Two of the most dominant defenses will control the tempo in this Advocare V100 Texas Bowl as the Arkansas Razorbacks meet the Texas Longhorns. Texas and Arkansas are both 6-6 going into this game. Players will take the field Monday at 9:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
Texas struggled mightily against Texas Christian 48-10 in its last game. Armanti Foreman had a huge game in the loss, pulling in four balls for 91 yards and one TD. Arkansas came up short as well, getting beat by Missouri 21-14 in their matchup. Hunter Henry had a quality performance for the Razorbacks, catching four receptions for 48 yards.
Arkansas is a five-point favorite in this game against the Longhorns. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 45 points. Sitting at 6-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-5 Against The Spread (ATS), the Longhorns will look to improve as they head into Week 18. In their five most recent matchups, the Longhorns went 3-2 both SU and ATS. The Longhorns utilize the ground game extensively. Turning to the Longhorns defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. Expect the Razorbacks to have a difficult time throwing the ball against the 12th-best pass defense in the land. The Longhorns give up only 186.2 yards per game through the air.
In the other locker room, the Razorbacks head into Week 18 with records of 9-3 ATS and 6-6 SU. In the previous five games, Arkansas has a record of 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Razorbacks rely heavily on their run game on the road, averaging zero rushing attempts per road game. Arkansas’s defense is one of the best, allowing just 20.2 points per game. Arkansas’s 22nd-ranked run defense has given its competition headaches. Opponents have only run for 124 yards per game against this horrifying bunch. The Razorbacks should look out for bad ball security against the Longhorns, who rank 114th in the country in fumbles lost with 1.1 per game. Texas’s special teams has given up some big plays this season, possibly enticing the Razorbacks to work a little extra on the return game. The Longhorns allow 41.8 return yards per game, ranking 121st in the land.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARK, ATS Winner – ARK, O/U – Under
Notes
Arkansas is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arkansas’s last 5 games.
Arkansas is 6-3 SU when leading at the half this season. Texas is 5-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Arkansas is only 1-4 SU this season when turning the ball over more than its opponent.
The Texas defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games, but Arkansas is 2-1 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2 times in a game.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Arkansas is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 28th-ranked rushing attack will face the 66th-ranked run defense of Texas, while its 22nd-ranked run defense will look to contain the 88th-ranked rushing game of the Longhorns.
