TEMPLE (0 - 5) at CINCINNATI (3 - 2) - 10/11/2013, 8:30 PM
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Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 1-0 against the spread versus TEMPLE over the last 3 seasons
CINCINNATI is 1-0 straight up against TEMPLE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
TEMPLE vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Temple's last 17 games on the road
Temple is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Cincinnati is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
Cincinnati is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Temple at Cincinnati
Temple: 11-2 OVER in road games after being outrushed by 125 or more yards last game
Cincinnati: 34-18 ATS in home games after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses
Temple and Cincinnati: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Temple Owls at Cincinnati Bearcats (-20.5, 51.5)
Cincinnati on Saturday looks to bounce back from last week’s upset loss to previously winless South Florida when the Bearcats host Temple, which is seeking its first victory under first-year coach Matt Rhule. The Owls are coming off a 30-7 loss to No. 8 Louisville, while Cincinnati lost 26-20 at South Florida after falling behind 23-6 at the half. "We're going to have to get much better to have the opportunity to win games," Bearcats coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We have to get physical and we have to block somebody."
The Bearcats have been wildly inconsistent since routing Purdue 42-7 in its season opener, but they’ll be heavy favorites against a Temple squad allowing 518 yards per game - fourth-worst in the country. Freshman quarterback P.J. Walker is set to make his first start for the Owls in place of junior Connor Reilly, who was benched after another slow start against Louisville. Bearcats quarterback Brendon Kay, who is expected to start despite suffering a bruised sternum last week, threw two touchdown passes in last season's 34-10 victory at Temple.
LINE: Cincinnati opened at -21.5 and has been bet down to 20.5. The total has stayed steady at 51.5.
WEATHER: Temperatures in the low 60s with clear skies and winds blowing NE at 4 mph.
ABOUT TEMPLE (0-5, 0-2 American Athletic Conference, 2-3 ATS): Walker, last year’s top New Jersey high school player, took over on the Owls’ third series against Louisville and provided a spark with 182 passing yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Kenny Harper has a team-high six touchdowns on 56 carries for the Owls, who have trailed at halftime in four of their first five games. Temple’s young defense is led by sophomore linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who averages an NCAA-best 10.8 solo tackles per game.
ABOUT CINCINNATI (3-2, 0-1, 2-3 ATS): Tuberville called out his veteran offensive line after the Bearcats rushed for a season-low 110 yards against South Florida last week. While the offense has struggled to establish an identity, Cincinnati ranks third nationally in total defense with linebackers Nick Temple, Jeff Luc and Greg Blair (team-high 32 tackles) leading the way. The special teams unit has become a major concern for Cincinnati, which has missed its last three field goal attempts and ranks 118th nationally in net punting.
TRENDS:
* Owls are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
* Bearcats are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games overall.
* Under is 12-5 in Owls' last 17 road games.
* Over is 5-1 in Bearcats' last six Friday games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Cincinnati has won 10 of its last 11 home games.
2. The Owls have not intercepted a pass this season.
3. The Bearcats have not allowed an offensive touchdown since the second quarter of the Northwestern State game on Sept. 14, a span of 10 quarters.
Temple at Cincinnati
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Gamblers are undoubtedly stuck with a scrub game Friday night but like I always say, every wager pays the same. Cincinnati is coming off a painful setback against previously-winless South Florida and looking to get back into the win column vs. Temple.
Most betting shops have the Bearcats installed as 21-point favorites with a total of 51. They are favored by 12.5 for first-half bets with a total of 27. The Owls have 10/1 odds to win outright at LVH.
Cincinnati (3-2 straight up, 2-3 against the spread) dropped a 26-20 decision at USF as a 10.5-point road 'chalk.' The Bearcats won the yardage battle (350-241) but gave up 14 points on a pair of critical plays. The Bulls blocked a field goal in the first quarter and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown to take the early lead. With a 13-6 advantage in the midway through the second quarter, USF forced a fumble and turned into a 10-yard scoop and score.
Cincy QB Brendon Kay completed 24-of-36 passes for 240 yards and three TDs, but he was intercepted twice. Anthony McClung had eight receptions for 90 yards, while Mekale McKay had a pair of TD catches.
