jimmythegreek
The opening odds start here
(24) Houston -32 over Connecticut:
The Cougars (10-1 8-0) remained unbeaten in the AAC by virtue of a 31-13 win over Memphis (5-6 2-5) last week at TDECU Stadium. Alton McCaskill (9-58 6.4 1 TD) got the Cougars rolling early with a 36 yard scoring run. Clayton Tune (13-59 4.5 1 TD) scored on a 20 yard run, and Tune (20/34 264 1 TD 2 INT) also completed a 19 yard scoring pass to Nathaniel Dell (7-100 1 TD) as Houston led Memphis 21-3 at half after a scoreless first quarter. Ta'Zhawn Henry (13-73 5.6 1 TD) capped off the balanced rushing attack with a 4 yard run late in the 4th. Jeremy Singleton caught 5 passes for 80 yards, but it wasn't Tune's best day throwing the ball as Marcus Jones picked him off twice and the Cougars committed 3 turnovers. However, the Tigers committed the same amount of miscues and could not take advantage surrounding a tenacious Houston defense. Seth Hanigan (21/45 208 1 TD 2 INT) was ineffective throwing the ball and provided Memphis' only TD with a 5 yard scoring pass to Asa Martin (4-11 1 TD). Calvin Austin III caught 5 passes for 103 yards but was kept out of the end zone, and the Cougars held Memphis to just 106 rushing yards and were outgained 461-322 overall. David Kemp hit 2 chip shot field goals, but in the end wasn't nearly enough for the Tigers, who held the ball for only 25:00. Meanwhile, Johnny Richardson (14-147 10.5 1 TD) led a Knights rushing offense that ran for 4 scores overall and gained 280 yards on the ground as UCF crushed Connecticut (1-10 0-6) 49-17 last week at Addition Arena. Richardson opened the scoring with a 9 yard TD run followed by Mikey Keene (4-33 8.3 1 TD) with a 30 yard keeper, Mark-Antony Richards (10-31 3.1 1 TD) from 8 yards out, and finally Parker Navarro (3-41 13.7 1 TD) on a 5 yard run to start the fourth quarter. Keene also completed 23/29 for 208 yards and 3 scores, a 17 yard scoring pass to Richardson for his only catch that gave the Knights a 28-0 second quarter lead, and a 3 yard TD pass later to Amari Johnson (3-11 1 TD). O Keefe also received a halfback option and fired a 49 yard scoring strike to Brandon Johnson (7-125 1 TD) extending the carnage. UCF (7-4 6-0) outgained U Conn 537-311 and forced 4 Huskies turnovers, It was a nightmarish performance for Steven Krajewski (18/42 174 3 INT), though he did score a on a one yard run just before halftime and ran 10 times for as many yards (1.0. However, the only other TD the Huskies could muster was a Nathan Carter one yard run (13-78 6.0 1 TD) to finally get U Conn on the board nearly 20:00 unto the contest. Krajewski was also sacked 6 times by the UCF defense with the only other scoring by the Huskies being a 42 yard field goal by Joe McFadden late.
Tune (223/325 2712 22 TD 8 INT) despite not hitting the right notes last time out has been sharp and solid all season. What's dynamic about Tune is that he can be a dual force and is agile both in the pocket and if he gets time to throw in the open field. Dell (65-965 9 TD) has been his primary lone workhorse target all season, while Jeremy Singleton (21-370 4 TD) and TE Christian Trahan (33-363 2 TD) are viable second options underneath and in short yardage situations. Bu where this offense lies most dangerous is in the running game led by McCaskill (153-790 5.2 15 TD) among the leaders in rushing scores in the country, and Henry (97-471 4.9 7 TD). Their offense features a nice mix of a solid ground game and efficient aerial attack to the tune (no pun intended) of 38 points and 418 ypg. Once they get started, Dana Holgorsen will not stop taking his foot off the gas pedal, until they kill clock with the contest well in hand. Connecticut has been vulnerable all season on defense, rated well near the bottom in the country. They yield the same 38 ppg Houston average and 450 total yards per game. Jackson Mitchell does have a team leading 105 tackles for the Huskies, but has only 2 sacks despite 2 INT. Travis Jones leads the Huskies with 5 of their team's 13 sacks, while Tre Wortham and Jeremy Lucien also have recorded 2 picks of Connecticut's 10 overall. Where the disadvantage lies is the disparity in size and speed against the more efficient opposition, so the run defense will be vital when it comes to even containing, much less stopping McCaskill and Henry on numerous touches and opportunities.
