A couple of teams that like to feature their running games, Head Coach Mike Norvell and the Memphis Tigers (-35) are ready to face their conference foe Connecticut Huskies at Liberty Bowl Memorial. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the action and kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Connecticut Huskies vs. Memphis Tigers Betting Preview
Connecticut is the noticeable underdog here and is currently getting 35 points by bookmakers. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 77.5 points, and there should be multiple good in-game betting opportunities for this contest.
The sharp action has been siding with the over, as this game’s total initially opened at just 76.
The Huskies are 1-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-2. The Tigers have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 10.2 units. They’re 2-3 ATS and also have an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Huskies have gone 1-4 straight up (SU), including 0-2 SU against AAC opponents. The Tigers are 3-2 SU overall and are also 0-2 SU in conference play.
The Huskies hope to get back in stride after a 49-7 defeat to Cincinnati last week. The passing attack left much to be desired as the Huskies completed 14-of-36 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception. David Pindell went nine-for-23 for 125 yards and one touchdown while Marvin Washington completed five-of-13 for 56 yards and one interception. Kevin Mensah (25 yards on 15 rush attempts) spearheaded the ground attack in the loss. Kyle Buss (four receptions, 42 yards, one TD) and Aaron McLean (four catches, 97 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Memphis just lost a 40-24 game to Tulane. The defense allowed the Green Wave to run for 318 yards on 56 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. Darius Bradwell put up a good outing in the win for Tulane, accounting for 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts. For Memphis, Brady White completed 14-of-30 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. White (-26 rushing yards on 11 attempts) and Darrell Henderson (51 yards on seven carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the defeat as Damonte Coxie (five receptions, 67 yards) and Pop Williams (three catches, 56 yards) led the Memphis pass-catchers.
Connecticut has run the ball on 55.5 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 49.0 percent across possessions in conference play. Memphis has an overall rush percentage of 53.4 percent, and has run the ball 45.0 percent of the time when facing AAC opponents. The Huskies have produced 174 rush yards per game (including 153 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have six scores via handoffs this year. The Tigers are averaging 254 rushing yards per game (132 in conference) and have 15 total rush TDs.
If 2018 results can translate to this game, then it appears the Tigers might have an edge when it comes to RB effectiveness. Their running backs has generated 7.3 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 4.0 to opponents. The Huskies have recorded 4.5 yards per carry while allowing 7.5 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Huskies offensive scheme has averaged 211 yards in the air overall (224 per game versus conference opposition) and has nine passing TDs so far. The Tigers have put up 276 pass yards per contest (195.5 in the AAC) and have 14 total pass scores.
Connecticut has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 311 yards and throw for 352 yards per game. The Memphis defense has allowed 168.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 184.4 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.77 to opposing QBs, while the Huskies have given up a staggering 12.01 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pindell has put up 781 passing yards this year, and has completed 67-of-112 attempts with seven passing scores and three interceptions. He’s got a 6.63 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.38 over the last two outings.
Brady White has completed 70-of-109 passes for 1,018 yards, 12 TDs and one INT for Memphis. His ANY/A sits at 9.79 for the season and 8.42 over his last two outings.
When these two programs faced each other last year, Memphis knocked off Connecticut handily 70-31.
RELATED: Week 6 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Prediction: Connecticut Huskies vs. Memphis Tigers
SU Winner – Memphis, ATS Winner – Connecticut, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The Huskies offense has produced four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Tigers have accounted for six such plays.
The Connecticut defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Memphis has given up three such plays.
The Connecticut offense has created four rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Memphis has created 15 such runs.
The Huskies defense has allowed 19 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Tigers have given up 10 such runs.
The Memphis defense has recorded twice as many sacks as Connecticut this year (12 versus six).
As a team, Connecticut has averaged 4.36363636363636 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.9 over its last two.
Memphis has averaged 7.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.5 over its last two.
Over its last three games, Memphis is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Connecticut was the underdog by 16 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 62.5. The under cashed and Connecticut failed to cover in the 49-7 defeat to Cincinnati.
Memphis was getting 15 points in its last game and the O/U going into it was 66. The under cashed and Memphis failed to cover in the 40-24 loss to Tulane.
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