Two schools that prefer to run the football, Coach Philip Montgomery and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+15) will be facing off against their in-conference nemesis Memphis Tigers (-15) at Liberty Bowl Memorial. ESPNU will televise the action and kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Memphis Tigers Betting Preview
Tulsa is a big road underdog in this AAC game and is currently getting 15 points. The Golden Hurricane are also receiving +550 moneyline odds while the Tigers are -840. Some good live betting possibilities may be unveiled during the game, and Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 65.5 points.
The general public leaning toward the Tigers. The line originally opened at -14 and the total was set initially at 65.
The Golden Hurricane are 4-5 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 4.2 units so far in 2018. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 1-7. The underwhelming Tigers have lost 11.2 units this season. The team is 5-4 ATS and has an even O/U record of 4-4.
The Golden Hurricane are 2-7 straight up (SU), including 1-4 SU against conference opponents. The Tigers are 5-4 SU overall and are also 2-3 SU in conference play.
The Golden Hurricane are on the upswing after a 49-19 victory over Connecticut last week in which Seth Boomer completed nine-of-14 passes for just 168 yards and four touchdowns. Corey Taylor II (133 yards on 18 rush attempts, one TD) and Shamari Brooks (151 yards on 17 carries) led the ground attack in the win while Cole Neph (two receptions, 57 yards, one TD) and Justin Hobbs (two catches, 45 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.
The Memphis Tigers are coming off of a 59-41 win over East Carolina. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Pirates to pass for 449 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 107 yards and two scores. Trevon Brown was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 193 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches for East Carolina. For Memphis, Brady White completed 21-of-30 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Darrell Henderson (132 yards on 21 rush attempts, two TDs) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (59 yards on 16 carries, one TD) handled the ground game in the win as Damonte Coxie (10 receptions, 176 yards, two TDs) and Tony Pollard (three catches, 30 yards) led the receiving attack.
Tulsa has run the ball on 65.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Memphis has an overall rush percentage of 57.4 percent. The Golden Hurricane have run for 221 yards/game (including 246 per game versus American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 15 scores via handoffs this year. The Tigers are putting up 267 rushing yards per game (240 in conference) and have 31 total rush TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then it seems like the Tigers might hold an advantage in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has logged 6.7 yards per carry while the defense has allowed 4.3 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Golden Hurricane have recorded 4.5 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 5.0 to opponents.
The Golden Hurricane offensive scheme has logged 168 yards/game in the air overall (170 per game versus conference opposition) and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have produced 268 pass yards per game (243.6 against AAC foes) and have 21 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tulsa appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 228 rush yards and 173 pass yards per game. The Memphis defense has given up 241.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 175.4 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Hurricane are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.48 to opposing QBs, while the Tigers have given up a 6.83 ANY/A.
Offensively, Boomer has amassed 601 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 40 percent of his 91 attempts with six scores through the air and two interceptions. Boomer has a 5.16 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 9.57 over the last two outings.
The Golden Hurricane will probably try to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Shamari Brooks (717 rush yards, six rush TDs), Corey Taylor II (598 rush yards, five rush TDs), and T.K. Wilkerson (95 rush yards) have brought significant production to the Tulsa offensive scheme.
For the home team, Brady White has completed 146-of-215 passes for 2,120 yards, 18 TDs and one INT. White’s ANY/A stands at 10.22 for the season and 7.72 across his last two outings.
The Tigers also like to keep their backfield featured. In addition to Damonte Coxie (728 receiving yards, six receiving TDs), Darrell Henderson (1,265 rush yards, 15 rush TDs, 263 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Tony Pollard (201 rush yards, four rush TDs, 221 receiving yards, two TDs) have seen quite a few touches recently.
When these two programs faced each other last year, Memphis won handily 41-14.
NCAA Pick: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Memphis Tigers
SU Winner – Memphis, ATS Winner – Memphis, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Memphis D has created more than twice as many sacks as Tulsa this season (19 to nine).
The Memphis offense has lost six fumbles in 2018 while the Tulsa offense has lost 12.
The Golden Hurricane offense has tallied three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Tigers have accounted for nine such plays.
The Tulsa defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Memphis has given up nine such plays.
The Tulsa offense has created 19 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Memphis has created 32 such runs.
The Golden Hurricane defense has allowed 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Tigers have given up 15 such runs.
The Over/Under for Memphis’ previous matchup going into it was 67. The over cashed in the 59-41 victory over East Carolina.
Over its last three games, Memphis is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three games, Tulsa is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Tulsa’s last game was set at 59.5. The over cashed in the team’s 49-19 win over Connecticut.
As a team, Tulsa has produced 5.6 yards per carry across its past three outings and 6.6 over its last two.
Memphis has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.0 over its last two.
*****
