The South Florida Bulls (-10) are heading north to face their conference nemesis Connecticut Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. This afternoon game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: South Florida Bulls vs. Connecticut Huskies
In this Saturday American Athletic Conference matchup, South Florida is getting picked as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 10 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to lay down $400 to win $100 back on the Bulls (-400). The Huskies are getting +300 moneyline odds. If one side can create a bunch of points early on it would create a worthy live betting opportunity. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 52.5 points.
The O/U has not changed after it was initially posted at 52.5. Having said that, the opening line was 11 so the early action has been swaying to the Huskies.
The Bulls are down 3.0 units so far and 2-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 2-2.
The Huskies have gained 0.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-3.
The Bulls are 1-3 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against conference opponents. The Huskies are 1-3 SU overall and 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Bulls are reeling from a 48-21 defeat to SMU last week. the Bulls completed 21-of-40 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Blake Barnett went 13-for-21 for 222 yards and three touchdowns while Jordan McCloud completed eight-of-19 for 66 yards and two interceptions. Jordan McCloud (-3 yards on nine rush attempts) mounted the running attack. Johnny Ford (five receptions, 26 yards) and Mitchell Wilcox (four catches, 77 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
One week ago, UCF got the victory against this Connecticut crew by a score of 56-21. The Huskies defense allowed the Knights to pass for 377 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 230 yards and three scores. Gabriel Davis put up a solid outing, recording 119 yards and three touchdowns on five catches for UCF. For Connecticut, Steven Krajewski completed 22-of-33 passes for 273 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Kevin Mensah (123 rushing yards on 23 attempts) led the running game as Cameron Ross (six receptions, 91 yards, one TD) and Art Thompkins (five catches, 27 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
South Florida has run the ball on 49 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Connecticut has an overall rush percentage of 56.1 percent. The Bulls have run for 97.8 yards per game and have three touchdowns on the ground this year. The Huskies are averaging 110 rush yards per game and have four total rushing TDs.
The Bulls offensive scheme has logged 207.3 yards per contest through the air overall and has eight passing TDs so far. The Huskies have recorded 202 pass yards per game and have three total pass scores.
Defensively, South Florida should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 188.8 yards and pass for 203 yards per game. The Connecticut defense has allowed 234.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 160.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bulls are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.81 to opposing QBs, while the Huskies have allowed an 8.08 ANY/A.
Krajewski probably has the edge over Jordan McCloud in this one. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 7.77 for the season and 7.46 across his past two games while McCloud’s ANY/A is 2.26 (and 4.02 over the past two outings).
When these two teams met last year, South Florida earned the win 38-30.
South Florida Bulls at Connecticut Huskies Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: South Florida, ATS Winner: South Florida, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- Each team defense has created eight sacks this season.
- Connecticut has lost four fumbles this season while South Florida has lost three.
- The Bulls offense has produced four pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Huskies have accounted for one such play.
- The South Florida defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40+ yards, while Connecticut has given up two such plays.
- The South Florida offense has created six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Connecticut has created two such runs.
- The Bulls defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Huskies have given up three such runs.
- The Over/Under for Connecticut’s previous game was set at 65. The over cashed in the team’s 56-21 loss to UCF.
- Over its last three contests, Connecticut is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three matches, South Florida is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for South Florida’s previous game going into it was 61. The over cashed in the team’s 48-21 loss to SMU.
- South Florida has averaged 3.5 yards per rush attempt across its past three games and 3.7 over its last two.
- Connecticut has averaged 2.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.2 over its past two.
