The Northwestern Wildcats are dogs against the No. 20 Utah Utes in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. FS1 has the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Utah Utes Betting Preview
Northwestern is the underdog in this game and is currently getting 7 points. The Wildcats are also receiving +210 moneyline odds while the Utes are -270. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 44.5 points, and should one team can find paydirt early on, it’ll probably produce a decent betting opportunity in-game.
The game’s total has shifted down after opening at 45. The original spread of -7 has remained firm.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this year as the Wildcats have gained 8.9 units and the Utes are ahead 2.2 units.
The Wildcats are 8-5 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Utes are 9-4 SU.
The Wildcats hope to bounce back after a 45-24 loss to Ohio State on December 1 where their D allowed the Buckeyes to pass for 499 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 108 yards. Johnnie Dixon posted a good day for the Buckeyes in that one with 129 yards and a score on seven catches. On the offense, Clayton Thorson completed 27 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Isaiah Bowser (60 rushing yards on 13 attempts) led the ground attack in the loss. Kyric McGowan (four receptions, 50 yards) and Bennett Skowronek (four catches, 42 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Back on November 30, Washington got the win against this Utah crew by a score of 10-3. The Utes defense let the Huskies run for 119 yards on 40 rush attempts. Myles Gaskin had a good showing in the win, posting 71 rushing yards on 23 attempts for Washington. For Utah, Jason Shelley completed 17-of-27 passes for 137 yards and three interceptions. Armand Shyne (37 rushing yards on 11 attempts) handled the ground attack in the defeat while Jaylen Dixon (seven receptions, 68 yards) and Demari Simpkins (two catches, 17 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Northwestern has run the ball on 49.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Utah has an overall rush percentage of 59.4 percent. The Wildcats have produced 118 rush yards per game and have 24 scores via handoffs this year. The Utes are putting up 187 rush yards per game and have 23 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Utes should own an edge when it comes to RB efficiency. Their running backs has generated 4.6 yards per carry while the defense has allowed a YPC of 3.0 to opponents. The Wildcats have registered 3.2 yards per carry while allowing 3.9 YPC to opponents.
The Wildcats offense has averaged 239 yards in the air overall and has 15 passing scores so far. The Utes have produced 209 pass yards per game and have 17 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Northwestern has let opponents run for an average of 133 yards and pass for 258 yards per game. The Utah defense has given up 213.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 101.8 yards per game on the ground. The Utes are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.69 to opponents, while the Wildcats have given up a 6.56 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thorson has put up 2,832 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 60 percent of his 442 attempts with 13 scores through the air and 14 interceptions. Thorson’s got a 4.74 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.49 over the last two games.
Jason Shelley has connected on 52-of-95 passes for 719 yards, two TDs and four INTs for Utah. His ANY/A stands at 5.44 for the year and 2.45 across his past two games.
Betting Pick: Northwestern Wildcats vs. Utah Utes
SU Winner – Utah, ATS Winner – Utah, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Utah offense has lost 10 fumbles this season while Northwestern has lost three.
The Utah D has recorded 35 sacks on the year while Northwestern has just 21.
As a team, Northwestern has produced 4.7 yards per carry over its past three outings and 5.9 over its last two.
Utah has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 3.3 over its last two.
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