Connecticut at Pittsburgh: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Connecticut Huskies at Pittsburgh Panthers (-10.5, 41.5)
THE STORY: Last season when Connecticut played Pittsburgh the teams had BCS aspirations. This year as the Panthers host the Huskies in a mid-week tilt, they're playing for .500. Both are 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big East, sharing victories over South Florida. However, no Big East team appears bulletproof – just ask West Virginia – so the winner here moves right back into league title contention.
LINE MOVES: Pittsburgh opened -10 and the spread has moved to 10.5. The total opened at 41.5 and climbed to 42.5 before coming back down to 41.
WEATHER: Rain is in the forecast for Heinz Field. There is a 65 percent chance of rain with a 100 percent chance in the second half. Game-time temperatures will dip into the low 50s.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (3-4, 1-1 Big East, 2-5 ATS): The Huskies rebounded well to defeat the Bulls, 16-10, on Oct. 15, after being blitzed for 81 points in back-to-back losses to Western Michigan and West Virginia. As with UConn's other victories, defense was key, forcing four turnovers and stopping South Florida on fourth down late and in Huskies' territory. Their lone touchdown came from the defense, when cornerback Byron Jones returned a fumble for a score. Lyle McCombs continued his impressive freshman campaign, rushing for 130 yards against South Florida to bolster his total to 705 yards to go with four touchdowns.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH (3-4, 1-1 Big East, 2-5 ATS): The Panthers' offense is a mess. Ray Graham is the nation's fifth-leading rusher (939 yards, nine TDs), but he hasn’t been able to make up for the team’s quarterback struggles. Junior Tino Sunseri and freshman Trey Anderson went a pitiful 9-for-29 for 40 yards in Pitt's 26-14 home loss to Utah on Oct. 15, in which the Panthers blew a 14-3 lead. They've produced just two offensive touchdowns in the last nine quarters (both by Graham).
EXTRA POINTS
1. UConn's biggest weapon could be senior kicker Dave Teggart, who's 6-for-7 on field goals the past two games and has four multiple field goal games this year.
2. Another poor Sunseri outing could have Pitt fans chanting for Anderson. Sunseri has seven picks against just five touchdown passes and has been sacked 32 times after Utah dropped him five times.
3. Graham fumbled a kickoff that set up UConn's final score in the Huskies' 30-28 triumph over Pittsburgh last season in East Hartford. UConn leads the series, 4-3.
TRENDS:
* Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Underdog is 5-0 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Huskies are 6-1 ATS in their last seven conference games.
* Panthers are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 conference games.
PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 20, Connecticut 16 – A conservative Panthers' ground game and confident Huskies' squad should make for a tight, low-scoring affair.
UConn at Pitt Preview
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
A pair of Big East schools, Pittsburgh and Connecticut, are going through trying seasons under first-year head coaches and will try to stay in the conference hunt when they square off Wednesday night at Heinz Field.
Most betting shops are listing Pitt (3-4 straight up, 2-5 against the spread) as a 10-point favorite with a total of 42. Gamblers can back the Huskies on the money line for a plus-300 return (risk $100 to win $300).
Todd Graham’s squad has lost four of its last five games, including a 26-14 home loss to Utah as a six-point ‘chalk’ on Oct. 15. After winning its first two games, Pitt dropped a pair of heartbreakers at Iowa (31-27) and vs. Notre Dame (15-12) when it couldn’t hold on to fourth-quarter leads.
The Panthers bounced back from those defeats to play their best game Sept. 29 versus South Florida. They handed the Bulls their first loss of the year in blowout fashion, cruising to a 44-17 triumph as three-point home underdogs.
Since then, however, Pitt has lost twice by double-digit margins, going down 34-10 at Rutgers before the aforementioned loss to Utah.
Junior quarterback Tino Sunseri has had a disappointing campaign, throwing more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (five). Junior running back Ray Graham has been one of the few bright spots, rushing for 945 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He also has a team-high 30 receptions for 200 yards.
UConn (3-4 SU, 2-5 ATS) is coming off its best effort of the season, dropping USF by a 16-10 count as a 7½-point home underdog. Dave Teggart booted three field goals and Byron Jones recovered a USF fumble and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown.
The focus of UConn’s offense is redshirt freshman RB Lyle McCombs, who has rushed for 705 yards and four TDs while averaging 4.0 YPC. Junior QB Johnny McEntee has 1,209 passing yards with a 6/4 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio. McEntee’s favorite target is Isiah Moore, who has 27 receptions for 353 yards.
Pitt will be without starting sophomore safety Jason Hendricks, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, senior OT Lucas Nix will be a game-time decision due to a knee injury that’s kept him out of the last two games. On the bright side, starting LB Todd Thomas is expected to start after missing back-to-back contests.
When these schools met last year in Storrs, UConn captured a 30-28 win as a six-point home underdog. Teggart’s three field goals and Moore’s 14-yard TD catch midway through the final stanza were the difference.
The Huskies have covered the number in four of the last five head-to-head meetings between these schools, including a 24-21 loss as 6½-point underdogs in the encounter at Pitt two years ago.
The ‘under’ is 5-2 overall for UConn, 2-1 in its three road assignments this year. Pitt has watched the ‘under’ go 4-3 overall, 3-2 in its home games.
ESPN will provide television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
Virginia Tech will be without its best defensive player for the rest of the season. Junior MLB Bruce Taylor sustained a broken foot in last week’s 30-14 win over Boston College. The Hokies are now without three of their best defensive players for the rest of the year.
Sportsbook.com has Alabama installed as a five-point home favorite for next week’s critical showdown vs. LSU. The website has Stanford marked as a 2 ½-point home favorite vs. Oregon for their Nov. 12 battle in Palo Alto.
Sportsbook.com has Stanford QB Andrew Luck listed as the plus-150 ‘chalk’ to win the Heisman Trophy. Other contenders include Alabama RB Trent Richardson (+450), Oklahoma St. QB Brandon Weeden (+600), Oklahoma QB Landry Jones (+700), Boise St. QB Kellen Moore (+700) and Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson (+700).
Sportsbook.com has Alabama as the even-money favorite to win the BCS Championship Game. LSU has the second-shortest odds at plus-160, followed by Oklahoma State and Stanford, both of whom are carrying a plus-500 number. Boise St. has 12/1 odds and Clemson’s number is 18/1.
NCAAF Preview
Underdogs covered last five UConn-Pitt games, with three of those five decided by 3 or less points- average total in last five series games is 57.2. Panthers scored 10-14 points in losing last two games; they've lost four of last five games, are 2-2 at home, beating Buffalo 35-16 (-20), South Florida 44-17 (+2.5). Huskies lost four of last six games; they're 1-2 on road, losing 24-21 (+2) at Vanderbilt, 43-16 (+20) at West Virginia- they won at Buffalo 17-3 (-9). Underdogs are 7-2 vs spread in Big East play. UConn is 2-4 in last six games as road underdog. Pitt failed to cover its last four tries as a favorite.