Boise State Broncos vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The fans at Chapman Stadium will be treated to a game between the Boise State Broncos and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane when they take their seats on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers currently have the Broncos listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Golden Hurricane, while the game's total is sitting at 53½.
Tulsa handed Rice a 27-10 defeat at Rice Stadium in Week 5.
Tulsa pushed as a 17-point road favorite while the final score played under the 63.5-point total.
Current streak:
Boise State has won 5 straight games.
Tulsa has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Boise State: 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS
Tulsa: 4-1 SU, 3-1 ATS
Boise State most recently:
When playing in October are 10-0
When playing on turf are 10-0
After outgaining opponent are 9-1
When playing outside the conference are 8-2
Tulsa most recently:
When playing in October are 8-2
When playing on turf are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boise State is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boise State's last 6 games on the road
Tulsa is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home
Tulsa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Next up:
Boise State at Hawaii, Sunday, October 25
Tulsa at Texas El Paso, Wednesday, October 21
Games to Watch - Week 7
By Chris David
Wednesday - Boise State at Tulsa (ESPN, 8:00 p.m.)
Will we have another midweek upset on tap? Fifth-ranked Boise State (5-0 straight up, 4-0 against the spread) will face a tough test when it travels to Tulsa (4-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) for a non-conference showdown this Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane is hoping to put itself on the national map like the Broncos did, by winning these types of primetime games. Last year, Tulsa opened with eight straight wins before being humbled against a top-tier team in Arkansas (30-23). This season, the school had a chance to make some noise against a banged-up Oklahoma team in Week 3 but was blanked 45-0. The oddsmakers have made the Broncos 10-point road favorites and Chris Petersen's team has had no trouble covering outside of Boise lately (6-1 ATS run). The two schools have met four times and BSU won all four (2-2 ATS), with the last meeting coming in 2004. It could be a longshot folks but you might want to look at BCS future odds for Boise State, especially if you're catching 15/1 or higher.
vegasinsider.com
On-A-Roll
By SportsPic
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will host the nation's fifth-ranked Boise State Broncos on Wednesday night in a nationally-televised game on ESPN. Tulsa has a 4-1 (3-1-1 ATS) record, losing it's only game to the Oklahoma Sooners and has put up 32.8 points while holding the opposition to 16.2 points per game. Tulsa guarding it's field very well the last two-plus years going 14-2 while cashing 9 of the 14 lined games should provide Boise State with it's toughest road test of the season. Broncos have a 5-0 (4-1 ATS) record outscoring the opposition by 26 points per game. Broncos opened the season with a 19-8 win over Oregon Ducks and followed that with wins over Miami (Ohio), Fresno State, Bowling Green and most recently a lackluster 34-16 performance over UC Davies. Shooting for their 18th consecutive regular season victory (11-4-1 ATS) and 9th consecutive win on the highway (7-1 ATS) the Broncos have been pegged 10 point favorites for the contest. Trends of interest: Boise State is a profitable 13-7 against-the-oddsmaker the past twenty as double digit favorites, Tulsa is a vig losing 9-9-1 ATS it's last 19 taking DD points.
(5) Boise State (5-0, 4-0 ATS) at Tulsa (4-1, 2-1-1 ATS)
Boise State continues its quest for a BCS Bowl berth when it travels to Tulsa for a nationally televised non-conference clash with the Golden Hurricane.
The Broncos have won their first five games this season by margins of 11, 48, 17, 35 and 18 points. Most recently, they slept-walked through a 34-16 home victory over Division I-AA U.C. Davis on Oct. 3, but still piled up 386 total yards while allowing 234.
Tulsa also has been idle since Oct. 3 when it fried Rice 27-10, pushing as a 17-point road favorite. In their four victories over Tulane, New Mexico, Sam Houston State (Division I-AA) and Rice, the Golden Hurricane have put up 164 points and allowed 36, but in their lone defeat, they got steamrolled 45-0 at Oklahoma as an 18-point road underdog.
Boise State went 4-0 against Tulsa from 2001-04 when both teams were in the Western Athletic Conference, going just 2-2 ATS, with the last two meetings decided by seven and three points. In two trips to Oklahoma, the Broncos prevailed 52-24 as a 26-point favorite in 2002 and 45-42 as a 21-point chalk in 2004.
Boise’s high-octane offense is putting up 40.2 points and 440.8 total yards per game (193 rushing ypg). The key to the attack is sophomore QB Kellen Moore, who is completing 70 percent of his passes for 243 yards per game with 13 TDs against just two INTs. Defensively, the Broncos are allowing just 14.4 points and 273.8 yards per outings, and they’ve now held 14 of 17 opponents to 17 points or less since the start of last season, with 10 of those clubs scoring 10 points or less.
Like Boise, Tulsa’s offense is guided by a sophomore quarterback, as G.J. Kinne has completed 64 percent of his throws for 228 yards per game with 10 TDs and two picks. As a team, the Hurricane are putting up 32.8 points and 414.2 total yards per game overall but that average jumps to 516 yards and 56 points at home. Defensively, Tulsa yields 16.2 points and 299.2 yards per contest, but in the 45-0 loss at Oklahoma, the Sooners rolled up 529 yards (193 rushing).
