Houston at Tulsa College Football Odds
November 5, 2009
The Cougars are 7-1 this season and currently ranked #13 in the nation. They are coming off a 50-43 win vs Southern Mississippi in which defense was non existent. Houston has some great wins this season, beating Oklahoma State and Mississippi State on the road while also notching a big win vs Texas Tech at home. They are led by all-conference QB and soon to be NFL draft pick Case Keenum who has thrown for 3,293 yards with 25 touchdowns to 5 interceptions through eight games. Keenum has also completed 72% of his passes. Running back Bryce Beall has rushed for 513 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. The wide receiver core of James Cleveland and Tyron Carrier have tortured secondaries all season long. Cleveland has caught 62 passes for 682 yards and 8 touchdowns this season while Carrier has 53 catches for 599 yards and 4 touchdowns. The area where the Cougars must improve headed into Saturday nights game is their run defense. They have allowed a pathetic 223 rushing yards against per game and the run game is something Tulsa will be focusing on. Tonight’s x-factor for the road Cougars will be the entire defensive line. It would be nice for head coach Kevin Sumlin to not be sweating bullets all night long wondering if his offense will be able to put up a 50 spot. If this Houston team wants to be respected and considered a threat they must act like a top 15 team and win in a statement game vs. a struggling Golden Hurricane bunch. Houston has scored 30+ points in each of their last five games while topping 40 twice and 50 once as well. This will be a very large game for Keenum’s draft stock as he will be in his senior year next season and these type of games are the ones that catapult you into preseason considerations for the Heisman the following year. Our current NCAA football odds show Tulsa as a 1 point favorite against Houston with a total set for 67.5 points.
Tulsa is 4-4 this season and head into tonight’s clash with the Cougars on a three game losing streak. The three losses in a row were to Boise State, at UTEP and a terrible defeat at home to SMU. Starting quarterback GJ Kinne is in a terrible drought of late and it couldn’t come at a worse time as they go up against arguably the nations most dangerous offensive attack. Kinne has thrown for 1,498 yards with 12 touchdowns to 4 interceptions while completing 58% of his passes. Those are extremely marginal statistics for a Tulsa quarterback. Jamad Williams is the guy in the backfield for the Golden Hurricane, he has had a disappointing season to date rushing for a mere 271 yards with only one touchdown on the ground. That is a very bad sign as Tulsa’s best chance of winning this game will be to establish the run vs. a Cougars rush defense that as stated above, is horrific. Damaris Johnson is the teams leading receiver with 29 catches for 567 yards and 2 touchdowns but it is Slick Shelley that provides the big play strike. Shelley has 22 catches for 419 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Now, Tulsa is more then capable of winning this game as they do have talent that can stay on the field with Houston. However, if head coach Todd Graham does not get serious production out of his offensive line then this game also can swing the other way and be a colossal blowout. The Golden Hurricane MUST run the ball. So with this said Jamad Williams will no question be the x-factor for Tulsa because if he proves not to be, then they have no shot because Kinne stands no chance of out-dueling Houston in a slugfest. Start betting college football with BetUS and take advantage of their incredible 0 match bonus.
Haimo’s Hot Notes:
Houston averages 42 PPG to Tulsa’s 28 PPG
Tulsa allows 21 PPG to Houston’s 28
(That is a +7 favorite margin for the Cougars)
Houston gains 563 yards of total offense to Tulsa’s 390 per game
Tulsa allows 344 yards per game to Houston’s 462 yards allowed
(That is a +55 total yard margin for Houston)
I believe Houston’s lack of defensive ability will not hurt them here as they mainly struggle against the run and that is just not something Tulsa is good at. In terms of pass defense the Cougars and Golden Hurricane are pretty even. Houston’s offense is to well balanced and if you are unfamiliar with the name Case Keenum, after tonight, you won’t be. Trends and FREE PLAY below:
Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall
Houston are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a S.U. Victory.
Tulsa is 7-0 in their last seven games ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Golden Hurricane are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games overall.
Jordan’s Picks: Houston +1 & Under 67.5
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- College Football Odds: Boise State vs Tulsa
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- Tulsa vs Tulane NCAA Football Odds
