The Houston Cougars (-13) are heading northeast to face their in-conference rival Navy Midshipmen at Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. This afternoon game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to CBS Sports Network.
Houston Cougars at Navy Midshipmen Betting Preview
Navy is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 13 points in this Saturday AAC game. The Cougars are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Midshipmen are +375. If one squad can create a bunch of points early it’ll create a worthwhile live betting opportunity. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 61.5 points.
The total has not moved after it was initially posted at 61.5. Having said that, the opening line was 10 so sharp bettors tend to be siding with the Cougars.
The Cougars are 3-3 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-3. The Midshipmen have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 8.9 units. The team is 1-5 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-3.
The Cougars have gone 5-1 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against AAC opponents. The Midshipmen are 2-4 SU overall and 1-2 SU in conference play.
Navy comes into this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Houston has lost each of its last zero. The Cougars are coming off a resounding 42-20 win over East Carolina last week where D’Eriq King completed only 13 passes on 23 attempts for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Stevenson (three receptions, 40 yards) and Bryson Smith (three catches, 26 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
On October 13, Temple took care of this Navy crew by a score of 24-17. The Midshipmen defense allowed the Owls to pass for 300 yards while rushing for 109 yards and two scores. Ventell Bryant had a solid showing in the win, posting 147 yards on eight catches for Temple. For Navy, Garret Lewis completed three-of-11 passes for 14 yards. Malcolm Perry (48 rushing yards on 12 attempts) and the signal-caller Lewis (56 yards on 12 carries, one TD) mounted the running attack as Tazh Maloy (two receptions, 0 yards) and Taylor Jackson (one catch, 14 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Houston has run the ball on 52.2 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 60.4 percent across possessions in conference play. Navy has an overall run percentage of 85.6 percent, and has rushed the ball 90.7 percent of the time against AAC opponents. The Cougars have produced 247 rush yards per game (including 235 per game against American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 16 scores on the ground this year. The Midshipmen are totaling 304 rush yards per game (294 in conference) and have 20 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Cougars may hold an edge when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game, as their running backs has logged 6.1 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 2.8 to opponents. The Midshipmen have registered 5.1 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 5.0 to opponents.
The Cougars offensive scheme has averaged 306 yards through the air overall (207 per game against conference opposition) and has 23 passing scores so far. The Midshipmen have put up 62 pass yards per game (30.3 against AAC foes) and have two total pass TDs.
Defensively, Houston has allowed 116 rush yards and 360 pass yards per game. The Navy defense has given up 227.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 167.5 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cougars have given up an ANY/A of 6.62 to opposing QBs, while the Midshipmen are yielding an ANY/A of 7.04.
Offensively, King has amassed 1,406 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 62 percent of his 157 attempts with 17 passing scores and only one interception. He has a 10.45 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 6.92 over the last two games.
Malcolm Perry has managed to complete 5-of-16 passes for 106 yards, one TD and one INT for Navy. His ANY/A sits at for the season and 6.00 over his last two games.
When these two teams faced each other last year, Houston emerged victorious by a final score of 24-14.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free NCAA Betting Tip: Houston Cougars at Navy Midshipmen
SU Winner – Houston, ATS Winner – Houston, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Houston defense has 12 sacks on the year while Navy has seven.
Navy has lost six fumbles this season while Houston has lost three.
The Cougars offense has registered eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Midshipmen have accounted for one such play.
The Houston defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Navy has given up five such plays.
The Houston offense has created 15 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Navy has created 14 such runs.
The Cougars defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Midshipmen have given up 10 such runs.
The Over/Under for Navy’s last game was set at 49. The under cashed in the 24-17 defeat to Temple.
In its last three matchups, Navy is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three games, Houston is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Houston’s last game was 69. The under cashed in the team’s 42-20 win over East Carolina.
Houston has rushed for 6.0 yards per attempt over its last three games and 5.6 over its last two.
Navy has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.2 over its last two.
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