running game while Aaron Fuller (three receptions, 50 yards, one TD) and Cade Otton (three catches, 40 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
When looking at offensive play-calling, each team has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. BYU has run the ball on 55.1 percent of its offensive possessions while Washington has a rush percentage of 54.2. The Cougars have run for 157 yards per game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Huskies are logging 160 rushing yards per game and have five total rush TDs.
It seems like the Cougars should own an edge when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has given up only 26 sacks while the D-line logged 17 sacks. The Huskies offensive line has allowed 20 sacks and their defense has created only 39 sacks.
The Cougars offense has averaged 164 yards in the air overall and has four passing scores so far. The Huskies have recorded 273 pass yards per contest and have eight total pass TDs.
BYU has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 143 yards and throw for 185 yards per game. The Washington D has allowed 154.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 148.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Huskies are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.89 to opponents, while the Cougars have given up a 4.47 ANY/A.
Offensively, Mangum has amassed 523 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 59 percent of his 94 attempts with three passing scores and two interceptions. Mangum’s got a 4.99 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.63 over the last two games.
The Cougars will likely try to control the clock by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Along with Aleva Hifo (97 yards), Squally Canada (204 rush yards, three rush TDs) and Lopini Katoa (119 rush yards, two rush TDs) have really been focal points in the offensive game scripts for BYU.
In the other huddle, Jake Browning has connected on 56-of-91 passes for 811 yards, six TDs and three INTs. Browning’s ANY/A sits at 7.93 for the year and 7.79 over his past two outings.
The Huskies also like to keep their RBs involved. In addition to Myles Gaskin (25 receiving yards), Aaron Fuller (zero rush yards, 259 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Andre Baccellia (zero rush yards, 65 receiving yards) have seen a lot of looks lately.
Free Pick: BYU Cougars vs. Washington Huskies
SU Winner – Washington, ATS Winner – Washington
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Washington defensive unit has tallied six sacks on the year while BYU has five.
Each team has lost one fumble this year.
The Cougars offense has created zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Huskies have accounted for four such plays.
The BYU defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while Washington has given up zero such plays.
The BYU offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Washington has created nine such runs.
The Cougars defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Huskies have given up two such runs.
BYU has rushed for 4.30097087378641 yards per attempt over its past three games and 5.0 over its last two.
Washington has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.3 over its last two.
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