The UTSA Roadrunners (+2) aren’t traveling far to battle their conference rival Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN 3 will showcase the action.
UTSA Roadrunners at Rice Owls Betting Preview
UTSA is a live dog and is currently getting 2 points in this Saturday CUSA game. The Roadrunners are also receiving +110 moneyline odds while the Owls are -130. This CUSA matchup should provide several decent live betting opportunities, and Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 56 points.
The original odds have changed, as the line opened at 1.5. The game’s over/under hasn’t moved after being set initially at 56.
The Roadrunners have lost 1.0 unit so far in 2018 and are 0-5 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under record of 4-1. The Owls are down 2.0 units this season. The team is 2-3 ATS and owns an O/U record of 5-0.
The Roadrunners have gone 2-3 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Owls are 1-4 SU overall and 0-1 SU in conference play.
Rice enters this contest on a zero-game winning streak while UTSA has lost each of its last zero. The Roadrunners just notched a 30-21 victory over UTEP last weekTheir defense allowed the Miners to rush for 154 yards on 44 attempts, including two rush TDs. Kai Locksley had a productive day for the Miners in that one with 106 rushing yards and a score on 24 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Cordale Grundy completed 20 passes for only 187 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Rhodes (17 yards on 10 rush attempts) led the ground attack in the win. Greg Campbell Jr. (four receptions, 61 yards) and Kirk Johnson Jr. (four catches, 26 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Rice most recently fell 56-24 to Wake Forest. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Demon Deacons to eat up the clock by rushing for 171 yards on 41 attempts, including two rush TDs. Greg Dortch was outstandingfor the Demon Deacons, recording 163 yards and four touchdowns on 11 catches. For Rice, Shawn Stankavage completed 17-of-32 passes for 103 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Austin Walter really turned heads in the loss. In addition to 165 yards on 18 rush attempts (and one TD), Walter also reeled in five receptions for 32 yards and one TD.
UTSA’s run the ball on 47.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Rice has an overall rush percentage of 56.8 percent. The Roadrunners have produced 96 rush yards per game and have three touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Owls are logging 202 rushing yards per game and have six total rush TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Owls could own an edge when it comes to quarterback protection. Their offensive line has given up only six sacks while their D-line has logged seven sacks. The Roadrunners O-line has given up 16 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing signal-callerss on just 14 occasions.
The Roadrunners offensive scheme has logged 169 yards per contest in the air overall and has six passing TDs so far. The Owls have recorded 181 pass yards per contest and have nine total pass scores.
Defensively, UTSA should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 140 yards and pass for 258 yards per game. The Rice defense has given up 310.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 173.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Roadrunners are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 9.19 to opposing QBs, while the Owls have given up a whopping 11.97 ANY/A.
Offensively, Grundy has put up 639 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 55 percent of his 124 attempts with four scores through the air and two interceptions. Grundy has a 4.01 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.89 over the last two outings.
In the home locker room, Shawn Stankavage has connected on 64-of-109 passes for 649 yards, seven TDs and four INTs. Stankavage’s ANY/A stands at 5.03 for the year and 2.21 over his last two outings.
These two schools faced off last year with the final result being a 20-7 win for UTSA.
RELATED: Week 6 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
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SU Winner – UTSA, ATS Winner – UTSA, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Rice has lost two fumbles this season while UTSA has lost five.
The UTSA defensive unit has twice as many sacks as Rice this year (14 to seven).
UTSA has produced 3.64423076923077 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.6 over its last two.
Rice has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.5 over its last two.
In its last three games, Rice is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
UTSA was favored by 11 points in its previous game and the Over/Under was set at 47. The over cashed and UTSA failed to cover in the 30-21 victory over UTEP.
Over its last three matches, UTSA is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Rice was favored by 28 points in its last matchup and the Over/Under was set at 67. The over cashed and Rice did not cover in the 56-24 loss to Wake Forest.
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