The No. 18 Memphis Tigers (-10) are heading southwest to face their AAC foe Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. This daytime game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to the action on ESPN2.
Betting Preview: Memphis Tigers at Houston Cougars
In this Saturday American Athletic Conference game, Memphis is tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 10 points. If they want to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently need to put down $400 in order to win $100 back on the Tigers (-400). The Cougars are getting +300 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 71.5 points, and there will likely be some solid live betting possibilities for this game.
Sharp bettors are siding with the Tigers, as the line opened at 8.5. The game’s over/under hasn’t moved after being set initially at 71.5.
The profitable Tigers have gained 4.2 units so far and are 6-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 7-2.
The Cougars have lost 1.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-4 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-5-1.
The Tigers are 8-1 straight up (SU), including 4-1 SU against conference opponents. The Cougars are 3-6 SU overall and 1-4 SU in conference play.
Houston enters this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Memphis has lost each of its last zero. The Tigers are coming off a 54-48 win over SMU on November 2 where their secondary allowed the Mustangs to air it out for 456 yards and three touchdowns. James Proche was unmatched for the Mustangs in that one with 149 yards and a score on 13 catches. On the offense, Brady White completed 19-of-33 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell (88 rushing yards on 21 attempts, one TD) mounted the ground attack. Damonte Coxie (seven receptions, 143 yards, two TDs) and Antonio Gibson (six catches, 130 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
A couple of weeks ago, UCF got the win against this Houston crew by a score of 44-29. The Cougars defense allowed the Knights to pass for 304 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 164 yards and three scores. Tre Nixon put up a good outing in the win, recording 123 yards and two touchdowns on six catches for UCF. For Houston, Clayton Tune completed 18-of-30 passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mulbah Car (132 rushing yards on 26 attempts, two TDs) led the running game as Christian Trahan (five receptions, 35 yards) and Tre’von Bradley (four catches, 90 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Memphis has run the ball on 56.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Houston has a rush percentage of 59.8 percent. The Tigers have rushed for 185.4 yards per game (including 140.4 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 20 scores on the ground this year. The Cougars are logging 210.4 rushing yards per game (188.6 in conference) and have 17 total rush TDs.
If 2019 numbers can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Tigers ought to hold an edge when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has allowed just 24 sacks while the D-line registered 37 sacks. The Cougars, on the other hand, have allowed 30 sacks and their defense has generated only 23 sacks.
The Tigers offensive scheme has averaged 290 yards in the air overall (314.6 per game against conference opposition) and has 23 passing scores so far. The Cougars have produced 198.9 pass yards per outing (245 in the AAC) and have 14 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Memphis seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 178.6 yards and throw for 216.2 yards per game. The Houston defense has allowed 289.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 173.8 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.79 to opponents, while the Cougars have allowed an 8.11 ANY/A.
White has been more effective than Tune lately, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 10.20for the season and 11.45 over his last two outings. Tune’s ANY/A is 4.04 for the season and 6.31 over his past two games.
These two teams faced off last year with the final result being a 52-31 win for Memphis.
Memphis Tigers vs. Houston Cougars Betting Pick
SU Winner: Memphis, ATS Winner: Memphis, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Memphis D has 19 sacks on the year while Houston has 14.
- Houston has lost six fumbles in 2019 while the Memphis offense has let nine get away.
- The Tigers offense has registered 17 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Cougars have accounted for eight such plays.
- The Memphis defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Houston has given up 11 such plays.
- The Memphis offense has created 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Houston has created 21 such runs.
- The Tigers defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Cougars have given up 20 such runs.
- The O/U for Houston’s previous matchup going into it was 73.5. The under cashed in the 44-29 defeat to UCF.
- Over its last three contests, Houston is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- In its last three contests, Memphis is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Houston has dropped four of its last five games SU, with a seven-point win over Connecticut on October 19th representing the only victory over that stretch.
- The O/U for Memphis’ last game going into it was 71.5. The over cashed in the team’s 54-48 win over SMU.
- Memphis has averaged 4.4 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.9 over its last two.
- Houston has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.9 over its past two.
