Conference play in the AAC highlights the start of Week 3 in college football with the Houston Cougars taking on the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium this Thursday night. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
The Houston Cougars continue to make their way up the national rankings on the strength of a 2-0 straight-up start that includes a stunning 33-23 upset over Oklahoma in Week 1 as 13-point underdogs. This past Saturday they crushed Lamar 42-0, but they could not cover the hefty 43.5-point spread in that contest. The total stayed UNDER 66.5 points against the Sooners and it remained “off the board” in last week’s game.
Through the Cougars first two games, the offense has been balanced perfectly with 225.5 yards a game passing and 235 yards a game on the ground. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury, but he has been upgraded to probable for Thursday night. Against Oklahoma in Week 1, he put the ball up 40 times for 321 yards and two touchdowns on 23 completions. Three different Houston players have rushed for at least 100 yards so far led by Kevrin Justice with 111 yards on 27 carries.
The Bearcats come into this conference opener a perfect 2-0 SU with a 28-7 victory over Tennessee-Martin in Week 1 as heavy 37-point home favorites followed by a solid 38-20 road victory against Purdue as four-point favorites. The total went OVER 57.5 in last week’s win after staying UNDER 71.5 points in their season opener. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six home games.
Hayden Moore has taken all the snaps so far at quarterback and in his two starts he has thrown for 510 yards and five touchdowns against one interception. He has completed 60.6 percent of his 66 attempts. Nate Cole (12 receptions) and Devin Gray (9 receptions) have combined for the bulk of those yards (312) and three of those scores. Tion Green has led the way on the ground with 150 rushing yards on 32 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards a carry. Overall, Cincinnati is averaging 456 yards of total offense a game.
- The Cougars are 21-4-1 ATS in their last 26 road games and they have covered in nine of their last 12 September games. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last seven games following a SU win.
- The Bearcats are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 conference games, but they fall to 2-6 ATS in their last eight games played in September. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six home games.
- Head-to-head in this AAC tilt, the underdog is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in two of the last three games between the two.