The Broncos have cashed in seven straight lined games (6-0 ATS as a favorite) dating to last season, and they’re 8-1 ATS in their last nine as a road chalk, covering the number in those contests by an average of 14 ppg. Additionally, Boise State is on pointspread upticks of 12-2-1 overall, 4-1 after a bye, 37-17-1 in non-conference play, 4-1 against Conference USA foes, 35-15-1 versus winning teams and 4-0 as a road favorite of 10 points or less.
Tulsa has failed to cash in four straight games as an underdog, but is 6-2 ATS in its last eight as a home pup. The Golden Hurricane are on further ATS runs of 3-1-1 overall, 8-1 at home, 8-2-1 on artificial turf and 7-1 after a bye.
Boise State has topped the total in four of its last five games against Conference USA competition, but otherwise the Broncos are on “under” runs of 4-1 in October, 3-1 on artificial turf and 3-1 in non-league action. Tulsa carries “under” streaks of 6-0 overall, 3-0-1 at home, 3-0 in non-conference play and 10-3-1 in October, but the over is 11-3-1 in the Hurricane’s last 15 against WAC teams, 9-3-1 in their last 13 as a home ‘dog and 6-1 in their last seven after a bye.
ATS ADVANTAGE: BOISE STATE
Gametimepicks.com
BOISE ST (5 - 0) at TULSA (4 - 1)
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.
BOISE ST at TULSA
BOISE ST: 6-0 ATS as road favorite
TULSA: 2-4 ATS as an underdog
BOISE STATE vs. TULSA
Boise State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Boise State is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Tulsa is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home
Tulsa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
NCAAF Wednesday
Boise State won their last four games vs Tulsa, but last two were close, 46-42/27-20; Broncos ran for 264-353 yards in last two visits to Tulsa. Boise won first two road games this year, 51-34 at Fresno (-7.5), 49-14 at Bowling Green (-17)- they've held four of five opponents scoreless in first half. Tulsa is 3-1 vs I-A foes, with all four games on road- they beat a I-AA team at home. Hurricane is 6-2 as home dog since '03. Broncos covered six of their last seven tries as a road favorite. WAC favorites are 5-1 as non-conference faves, 2-1 on road. C-USA underdogs are 7-13.
Boise St. at Tulsa
By Brian Edwards
With its BCS hopes and unbeaten record on the line, Boise State (5-0 straight up, 4-0 against the spread) comes off an open date to play at Tulsa tonight. ESPN will provide television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened the Broncos as eight-point favorites. As of early this morning, most books had Boise favored by nine or 9 ½. Sportsbook.com started the total out at 53 and had the Golden Hurricane at plus-290 on the money line (risk $100 to win $290).
Chris Petersen’s team continues to rack up victories galore on his watch. Since taking over for Dan Hawkins, the Broncos have won 40 of 44 games, compiling a 25-15 spread record during that stretch.
They opened the season with a dominant 19-8 home win over Oregon, followed by a 48-0 bludgeoning of Miami (OH.) as 40-point home favorites. BSU went on the road in Weeks 3 and 4, thumping both Fresno St. (51-34) and Bowling Green (49-14).
Tulsa (4-1 SU, 2-1-1 ATS) is coming off a 27-10 win at Rice as a 17-point road ‘chalk.’ G.J. Kinne completed 21-of-32 passes for 251 yards without an interception. He found A.J. Whitmore on a 39-yard scoring strike to give backers of the Golden Hurricane a push. Kinne also had a six-yard touchdown run.
The Texas transfer has connected on 64.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,142 yards with a 10/2 touchdown-interception ratio. But Kinne struggled in Tulsa’s lone defeat, a 45-0 loss at Oklahoma. He threw two interceptions against the Sooners and had just 106 passing yards.
Damaris Johnson is the Golden Hurricane’s premier playmaker. The true sophomore has a team-high 20 receptions for 369 yards and one TD. Johnson had 245 yards of total offense in the win over the Owls and returned a punt for a score in a season-opening win at Tulane.
Boise sophomore QB Kellen Moore has been nothing short of sensational, completing 69.7 percent of his throws for 1,217 yards with a 13/2 TD-INT ratio. His favorite target is Austin Pettis, who has 28 receptions for 378 yards and six touchdowns. Titus Young has 26 catches for 330 yards and four TDs.
Jeremy Avery is carrying BSU’s rushing load, gaining 441 yards on 72 carries. He’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry with one touchdown. Avery, who also has a TD receiving, is getting most of the work since his back-up D.J. Harper went down with a season-ending injury.
Since 2003, Tulsa owns a 6-2 spread record as a home underdog. The Golden Hurricane hasn’t been a home ‘dog since losing 62-21 to Oklahoma in ’07. The week before losing to the Sooners, it beat BYU by a 55-47 count as a 6 ½-point home puppy. Those are the only two home ‘dog situations for Tulsa during Todd Graham’s three-year tenure.