You have to give Krajewski (113/212 1138 6 TD 10 INT) credit for taking chances, but at the same time the passing game seems to be just a shell of itself, given U Conn is always playing from behind and his arm strength is limiting him from going downfield at a consistent clip. Other than Keelan Marion (24-434 5 TD) being a mild threat in the receiving core, the depth and limitations in personnel cloud the future of how the U Conn offense operates. Nathan Carter (122-565 4.6 2 TD) is the team's one long bright spot but even he doesn't lead his squad in rushing TD. The Huskies aren't an up tempo team like Houston, and either need to use all their downs or wind up punting nearly 4 times more than they score, again due to disparity and talent and lack of personnel. The Huskies average a shade under 14 ppg and 268 total yards, among the least in Div 1-A. Houston has a top 35 run defense giving up only 3.1 yards per carry, averaging a shade under 100 yards overall and they yield overall about 296 net yards and 20 points per contest. Donovan Mutin leads the Cougars with 66 tackles and has recorded 3 sacks and is tied with D'Anthony Jones with 4 forced fumbles. Logan Hall and Derek Parish each have a team leading 5 sacks, and Houston has recorded 35, top 5 in the country. Marcus Jones has 45 tackles and a team leading 6 of his team's 16 INT. So you can see there is lots of balance and diversity both against the run and pass, so Connecticut will have to force turnovers of their own to endure short fields, and mostly win the TOP battle. Easier said than done.
With all the misfortune surrounding Connecticut, and the tenure of Lou Spanos weighing as thin as potentially losing his job by season's end, at least Houston still has plenty to play for when it comes to the bowl selection. The Huskies have not been able to stop the run or pass, and yield a ton of points lacking players who cannot gain penetration on the outside, and fail to flourish whether it comes to either the rushing or passing game. Tune will be striking all the right notes on Saturday, and given his ability to run and throw a decent deep ball against a shell of a secondary, this could get ugly especially if you have a dual headed monster in the backfield.
The Cougars (10-1 8-0) remained unbeaten in the AAC by virtue of a 31-13 win over Memphis (5-6 2-5) last week at TDECU Stadium. Alton McCaskill (9-58 6.4 1 TD) got the Cougars rolling early with a 36 yard scoring run. Clayton Tune (13-59 4.5 1 TD) scored on a 20 yard run, and Tune (20/34 264 1 TD 2 INT) also completed a 19 yard scoring pass to Nathaniel Dell (7-100 1 TD) as Houston led Memphis 21-3 at half after a scoreless first quarter. Ta'Zhawn Henry (13-73 5.6 1 TD) capped off the balanced rushing attack with a 4 yard run late in the 4th. Jeremy Singleton caught 5 passes for 80 yards, but it wasn't Tune's best day throwing the ball as Marcus Jones picked him off twice and the Cougars committed 3 turnovers. However, the Tigers committed the same amount of miscues and could not take advantage surrounding a tenacious Houston defense. Seth Hanigan (21/45 208 1 TD 2 INT) was ineffective throwing the ball and provided Memphis' only TD with a 5 yard scoring pass to Asa Martin (4-11 1 TD). Calvin Austin III caught 5 passes for 103 yards but was kept out of the end zone, and the Cougars held Memphis to just 106 rushing yards and were outgained 461-322 overall. David Kemp hit 2 chip shot field goals, but in the end wasn't nearly enough for the Tigers, who held the ball for only 25:00. Meanwhile, Johnny Richardson (14-147 10.5 1 TD) led a Knights rushing offense that ran for 4 scores overall and gained 280 yards on the ground as UCF crushed Connecticut (1-10 0-6) 49-17 last week at Addition Arena. Richardson opened the scoring with a 9 yard TD run followed by Mikey Keene (4-33 8.3 1 TD) with a 30 yard keeper, Mark-Antony Richards (10-31 3.1 1 TD) from 8 yards out, and finally Parker Navarro (3-41 13.7 1 TD) on a 5 yard run to start the fourth quarter. Keene also completed 23/29 for 208 yards and 3 scores, a 17 yard scoring pass to Richardson for his only catch that gave the Knights a 28-0 second quarter lead, and a 3 yard TD pass later to Amari Johnson (3-11 1 TD). O Keefe also received a halfback option and fired a 49 yard scoring strike to Brandon Johnson (7-125 1 TD) extending the carnage. UCF (7-4 6-0) outgained U Conn 537-311 and forced 4 Huskies turnovers, It was a nightmarish performance for Steven Krajewski (18/42 174 3 INT), though he did score a on a one yard run just before halftime and ran 10 times for as many yards (1.0. However, the only other TD the Huskies could muster was a Nathan Carter one yard run (13-78 6.0 1 TD) to finally get U Conn on the board nearly 20:00 unto the contest. Krajewski was also sacked 6 times by the UCF defense with the only other scoring by the Huskies being a 42 yard field goal by Joe McFadden late.
