Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Houston Cougars Preview
Where: TDECU Stadium, Houston
When: Saturday, October 15, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+21.5) vs. Houston Cougars (-21.5); total: 72.5 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
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Betting on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+21.5)
Tulsa extended its winning streak to three games with a nail-biting 43-40 victory over the SMU Mustangs on Friday night. It was another convincing performance by the Golden Hurricane who recorded their third straight series victory over the Mustangs. Leading the way for Tulsa in this victory were running backs D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders. Brewer made his presence felt on the ground, rushing for 182 yards on 32 carries with a touchdown. Flanders also wreaked havoc against the SMU defensive line, racking up 132 rushing yards and a score.
Tulsa totally dominated SMU in the ground game, outgaining them, 315-154. The Golden Hurricane are 25th in FBS in rushing offense, averaging 230.4 yards per game on the ground this season. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Houston defensive line that’s allowing 188.7 rushing yards per game this season, 55th in the FBS. The Cougars surrendered 306 rushing yards in the loss to Navy after limiting their previous seven opponents to fewer than 100.
Defensively, the Golden Hurricane will need to watch out for wide receivers Linell Bonner and Steven Dunbar. They have combined for 994 yards and five touchdowns for the Cougars this season. Containing them will be a major challenge for a Tulsa defense that surrendered 258 yards through the air in their win against SMU.
Tulsa is 3-7 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games against Houston.
Betting on the Houston Cougars (-21.5)
Houston’s playoff hopes were dealt a major blow on Saturday when it suffered a gut-wrenching 46-40 loss to Navy at Jack Stephens Field. Will Worth ran for 115 yards and threw for two scores to send the Cougars crashing to their first defeat this season. It was a disappointing result for Houston who entered the game as 17-point favorites.
The main reason behind the Cougars’ defeat was their unforgivable sloppy play. Houston turned the ball over three times and gave up two points on a poor snap in punt formation against Navy. It was the sloppiest performance of the season for the Cougars who gave up more points in this contest than in their previous four games combined. They can ill afford a repeat of that display against a Tulsa side that’s averaging 49.7 points during their current three-game winning streak.
That being said, the Cougars will still fancy their chances against the Golden Hurricane as they have fared extremely well against them of late. Houston have won each of its last two games against Tulsa. The Cougars defeated the Golden Hurricane, 38-24, in their lone meeting last season. Greg Ward Jr. starred for Houston in that victory, accounting for 455 total yards and three touchdowns. Ward has been superb for the Cougars this campaign, passing for 1,684 yards and 11 touchdowns against four picks this season. He has also rushed for 272 yards and six touchdowns for Houston this season – both team highs.
The Cougars are 10-0 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games. They are pegged at +7,500 to win the national championship this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston (-21.5) bounces back with a resounding 48-24 win.
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