Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals head out to the Lone Star State to duke it out with the Houston Cougars on Thursday night. The contest between the to schools starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on the ESPN Network for your viewing pleasure. As of Tuesday, the Cardinals are -14 point favorites and the over/under now sits at 69.
In last years game in Louisville, Houston’s signal-caller Greg Ward Jr. threw two fourth quarter scores to lead the Cougars to a 43-31 come-from-behind victory. Still wet behind the ears, Lamar Jackson struggled. The young phenom threw for only 168 yards with one touchdown and two picks. The loss was part of the Cardinals’ 0-3 start, from which they rebounded to win eight of their final 10 matches.
#6 Louisville (9-1):
The Cardinals were slow out of the gate last Saturday and fell behind 12-0 to Wake Forest at home in the first half. However, their potent offense woke up and tail back Brandon Radcliff rushed for three touchdowns in a 41-point second half. when the smoke cleared, Louisville had won the game 44-12.
Heisman hopeful Lamar Jackson didn’t find his way into the end zone as he is accustomed to over the last 10 games against Wake Forest. Although, he did run for a game-high 153 yards and pass for another 145 and a score.
Despite his numbers being down last week, Jackson has amassed just under 2,900 yards through the air with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. Let’s also remember, Lamar Jackson is the best running quarterback in the country. In 2016, Jackson has rushed for another 1,336 yards and 19 more trips to the promised land.
When his quarterback wasn’t at his best, Brandon Radcliff stepped-up and carried the load for the Louisville Cardinals last week. The senior tail back ran for over 140 ykards on just 11 carries and found the end zone three times. For the year, he has totaled 768 yards rushing and 7 combined scores.
Rifleman Lamar Jackson isn’t shy about who he tosses the ball around to. Six receivers have caught over 15 passes and all have found their way to the back of the end zone in 2016. Cole Hikutini is proving that he is one of the best tight ends in the nation. The 6’5 250 pound senior has nabbed 38 balls for well over 500 yards and six scores.
Defensively, the Cardinals might have the most underrated unit in the country. They held the Demon Deacons to only 37 yards in the second half of last week’s contest. The Cardinal defense is 6th in the nation, allowing only 285 total yards a game. The secondary and the front seven are extremely tough on opposing offenses, ranking 11th in the nation against the pass and sixth against the run.
Houston (8-2):
Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. finished with 189 yards through the air last week in the win over Tulane, which gave the Cougars a pretty good game. In reality, the Cougars have not looked good since their defeat to the Midshipmen a few weeks back.
Greg Ward Jr. is also a duel-threat quarterback and his numbers in 2016 show exactly that. Ward Jr. has passed the rock for over 2,600 yards with 16 touchdowns and eight picks.
The talented signal-caller has also ran the ball 144 times for well over 400 yards and another nine scores. It’s important to note, Ward Jr. has been banged-up for most of 2016 and again is listed as probable with a nagging shoulder injury.
When Greg Ward Jr. isn’t running the ball, he is handing it off to running back Duke Catalon. This year, Catalon has toted the pigskin 104 times for 411 yards and two touchdowns. Red zone option Dillon Birden has added another six touchdowns out of the Cougar’s back field this season.
Houston is loaded at the receiver position and the numbers this year reflect just that. Three receivers have over 40 catches and all three have multiple touchdowns. Linell Bonner leads the way, with 68 grabs for 774 yards. They will need to be at their best if they hope to disrupt the Cardinal’s talented secondary.
Against the run, the Cougar defense has been outstanding in 2016. They rank 3rd in the country, giving way to only 92.8 yards a contest. Currently, the Cougars sit 25th in the nation allowing only 21 points a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Cardinals are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
The Cougars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Over is 6-1 in the Cardinals last 7 road games.
The Under is 8-3 in the Cougars last 11 home games.
The Road team is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
Game Prediction:
With the recent losses to top five teams, the Louisville Cardinals realize that their chance of playing for a FBS title just got a lot better. A signature win against Houston could go along way for them in that decision process.
Houston has quietly reached 8-2 and have not looked all that good doing it. Although, I expect to see the team that opened the season against Oklahoma in this highly touted Thursday night match-up against Louisville.
Both squads have underrated defenses and will have their hands full defending two talented duel-threat quarterbacks. It’s always tough to take the under when Lamar Jackson takes the field, but the 69 points is just too much in Houston. Also, the 14 points for the Cougars as a home dog is down right tasty. Take the under 69 and the Cougars to cover the two touchdowns on Thursday.
