PITTSBURGH (4 - 5) at CONNECTICUT (3 - 6) - 11/9/2012, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games after playing a conference game since 1992.
CONNECTICUT is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in home games in November games since 1992.
CONNECTICUT is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in home games off a loss against a conference rival since 1992.
CONNECTICUT is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses since 1992.
CONNECTICUT is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) in home games in weeks 10 through 13 since 1992.
CONNECTICUT is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 1-1 against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 1-1 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH vs. CONNECTICUT
Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games on the road
Connecticut is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Connecticut is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games at home
Pittsburgh at Connecticut
Pittsburgh: 8-1 ATS in the second half of the season
Connecticut: 7-1 Under off BB ATS losses
NCAAF Week 11
Pittsburgh is on short week after letting Notre Dame off hook Saturday in South Bend; Panthers were 1-14 on 3rd down conversions, Irish were 10-20, overcoming Pitt's +3 turnover edge. UConn lost last four games, outscored 49-3 in second half of those games; since '05, UConn is 11-2-1 as as home underdogs- they're 2-2 at home this year, with both losses by a FG. Pitt is 1-3 on road, losing 14-13 at Syracuse as well as in OT at Notre Dame; they've covered six of last eight tries as a road favorite. Big East home teams are 8-10 vs spread in conference, home dogs are 1-2. Pitt won three of last four series games, but lost three of last four visits here; underdogs covered five of last six series games. Four of last five UConn games stayed under total; three of last four Pitt games went over.
Armadillosports.com
Pittsburgh at Connecticut: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Pittsburgh at Connecticut (3, 44)
After nearly pulling off a monumental upset in South Bend, Pittsburgh will try to rebound and move closer to bowl eligibility on the road against struggling Connecticut on Friday night. The Panthers had Notre Dame on the ropes, but lost 29-26 in triple overtime last week. A blown 14-point fourth-quarter lead and a missed field goal in the second overtime cost Pittsburgh a chance at giving first-year coach Paul Chryst a signature win. The Panthers need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible in their final season as a member of the Big East. They should be able to get past Connecticut, which has lost four straight and six of its last eight. Pittsburgh has won three of the last four meetings, including a 35-20 home victory last season when Tino Sunseri threw for 419 yards and two scores, and ran for another.
LINE: Pittsburgh -3, O/U 44.
WEATHER: Forecasts are calling for cool temperatures in the mid-30s with clear skies. Winds will blow WNW at 3 mph.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH (4-5. 1-3 Big East): The Panthers are lamenting their missed opportunities against Notre Dame. It was one of their grittiest efforts of the season, but Kevin Harper missed a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal wide right after Pittsburgh recovered a fumble in the end zone. Senior running back Ray Graham (794 yards, eight touchdowns), one of three players who came under scrutiny last week for allegedly assaulting a pedestrian, was the star as he ran for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. While Graham was spectacular, Pittsburgh was only 1-of-14 on third down.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (3-6, 0-4): Can things get any worse for the Huskies? Connecticut headed into its off week after a 40-10 loss to Syracuse and wasn’t any better upon its return. UConn fell 13-6 to South Florida – a team that had lost six straight and 11 of its last 12 conference games. Sophomore quarterback Chandler Whitmer threw two interceptions – giving him 13 on the season – and the Huskies ran for only 43 yards on 31 carries against the 85th-ranked rush defense. Connecticut is last in the FBS in scoring (16.6) and rushing (82.0).
TRENDS:
* Underdog is 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Under is 4-0 in Huskies’ last four home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Panthers’ last seven road games.
* Huskies are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Panthers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. UConn senior DE Trevardo Williams’ sack against South Florida made him the school’s all-time leader with 27.5. He is 11th in the nation with 8.5 sacks this season.
2. Graham, WR Devin Street and DB Lafayette Pitts all played against Notre Dame despite being charged, but not arrested, for simple assault Nov. 1.
3. Because of injuries, Pittsburgh LB Joe Trebitz made his first-career start and finished with a team-high 13 tackles against Notre Dame.
Pitt at UConn
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
This week’s edition of Friday Night Lights takes us to Storrs, where Connecticut will take on Pittsburgh in a Big East showdown.
As of early this morning, most betting shops had Pittsburgh (4-5 straight up, 5-3-1 against the spread) installed as a 3½-point favorite with a total of 43½. Gamblers can take UConn on the money line for a plus-150 return (risk $100 to win $155).
