A couple of teams that prefer to run the football, Head Coach Sonny Dykes and the No. 19 Smu Mustangs (-8) are set to take the field against their AAC rival Temple Owls at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. This crucial afternoon game is scheduled to get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPN2.
Betting Preview: SMU Mustangs vs. Temple Owls
Temple is a noticeable road underdog in this AAC game and is currently receiving 8 points. The Owls are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Mustangs are -330. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 59 points. Multiple good live betting possibilities may exist during the game.
The opening line was -7 while the over/under has not moved after it was set initially at 59.
The Owls are 4-2 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.9 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U mark of 3-3.
The surprising Mustangs are up 7.5 units this season. They’re 5-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 6-0.
The flawless Owls have gone 5-1 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against conference opponents. The Mustangs are 6-0 SU overall and are also 2-0 SU in conference play.
The Owls are coming off a 30-28 win over Memphis last week. Anthony Russo completed 20 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Re’Mahn Davis (just 72 rushing yards on 23 attempts) and Jager Gardner (77 yards on 18 carries, one TD) propelled the ground attack while Branden Mack (nine receptions, 125 yards, one TD) and Isaiah Wright (six catches, 56 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
SMU just put together a 43-37 win over Tulsa. Shane Buechele completed 23-of-40 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Xavier Jones (121 yards on 26 rush attempts, two TDs) and Ke’Mon Freeman (14 yards on 11 carries, one TD) mounted the running game as James Proche (11 receptions, 153 yards, two TDs) and Rashee Rice (four catches, 78 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Temple has run the ball on 51.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while SMU has a rush percentage of 58.3 percent. The Owls have produced 165.7 rush yards/game (including 215 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Mustangs are totaling 207 rush yards per game (187.5 in conference) and have 22 total rushing TDs.
The Owls offensive scheme has averaged 280.8 yards in the air overall (258 per game against conference opposition) and has 14 passing scores so far. The Mustangs have put up 291.8 pass yards per outing (281 in the AAC) and have 12 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Temple seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 126.2 yards and pass for 199.5 yards per game. The SMU defense has allowed 259.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 126.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Owls are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.44 to opponents, while the Mustangs have given up a 5.11 ANY/A.
Offensively, Russo is up to 1,295 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 106-of-184 attempts with 12 scores through the air and six interceptions. He has a 6.53 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.99 over the last two outings.
Shane Buechele has managed to complete 111-of-172 passes for 1,439 yards, nine TDs and four INTs for SMU. His ANY/A sits at 7.84 for the season and 8.12 over his past two outings.
These two conference foes did not get a chance to play each other in 2018.
Temple Owls vs. SMU Mustangs Free Pick
SU Winner: SMU, ATS Winner: SMU, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- Temple has rushed for 4.3 yards per attempt across its past three outings and 4.4 over its last two.
- SMU has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.9 over its last two.
- SMU has lost four fumbles this season while Temple has lost six.
- The Owls offense has produced four pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Mustangs have accounted for seven such plays.
- The Temple defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while SMU has given up four such plays.
- The Temple offense has created four rushing plays of 20+ yards, while SMU has created 11 such runs.
- The Owls defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Mustangs have given up 11 such runs.
- The SMU defensive unit has tallied 26 sacks on the year while Temple has just 16.
