The Temple Owls (+14) are set to face off against the No. 23 Boston College Eagles (-14) at Alumni Stadium. The opening kickoff for this critical matchup is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPNU will televise the action.
Betting Preview: Boston College Eagles vs. Temple Owls
The Owls head into this Saturday game as a significant underdog and are currently receiving 14 points. The Owls are also receiving +500 moneyline odds while the Eagles are -735. On the surface it looks like there should be some good live betting scenarios in this match.
This game’s opening line was originally set at -15 but has recently moved.
The Owls are down 2.1 units so far and 2-2 against the spread (ATS). The team’s recorded an O/U mark of 1-2.
The Eagles are down 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-1.
The Owls are 2-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Eagles are 3-1 SU.
The Owls hope to keep things rolling after a 31-17 victory over Tulsa last week. Anthony Russo completed just seven passes on 20 attempts for 112 yards and two interceptions. Ryquell Armstead (108 yards on 24 rushes, one TD) led the ground attack while Randle Jones (two receptions, 49 yards) and Ventell Bryant (two catches, 34 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Boston College just dropped a brutal 30-13 game to Purdue. Anthony Brown completed 13-of-27 passes for 96 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. AJ Dillon (59 yards on 19 rush attempts) mounted the running attack while CJ Lewis (four receptions, 65 yards) and Tommy Sweeney (three catches, 26 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Temple’s run the ball on 53.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boston College has an overall rush percentage of 65.3 percent. The Owls have run for 129.3 yards/game and have four touchdowns on the ground this year. The Eagles are putting up 235.5 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then it appears the Eagles ought to hold an advantage in terms of RB effectiveness, as their backfield has generated 5.0 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.2 to opponents. The Owls have recorded 3.7 yards per carry while allowing 3.7 YPC to opponents.
The Owls offensive scheme has averaged 204.5 yards in the air overall and has six passing scores so far. The Eagles have recorded 254.8 pass yards per contest and have 14 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Temple has allowed 160.8 rush yards and 196.8 pass yards per game. The Boston College defense has allowed 206.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 142.0 yards per game on the ground. The Owls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.23 to opposing QBs, while the Eagles have given up a 4.00 ANY/A.
Offensively, Russo is up to 136 passing yards this year. He’s completed 9-of-24 attempts with zero scores through the air and two interceptions. Russo’s got a 1.92 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.00 over the past two games.
Ryquell Armstead (246 rushing yards, one rush TD this season), Freddie Johnson (29 receiving yards) and Ventell Bryant (120 receiving yards) have each played big roles lately.
Anthony Brown has completed 30-of-50 passes for 418 yards, five TDs and four INTs for Boston College. His ANY/A sits at 5.58 for the season and 5.47 over his last two games.
We also expect the Boston College offense to spread things out this Saturday. AJ Dillon (306 rushing yards, three rush TDs, one receiving touchdown on the year), Jeff Smith (61 rush yards, 23 receiving yards) and Tommy Sweeney (43 receiving yards, one receiving TD) have combined for 519 total yards and five touchdowns over the past couple of games.
Temple Owls at Boston College Eagles Betting Pick
SU Winner: Boston College, ATS Winner: Boston College
Team Betting Notes
- As a team, Temple has produced 4.02564102564103 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.0 over its last two.
- Boston College has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.9 over its last two.
- The Boston College offense has lost two fumbles this season while Temple has lost one.
- The Owls offense has produced five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Eagles have accounted for three such plays.
- The Temple defense has yet to allow a passing play of 40 or more yards, while Boston College has given up two such plays.
- The Temple offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Boston College has created 10 such runs.
- The Owls defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Eagles have given up three such runs.
- The Boston College defense has sacked opposing QBs 16 times this season. Temple has recorded 15 sacks.