Kay and Munchie Legaux have basically split time at QB the last two years, but Legaux went down with a season-ending injury in mid-September. Kay has connected on 67 percent of his pass attempts for 818 yards with a 7/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also has a rushing score to his credit.
Hosey Williams is Cincy's leading rusher with 324 yards and four TDs. The junior RB is averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Ralph David Abernathy has 309 yards rushing and a pair of scores, averaging 4.8 YPC. McClung is the Bearcats' leading receiver with 18 receptions for 234 yards.
Dating back to last season, Temple (0-5 SU, 2-3 ATS) has lost six in a row and 10 of its last 11. The Owls took the money in a 30-7 loss to Louisville last week as 32.5-point home underdogs. The 37 combined points fell 'under' the 58.5-point total.
Trailing 27-0 midway through the final stanza, Temple backers got hooked up when the defense forced U of L to settle for a 25-yard field goal. Obviously, a Cardinals' TD would've put them ahead of the number.
With 38 ticks left, Temple got a nine-yard TD pass from P.J. Walker to Jalen Fitzpatrick to secure the spread cover. The Owls are 2-1 ATS as underdogs this year, hooking up their supporters in their lone situation as road 'dogs in a 28-6 loss at Notre Dame when they were catching 28 points.
Cincy has covered the number in both games as a home favorite this season. The Bearcats rolled to easy wins over Purdue (42-7) and Northwestern St. (66-9). Going back further, they have cashed tickets at a 10-5 clip in their last 15 games as home 'chalk.' When these schools met in Philadelphia last year, Cincy thumped Temple by a 34-10 count as an eight-point road favorite. The 44 combined points stayed 'under' the 55-point tally. Kay threw for 244 yards and ran for 71. He had a pair of TD passes without being intercepted.
The 'under' is 4-1 overall for Temple, 2-0 in its road assignments. Meanwhile, Cincy has seen the 'under' go 3-2 overall, 1-1 in its home contests.
ESPN2 will provide television coverage at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets
Oregon is the nation's best ATS team with a 5-0 record. Baylor, Houston and UCLA own 4-0 spread records, while Missouri and Wisconsin are both 4-0-1 ATS.
Tulsa and California are the worst teams ATS with 0-5 records. Kansas is 0-4 versus the number.
According to most reports out of Eugene, De'Anthony Thomas is closer to 'doubtful' than his current status of 'questionable' for Saturday's game at Washington. Thomas sprained his ankle two weeks ago vs. Cal and didn't play in last week's win over Colorado.
Here are some impact players that have been declared out for the season this week: Utah St. QB Chuckie Keeton, Georgia RB Keith Marshall, Georgia WR Justin Scott-Wesley, Texas A&M DT Kirby Ennis, TCU DE DeVonte Fields and Western Michigan WR Jaime Wilson.
UCLA running back Jordon James is 'doubtful' Saturday vs. Cal. James has rushed for a team-high 463 yards and five TDs.
Maryland won't make an announcement about QB C.J. Brown's status vs. Virginia until after Thursday's practice. Brown sustained a concussion in last week's loss at FSU. He has a 7/1 TD-INT ratio and six rushing scores.
Michigan star LB Jake Ryan might make his season debut Saturday at Penn St. Ryan tore his ACL in the spring after leading the Wolverines in tackles with 88 in 2012. He also had 4.5 sacks and set a school record with five forced fumbles last year.
Arkansas center Travis Swanson, a second-team All-SEC selection last season, is 'probable' vs. South Carolina. He left last week's 30-10 loss at Florida with a knee injury.
NCAAF Week 7
Cincinnati got upset last week at previously winless South Florida, with Bulls scoring TDs on special teams/defense; Bearcats (-9) whacked the Owls 34-10 LY, outgaining Temple 472-267, running ball for 228 yards. Nationwide, home favorites are 29-24 vs spread in conference games so far this seaason. Temple is 0-5 including a loss to I-AA Fordham; but the Owls are 11-6 vs spread in last 17 games as a road underdog, covering at Notre Dame earlier this season- they also lost at Temple when favored by 7 points in Moscow. Cincy is 9-5 in last 14 games as a home fave.
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