The Missouri Tigers are shaping up to be one of the teams to beat in the SEC with two big wins to start off their season. Meanwhile, the UCF Knights lost on foreign ground in their season opener against Penn State in Dublin, Ireland.
Will the Tigers continue to build their resume as a potential playoff contender? Or will the Knights state their case as a force to be reckoned with? Read on for more on this big college football matchup and check out our best five college football games to watch in Week 3.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Missouri Tigers vs. UCF Knights Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri
When: Saturday, September 13, 12:00 PM ET
Line: UCF Knights (+10) at Missouri Tigers (-10); total 55.0 – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Missouri Tigers
After two blowout wins (albeit against weak nonconference opponents), the Missouri Tigers have some positive momentum ahead of their first big test of the season against the UCF Knights. Missouri pounded the Toledo Rockets 49-24 on Saturday, the second time in two games the total has gone over.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Maty Mauk has stepped into James Franklin’s shoes nicely. The first-year starter has completed 64.2% of his passes for 503 yards and eight touchdowns in two games this season. Despite being a strong quarterback for Missouri, he is still green around the edges as he also threw a pair of picks against Toledo. He’ll have to dial those picks in as UCF have a couple of cornerbacks, Jordan Ozerities and Jacoby Glenn, who each had an interception against Penn State.
Nevertheless, Mauk can still be confident in his passing especially with Bud Sasser being his primary target. Sasser currently leads the team with seven receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers’ biggest concern this season has been their rushing defense. They allowed 271 yards on the ground, and the five touchdowns they’ve allowed have all come on runs.
However, Missouri won’t likely run into trouble against the Knights’ running game, which has averaged 0.8 yards per carry on 29 carries to start the season.
The Missouri Tigers were 10-2 ATS following a win since last season.
Betting on the UCF Knights
The UCF Knights are hungry for a win. They’re on the heels of a heartbreaking loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions in their season opener on August 30. The Knights have a tough game ahead of them when they meet the SEC’s Missouri Tigers who currently rank 20th in the national rankings.
Nevertheless, this is a team that takes pride in its record against the big boys. The Knights are 4-2 in their last six games against the Power 5 conferences and have won their last two against teams ranked in the top 25.
Last year’s backup quarterback Justin Holman came off the bench big time for UCF in their opener. He nearly led the team to a comeback victory only to fall 26-24 to a late Penn State field goal. Still, he finished completing 9 of 14 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.
The Knights may enjoy more production from Holman against Missouri. Holman can stretch out Missouri’s defense with wide receivers J.J. Worton and Breshad Perriman able to catch deep passes. Worton caught five passes for 83 yards including a long 46-yard reception against Penn State. Meanwhile, Perriman caught a 50-yard pass on a third-and-long situation for a first down that set up another TD.
Having wide receivers like Worton and Perriman can take Holman out of sticky situations, especially against a Missouri defense (92nd in passing defense) which has allowed an average of 251 passing yards in its first two games.
Offense aside, the Knights’ defense still needs a lot of work. They allowed a total of 511 yards on 75 plays in just a single game. However, rushing only accounts for 57 of the 511 yards.
While they’ll surrender significant yardage in the air, they may be able to limit production from Missouri’s leading running back Russel Hansbrough. The Missouri running back has accounted for 210 of the Tigers’ 392 rushing yards as well as two of three rushing touchdowns. If the Knights can limit Missouri’s running attack, then they’ll be able to keep themselves in the game.
The UCF Knights have won their two road underdog games in the 2013 college football season.
Writer’s Prediction
The UCF Knights will have no answer for Missouri’s passing attack. The Tigers (-10) win by at least two touchdowns to cover the spread.
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