The Pittsburgh Panthers (+15) are heading south to battle the No. 13 UCF Knights at Spectrum Stadium. ESPNU has the TV rights and this critical afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Panthers at UCF Knights Betting Preview
Pittsburgh is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 15 points in this game. The Panthers are also receiving +550 moneyline odds while the Knights are -840. Multiple good live betting scenarios might exist during this matchup.
The game’s opening line was originally set at -15 and has moved a bit recently.
The Panthers have lost 1.0 unit so far in 2018 and are 1-3 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 2-1. The Knights have gained 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-1 ATS and also own an O/U record of 2-1.
The Panthers have gone 2-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Knights are 3-0 SU.
The Panthers dropped one to North Carolina 38-35 in a matchup where Kenny Pickett completed 19 passes for only 174 yards and two touchdowns. Pickett (37 rushing yards on 13 attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Qadree Ollison (72 yards on 12 carries, one TD) in the loss. Maurice Ffrench (seven receptions, 65 yards, one TD) and Rafael Araujo-Lopes (two catches, eight yards) handled the receiving duties.
The UCF Knights are coming off of a lopsided 56-36 win over Florida Atlantic. The team’s defense let the Owls run for 320 yards on 50 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. Devin Singletary was a bright spot in the defeat for Florida Atlantic, recording 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 attempts. For UCF, McKenzie Milton completed 21-of-32 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Adrian Killins Jr. (66 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and the signal-caller Milton (81 yards on 13 carries, three TDs) led the ground game in the win as Michael Colubiale (six receptions, 84 yards) and Gabriel Davis (five catches, 91 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
Pittsburgh has run the ball on 61.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UCF has an overall rush percentage of 55.0 percent. The Panthers have produced 212 rush yards per game and have nine touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Knights are averaging 284 rushing yards per game and have 11 total rush TDs.
The Panthers offensive scheme has logged 149 yards per contest through the air overall and has four passing TDs so far. The Knights have recorded 304 pass yards per contest and have nine total pass scores.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has allowed opponents to run for an average of 191 yards and pass for 205 yards per game. The UCF defense has given up 157.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 239.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Knights are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 1.98 to opponents, while the Panthers have given up a 6.55 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pickett has put up 383 passing yards this season. He’s completed 44-of-73 attempts with four scores through the air and two interceptions. He has a 3.83 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.59 over the past two games.
The Panthers have tried to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. In addition to receiver Taysir Mack (129 receiving yards), Qadree Ollison (264 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Darrin Hall (134 rush yards, one rush TD) have been focal points in the offensive game scripts for Pittsburgh.
McKenzie Milton has connected on 45-of-64 passes for 652 yards, eight TDs and zero INTs for UCF. His ANY/A sits at 12.42 for the year and 6.79 over his last two games.
The Knights also like to leverage their backfield. In addition to Gabriel Davis (131 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), Adrian Killins Jr. (104 rush yards, one rush TD) and Dredrick Snelson (zero rush yards, 152 receiving yards, one TD) have seen a lot of touches lately.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. UCF Knights
SU Winner – UCF, ATS Winner – UCF
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Pittsburgh has rushed for 5.5 yards per carry over its past two outings.
UCF has averaged 5.7 yards per carry over its last two.
The UCF offense has lost zero fumbles this season while Pittsburgh has lost four.
The Panthers offense has created three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Knights have put up one such play.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while UCF has given up zero such plays.
Both defenses have produced seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Pittsburgh offense has recorded 24 running plays of 10+ yards while UCF has accounted for 25 such plays.
The Panthers defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Knights have given up five such runs.
The Pittsburgh defense has twice as many sacks as UCF this year (eight versus four).
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