Two teams that prefer running the football, Head Coach Randy Edsall and the Connecticut Huskies (-10) are set to pay a visit to the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Kickoff for this showdown is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and FLOF is scheduled to have the TV rights. When the two programs met a year ago, Massachusetts emerged victorious by a score of 22-17.
Betting Preview: Connecticut Huskies at Massachusetts Minutemen
Massachusetts is entering this game as a significant underdog and is currently getting 10 points. If they are wanting to take the moneyline, bettors would currently need to wager $400 in order to net $100 back on the Huskies (-400). The Minutemen are getting +300 moneyline odds. If one side can create a bunch of points early on it’ll create a nice live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 63.5 points.
This game’s line opened at 9.5. The total hasn’t moved since it opened at 63.5.
The Huskies are down 1.0 unit so far in 2019 and 3-4 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-5.
The Minutemen are down 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-6 ATS and own an O/U record of 5-2.
The Huskies have gone 1-6 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Minutemen are also 1-6 SU.
The Huskies are looking to bounce back after a 24-17 defeat to Houston last week. Jack Zergiotis completed 27 passes for 270 yards, two scores and one interception. Art Thompkins (only 46 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and Kevin Mensah (93 yards on 12 carries) led the ground attack while Cameron Ross (nine receptions, 75 yards) and Thompkins (seven catches, 54 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Massachusetts just lost convincingly 69-21 to Louisiana Tech two weeks ago. The defensive unit allowed the Bulldogs to pass for 304 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 385 yards and four scores. Justin Henderson was a force to be reckoned with, recording 137 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 11 attempts for Louisiana Tech. As a group, the Minutemen collectively completed 25-of-43 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Randall West went 17-for-29 for 172 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Michael Curtis was eight-of-14 for 49 yards and one interception. Gilberto Torres (23 yards on 11 rush attempts) and Bilal Ally (92 yards on 10 carries, one TD) mounted the running game while Kyle Horn (four receptions, 22 yards, one TD) and Zak Simon (four catches, 43 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
When glancing at offensive play-calling, each of these squads sports a similar (53-47) run-pass ratio on the season. The Huskies have produced 113.1 rush yards/game and have six touchdowns on the ground this year. The Minutemen are averaging 133.9 rush yards per game and have nine total rushing TDs.
The Huskies offense has averaged 203 yards in the air overall and has seven passing TDs so far. The Minutemen have put up 168.1 pass yards per contest and have eight total pass scores.
Connecticut seems to have an edge in both defensive facets. The team has let opponents run for an average of 195.9 yards and pass for 232.7 yards per game. The Massachusetts D has allowed 287.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 264.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Huskies are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 8.40 to opposing QBs, while the Minutemen have allowed an ugly 9.49 ANY/A.
West has completed 54-of-88 passes for 523 yards, four TDs and three INTs. West’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 4.66 for the year and 4.08 over his last two games. In the other huddle, Zergiotis is up to 643 passing yards this year. He’s completed 63-of-106 attempts with two passing touchdowns and five interceptions. Zergiotis has a 3.68 ANY/A for the year, though that number sits at 6.00 over the past two outings.
Connecticut Huskies at Massachusetts Minutemen Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Connecticut, ATS Winner: Connecticut, O/U: Over
Betting Trends
- The O/U for Connecticut’s last game was 56. The under cashed in the team’s 24-17 defeat to Houston.
- Connecticut, as a team, has averaged 3.6 yards per rush attempt across its last three outings and 4.5 over its last two.
- Massachusetts has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last three games and only 2.5 over its past two.
- The Massachusetts offense has lost one fumble this season while Connecticut has lost five.
- Over its last three matchups, Connecticut is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Massachusetts’ previous match going into it was 64. The over cashed in the team’s 69-21 loss to Louisiana Tech.
- In its last three games, Massachusetts is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Huskies offense has tallied one pass play of 40 yards or more, while the Minutemen have accounted for zero such plays.
- The Connecticut defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Massachusetts has given up six such plays.
- The Connecticut offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Massachusetts has created eight such runs.
- The Huskies defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Minutemen have given up 16 such runs.
- The Connecticut defense has sacked opposing QBs 15 times this season. Massachusetts has registered just eight sacks.
