The Temple Owls (+11) are heading west to take on their conference foe No. 17 Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to the action on ESPN2.
Betting Preview: Temple Owls at Cincinnati Bearcats
In this Saturday American Athletic Conference game, Cincinnati is labeled as the big favorite and is currently giving up 11 points. The Owls are also receiving +315 moneyline odds while the Bearcats are -425. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 46 points. Some good in-game betting possibilities should be unveiled during the showdown.
After the game’s O/U was set initially at 48, sharp bettors tend to be siding with the under.
The Owls are 6-4 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 0.8 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 5-5.
The Bearcats have been a pleasant surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 6.5 units. The team is 6-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-7.
The Owls are 7-3 straight up (SU), including 4-2 SU against conference opponents. The Bearcats are 9-1 SU overall and 6-0 SU in conference play.
The Owls got their second W in as many tries after a 29-21 win over Tulane last week. the Owls completed 26-of-44 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Anthony Russo went 22-for-38 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Todd Centeio completed four-of-six for 76 yards and one touchdown. Re’Mahn Davis (69 yards on 13 rush attempts) led the ground attack in the win while Jadan Blue (12 receptions, 131 yards, one TD) and Kenny Yeboah (five catches, 63 yards, two TDs) manned the receiving duties.
Cincinnati is coming off of a 20-17 win over South Florida. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Bulls to run for 171 yards on 47 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Kelley Joiner Jr. was a bright spot in the loss for South Florida, accounting for 72 rushing yards on 13 attempts, along with 49 yards on one catch. For Cincinnati, Desmond Ridder completed nine-of-18 passes for 78 yards. Michael Warren II (134 rushing yards on 26 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Ridder (18 yards on 12 carries) handled the ground attack in the win as Josiah Deguara (two receptions, 10 yards) and Malick Mbodj (two catches, 22 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Temple has run the ball on 51.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Cincinnati has a rush percentage of 62.9 percent. The Owls have produced 136.6 rush yards/game (including 133.7 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 11 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Bearcats are totaling 202.2 rushing yards per game (212.7 in conference) and have 20 total rush TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then the Bearcats may hold an edge in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has generated 4.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.5 to opponents. The Owls have rushed for 3.6 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 3.8 to opponents.
The Owls offensive scheme has tallied 257.4 yards/game through the air overall (234.2 per game against conference opposition) and has 21 passing scores so far. The Bearcats have produced 191.2 pass yards per outing (171 against AAC competition) and have 17 total pass TDs.
Temple has allowed opponents to run for an average of 160.4 yards and pass for 223.8 yards per game. The Cincinnati defense has given up 231.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 139.3 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Owls have given up an ANY/A of 5.34 to opposing QBs, while the Bearcats are yielding an ANY/A of 5.23.
Passing-wise, Russo has amassed 2,094 yards on the year. He’s completed 58 percent of his 312 attempts with 18 passing scores and nine interceptions. He has a 6.12 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.26 over the last two outings.
Jadan Blue, Jager Gardner and Branden Mack have combined to account for 484 yards from scrimmage over the last couple of outings.
Desmond Ridder has managed to complete 127-of-217 passes for 1,638 yards, 15 TDs and seven INTs for Cincinnati. His ANY/A stands at 6.24 for the year and 5.16 over his past two games.
We expect the Bearcats to control tempo by putting the ball in the hands of their running backs. Desmond Ridder (zero receiving yards this season) has contributed lately, but Michael Warren II (773 rush yards, eight rush TDs, 148 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Gerrid Doaks (301 rush yards, four rush TDs, one receiving TD) have really been key factors in the Bearcats’ recent offensive strategies.
When these two schools faced one another last year, Temple won by a touchdown 24-17.
Temple Owls vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Cincinnati, ATS Winner: Cincinnati, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Owls offense has recorded six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bearcats have put up nine such plays.
- The Temple defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40+ yards, while Cincinnati has given up 10 such plays.
- The Temple offense has created seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Cincinnati has created 17 such runs.
- The Owls defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bearcats have given up seven such runs.
- The Temple D has sacked opposing QBs 32 times this season. Cincinnati has produced just 25 sacks.
- Temple has averaged 2.9 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 4.0 over its last two.
- Cincinnati has averaged 6.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.6 over its past two.
- Over its last three matchups, Cincinnati is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Temple’s last game was set at 52. The under cashed in the team’s 29-21 victory over Tulane.
- In its last three matchups, Temple is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Cincinnati’s previous matchup was 47. The under cashed in the team’s 20-17 victory over South Florida.