Paul Chryst’s team allowed a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to get away last weekend at Notre Dame, dropping a 29-26 decision in overtime. The Panthers easily took the cash as 16½-point underdogs, while the 55 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 47 ½-point number thanks to the extra sessions.
Pitt took its first lead on a 16-yard touchdown run by Ray Graham late in the second quarter. The Panthers would take that 10-6 lead to intermission, and then they took a double-digit advantage when Tino Sunseri found J.P. Holtz on a nine-yard scoring strike. With 58 ticks left in the third quarter, Pitt extended its lead to 20-6 thanks to a 21-yard field goal from Kevin Harper.
The Fighting Irish answered with a touchdown drive but the PAT was blocked, leaving Pitt with a 20-12 advantage. With 2:11 remaining, Notre Dame pulled even on a second TD pass from Everett Golson, who ran it in for the two-point conversion.
In the first overtime, both teams matched field goals after going three and out. This ensured ‘over’ backers of a fortunate winner since the game was tied at 23-23 with the total closing at 47½.
In double OT, Pitt scored first on a 44-yard boot from Harper. But on Notre Dame’s ensuing possession, it got a one-yard touchdown run from Golson to garner the victory and keep its national-title hopes alive.
Graham finished with 172 rushing yards on 24 carries against one of the country’s elite defenses. With another spread cover, Pitt improved to 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games.
Graham has returned from an ACL tear to rush for 794 yards and eight TDs. The senior RB is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
Pitt senior quarterback Tino Sunseri is playing the best football of his career. Sunseri has completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 2,363 yards with a stellar 14/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Connecticut (3-6 SU, 2-5-2 ATS) has lost four in a row and even worse, it is in the midst of a 0-5-1 ATS slide. The Huskies are coming off a 13-6 loss at South Florida. Chandler Whitmer connected on 28-of-42 passes for 284 yards, but he was intercepted twice and failed to get his team into the end zone.
Turnovers have been the story for Whitmer, who has an abysmal 7/13 TD-INT ratio. He has completed 58.5 percent of his throws for 2,115 yards.
UConn is led in rushing by Lyle McCombs, who has 547 yards on 164 carries. He has four rushing TDs but is averaging a pedestrian 3.3 YPC.
UConn’s offensive woes are indicated in the stats. The Huskies are dead last among FBS teams in rushing and scoring offense, as they average just 16.6 points per game.
UConn has won two of its four home games, going 1-2-1 ATS. As a home underdog during Paul Pasqualoni’s two-year tenure, the Huskies are 2-0-1 ATS. In fact, going back to 2005, UConn has a dynamite 13-2-1 spread record in home ‘dog situations.
Pitt has lost three of its four road assignments, but it has produced a profitable 2-1-1 ATS ledger.
When these schools met at Heinz Field last season, Pitt won by a 35-20 count as a 10-point home favorite. The 55 combined points soared ‘over’ the 41½-point total.
Sunseri torched the Huskies by completing 29-of-42 throws for 419 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also rushed for 40 yards and one score.
The ‘under’ is 6-3 overall for UConn, 4-0 in its home games. The ‘over’ is 4-3 overall for Pitt, but the ‘under’ is 3-1 in its four road assignments.
ESPN2 will have the telecast at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
The ‘over’ has hit in four of the last six head-to-head meetings between UConn and Pitt.
I cashed another easy winner Thursday by backing Arkansas St. in its 45-23 win over ULM as a seven-point home favorite. The Red Wolves have now won five in a row, going 4-1 ATS in the process.
Va. Tech nearly salvaged its season last night, only to give up a last-minute touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel as FSU escaped Blacksburg with a 28-22 win. However, the Hokies hooked up their backers as 13½-point underdogs. The big loser was Clemson, which would’ve taken control of the ACC’s Atlantic division if the Seminoles had lost.
Sportsbook.ag has KSU's Klein as the minus-250 favorite to win the Heisman.
Missouri quarterback James Franklin's confidence is shot and he clearly isn't 100-percent healthy yet. He's taken his lumps in his first season in the SEC, but he's got the talent to have a big bounce-back year in 2013. The thinking here is that if he can get healthy and stay that way, Franklin will enjoy a redemption season in 2013.
Washington St. senior WR Marquess Wilson has been suspended for this week's game vs. UCLA. Wilson has a team-high 52 receptions for 813 yards and five touchdowns
With its 40-0 win at Kentucky, Vanderbilt posted a shutout against an FBS team for the first time since 1982. The Commodores covered the spread as road favorites against an SEC squad for the first time since 1995.
Current Iron Bowl line per Sportsbook: Alabama -34.5 vs. Auburn.