MISSOURI (1 - 0) at ARIZONA ST (1 - 0)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
FLA INTERNATIONAL (1 - 0) at LOUISVILLE (1 - 0)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL vs. LOUISVILLE
Florida International is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Florida International is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Louisville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisville's last 5 games at home
MISSOURI vs. ARIZONA STATE
Missouri is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Missouri is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Arizona State is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Arizona State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Friday Night Lights
By Brian Edwards
Gamblers have a pair of ESPN games to wager on Friday night, starting with Florida International at Louisville before a late-night contest between Missouri and Arizona State.
Most books are listing Louisville (1-0 straight up, 0-1 against the spread) as a four-point home favorite with a total of 48. Bettors can take FIU to win outright for a plus-155 payout (risk $100 to win $155).
Charlie’s Strong team opened the season last Thursday with a 21-9 home win over Murray St. The Cardinals never threatened to cover the number as 28½-point home ‘chalk.’ The 30 combined points stayed well ‘under’ the 59-point total.
FIU (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) also opened last Thursday, cruising to a 41-16 win over North Texas as a 13½-point home favorite. Darriet Perry and Kendrick Rhodes ran for two touchdowns apiece and combined to rush for more than 170 yards, while quarterback Wesley Carroll, a transfer from Mississippi St., completed 16-of-22 throws for 193 yards and one TD without an interception.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern at Papa John’s Stadium. ESPN will provide television coverage.
Arizona St. (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) opened as a six-point favorite at most books this past Sunday night. However, as of Thursday afternoon, most spots had ASU favored by 7½ with a total of 52½. Gamblers can back Missouri (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) on the money line for a generous plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).
Dennis Erickson’s squad won its opener over UC Davis by a 48-14 count but disappointed its backers as a 37½-point home favorite. QB Brock Osweiler threw for 262 yards and hit Aaron Pflugrad for a pair of scoring strikes, while Cameron Marshall had two rushing touchdowns. Jamal Miles started the second half with a 98-yard KO return for a TD that gave the Sun Devils a commanding 31-0 advantage.
Missouri barely got past Miami (OH.) in its opener, capturing a 17-6 win as a 19½-point home ‘chalk.’ Sophomore QB James Franklin made his first career start and had both good moments and bad. Franklin brings a scrambling dynamic that first-round pick Blaine Gabbert didn’t have, as evidenced by 72 rushing yards and one TD on 14 carries.
Franklin completed 17-of-26 passes for 129 yards with one TD and one interception. T.J. Moe had a team-high six receptions for 56 yards.
Gary Pinkel’s squad is dealing with injuries galore. RB Kendial Lawrence, who rushed for 422 yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2010, remains ‘out’ indefinitely with a leg injury. Senior WR Jerrell Jackson, who had 50 catches for 656 yards and three TDs last year, is ‘out’ with a pulled hamstring.
Two starting offensive linemen are also ‘out’ of the lineup. Junior C Travis Ruth injured his Achilles against the RedHawks and OT Elvis Fisher is done for the year with a torn patella tendon. On the defensive side, senior LB Will Ebner sprained his ankle last week and won’t play Friday night. Ebner was the team’s third-leading returning tackler from 2010.
ASU has plenty of medical issues of its own. For starters, first-team All Pac-10 selection Omar Bolden, one of the league’s best cover corners, tore his ACL in the spring and won’t be back anytime soon. Also, senior LB Brandon McGee (73 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for losses in 2010) is done for the year with a torn Achilles.
On offense, WR T.J. Simpson (29 catches for 481 yards LY) tore his ACL in the spring and will likely miss the entire season. In addition, senior starting OT Aderious Simmons is ‘doubtful’ for Mizzou with an ankle sprain. And finally, RB Deantre Lewis (539 rushing yards, 4 TDS and 5.9 YPC LY) is ‘questionable’ with a hamstring injury.
During Erickson’s five-year tenure at ASU, the Sun Devils have compiled a 12-7 spread record as home favorites. Only four of those 19 spots had ASU favored by single digits at home and it went 2-2 ATS in those four outings.
As for Gary Pinkel’s 11-year stay at Missouri, the Tigers have posted an 11-11 spread mark in 22 games as road underdogs.
These schools haven’t met since 1990 when Missouri collected a 30-9 win. However, the last meeting in Tempe went ASU’s way by a 19-3 score in 1989.
ESPN will have the telecast at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
FIU is 9-13 ATS as a road underdog during Mario Cristobal’s five-year tenure at the Miami school that started its football program just nine years ago.
U of L is 2-3 ATS as a home ‘chalk’ since Charlie Strong took over before the 2010 campaign.
Since 2004, Penn St. is 5-3 ATS as a home underdog. The Nittany Lions are 10-point home underdogs Saturday vs. Alabama. The Tide beat up on PSU by a 24-3 score as a 12½-point home favorite in Tuscaloosa last season.
Georgia has been a home underdog just twice on Mark Richt’s watch. The Dawgs failed to cover in both spots – a 14-9 loss to South Carolina in 2001 and a 51-33 loss to Tennessee in 2006.
Missouri at Arizona State: What Bettors Need to Know
Missouri Tigers at Arizona State Sun Devils (-7.5, 52.5)
THE STORY: They’re calling this “Black Out Night” in Tempe, Ariz., as fans of No. 23 Arizona State are encouraged to wear black and the team will debut its new all-black uniforms and helmets. Both schools won their season openers, albeit in different fashion. The Sun Devils racked up 517 yards of offense in a 48-14 rout of UC-Davis, while No. 19 Missouri had only 291 total yards in a lackluster 17-6 victory over Miami (Ohio). These two schools have met five times in their history, with the Tigers leading the all-time series 3-2, but they haven’t faced each other since a 30-9 home victory for Missouri in 1990.
ABOUT MISSOURI (1-0): Quarterback James Franklin threw one touchdown and ran for another in his first career start, but the sophomore failed to get the Tigers’ offense into any sort of rhythm and threw an interception that led to Miami’s only points. Instead the defense was responsible for the victory, forcing two turnovers and holding the RedHawks to 2.1 yards per carry. It’s the second time in the last three games the Tigers will play in Sun Devil Stadium; they lost to Iowa in the Insight Bowl there last year.
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (1-0): The Sun Devils are picked to finish second in the Pac-12 South but have a legitimate shot at competing in the conference’s inaugural championship game given that USC is still banned from postseason play. With 300 yards passing and 217 on the ground in the opener against UC-Davis, Arizona State had a balanced attack and led 41-0 after three quarters. Brock Osweiler, the tallest quarterback in the FBS at 6-8, threw for 262 yards in his first career home start.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Missouri has won five road openers in a row — all by double digits — but has never won six consecutive road openers.
2. Arizona State last hosted a non-conference BCS school in 2008, a 27-10 loss to No. 3 Georgia.
3. The Tigers have won 22 consecutive non-conference regular-season games.
TRENDS
The Tigers are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games against teams with winning records but 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win.
Arizona State is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 home games and 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss.
The under is 9-2 in Mizzou's last 11 nonconference games.
LINE MOVES
The spread opened at the touchdown mark in favor of the Sun Devils and got bet up to -8 but dropped down a half point to 7.5, the number just about all shops are now using.
PREDICTION: Arizona State 31, Missouri 21. -- In a tough Friday night atmosphere, the Tigers won’t be able to score quite enough points to keep up with the Sun Devils’ fast-paced attack.