Tune (223/325 2712 22 TD 8 INT) despite not hitting the right notes last time out has been sharp and solid all season. What's dynamic about Tune is that he can be a dual force and is agile both in the pocket and if he gets time to throw in the open field. Dell (65-965 9 TD) has been his primary lone workhorse target all season, while Jeremy Singleton (21-370 4 TD) and TE Christian Trahan (33-363 2 TD) are viable second options underneath and in short yardage situations. Bu where this offense lies most dangerous is in the running game led by McCaskill (153-790 5.2 15 TD) among the leaders in rushing scores in the country, and Henry (97-471 4.9 7 TD). Their offense features a nice mix of a solid ground game and efficient aerial attack to the tune (no pun intended) of 38 points and 418 ypg. Once they get started, Dana Holgorsen will not stop taking his foot off the gas pedal, until they kill clock with the contest well in hand. Connecticut has been vulnerable all season on defense, rated well near the bottom in the country. They yield the same 38 ppg Houston average and 450 total yards per game. Jackson Mitchell does have a team leading 105 tackles for the Huskies, but has only 2 sacks despite 2 INT. Travis Jones leads the Huskies with 5 of their team's 13 sacks, while Tre Wortham and Jeremy Lucien also have recorded 2 picks of Connecticut's 10 overall. Where the disadvantage lies is the disparity in size and speed against the more efficient opposition, so the run defense will be vital when it comes to even containing, much less stopping McCaskill and Henry on numerous touches and opportunities.
You have to give Krajewski (113/212 1138 6 TD 10 INT) credit for taking chances, but at the same time the passing game seems to be just a shell of itself, given U Conn is always playing from behind and his arm strength is limiting him from going downfield at a consistent clip. Other than Keelan Marion (24-434 5 TD) being a mild threat in the receiving core, the depth and limitations in personnel cloud the future of how the U Conn offense operates. Nathan Carter (122-565 4.6 2 TD) is the team's one long bright spot but even he doesn't lead his squad in rushing TD. The Huskies aren't an up tempo team like Houston, and either need to use all their downs or wind up punting nearly 4 times more than they score, again due to disparity and talent and lack of personnel. The Huskies average a shade under 14 ppg and 268 total yards, among the least in Div 1-A. Houston has a top 35 run defense giving up only 3.1 yards per carry, averaging a shade under 100 yards overall and they yield overall about 296 net yards and 20 points per contest. Donovan Mutin leads the Cougars with 66 tackles and has recorded 3 sacks and is tied with D'Anthony Jones with 4 forced fumbles. Logan Hall and Derek Parish each have a team leading 5 sacks, and Houston has recorded 35, top 5 in the country. Marcus Jones has 45 tackles and a team leading 6 of his team's 16 INT. So you can see there is lots of balance and diversity both against the run and pass, so Connecticut will have to force turnovers of their own to endure short fields, and mostly win the TOP battle. Easier said than done.
With all the misfortune surrounding Connecticut, and the tenure of Lou Spanos weighing as thin as potentially losing his job by season's end, at least Houston still has plenty to play for when it comes to the bowl selection. The Huskies have not been able to stop the run or pass, and yield a ton of points lacking players who cannot gain penetration on the outside, and fail to flourish whether it comes to either the rushing or passing game. Tune will be striking all the right notes on Saturday, and given his ability to run and throw a decent deep ball against a shell of a secondary, this could get ugly especially if you have a dual headed monster in the backfield.