Boise St. is already 2-0 ATS as a road favorite this year. The Broncos went 4-1 versus the number in similar situations last season.
Petersen’s team knows it has to stay perfect to get a BCS bid. A trip to the BCS Championship Game is highly unlikely but if teams galore go down like in 2007, the Broncos can be a part of the conversation if they collect a bunch of style points.
That will certainly be their thinking with a national-television audience tuning in tonight. Senior CB Kyle Wilson told the Associated Press, "We're definitely using this as a spotlight, statement game. We really want to get out there and just prove a point. There are not many games you can play with a spotlight like this game."
Tulsa will be missing senior free safety Charles Davis, who is out for the season after sustaining a severe knee injury in Week 3 against Oklahoma. Davis was the team’s fourth-leading tackler at the time and finished ’08 with 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, Graham’s team will be without OT Tyler Holmes. The true sophomore, a pre-season All C-USA selection, has a broken leg and is out indefinitely. Holmes will be replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Brandon Thomas
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
South Carolina owns a 10-4-1 spread record as a road underdog during Steve Spurrier’s tenure. The Gamecocks are 17-point underdogs Saturday at Alabama.
Ga. Tech will be a home underdog for the first time under Paul Johnson when it hosts Va. Tech in Saturday’s crucial ACC showdown at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Most books had the Hokies as three-point road favorites this morning.
Idaho remained perfect for our purposes by winning 29-25 at San Jose St. as a 5 ½-point road underdog. The Vandals are now 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS. They have been underdogs in every game this year, but that changes this week vs. Hawaii. The Warriors were ‘dogs in the 9-10 range early this morning.
vegasinsider.com
Who’s the better BCS buster to bet: TCU or Boise State?
By Ben Burns
Life is tough in the MWC and WAC. Lose one game, and you go from a potential BCS bowl to the Humanitarian Bowl. That’s a mammoth pay cut, and a lot of pressure on the coaches from the non-BCS conferences.
As we head into the second half of the season, TCU and Boise State are the only non-BCS teams to have a shot at crashing the big boys’ party. Both are undefeated and ranked in the Top 10 of the Coaches and Harris Polls. But only one will be headed to a BCS Bowl, most likely the Fiesta or Orange Bowl, even if they both finish undefeated.
Right now, that team appears to be Boise State, which because of nothing more than the preseason polls, is ranked higher than TCU. The Horned Frogs beat the Broncos in last year’s Poinsettia Bowl, but lost more starters and didn’t receive as much preseason hype as Boise State.
It doesn’t seem to matter that the Horned Frogs have played a much tougher schedule. Because Boise State was ranked ahead of them to start the year, TCU is going to have a difficult time leapfrogging the Broncos. (Got to love the BCS!)
The Broncos (5-0, 4-1 ATS) sit at No. 6 in the Coaches’ and Harris Poll. Their best wins are vs. Oregon to start the season and at Fresno State. Tonight’s game at Tulsa, a road game at Louisiana Tech (Nov. 6) and a home game against improving Nevada (Nov. 27) are the toughest games left for the Broncos.
The Horned Frogs (5-0, 2-3 ATS) sit at No. 10 in the Coaches’ and Harris Poll. They own impressive road wins at Virginia and Clemson. A trip to BYU (Oct. 24) and a home date against Utah (Nov. 14) are the toughest road blocks facing the Frogs.
Statistically, both teams are excellent. Boise State owns the No. 5 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 40 points a game. The Broncos are No. 14 in total defense.
The Horned Frogs are built more around their defense, which ranks No. 7 in total defense. They have an exceptional pass rush, averaging 3.2 sacks per game and are solid in special teams. Offensively, they are built around the nation’s 12th best rushing attack, which averages 215 yards.
Both teams are very well-coached. Chris Peterson is 25-16 ATS in his three years. TCU’s Gary Patterson is on a 32-19-3 run.
As you can tell, these are two evenly matched squads, who both deserve a sniff of the BCS. But only one is going to get it. Who will it be?
What Bettors Need to Know: Boise State at Tulsa
By MATT JOSEPHS
Eye on the prize
Tonight’s game should be the last major upset risk for a Boise State team set up for an undefeated season and a potential BCS bowl game. BSU’s opponents after the Golden Hurricane have a combined record of 16-21.
The Broncos didn’t play well in their last game, a 34-16 victory against UC Davis. The team had nine penalties and struggled to move the ball consistently against an inferior opponent.
As a road favorite, Boise State is 10-1 against the spreads the last three seasons and 11-2 in road games overall.
For Tulsa this game represents a chance to put them back on the map. The Golden Hurricane returned only five starters from an offense that averaged 47 points per game. They’ve eclipsed that mark once this season in a 56-3 win over Sam Houston State.
TU has been tested once this season when it lost 45-0 in Oklahoma. In that game Tulsa was outclassed, giving up six touchdowns to Oklahoma QB Landry Jones.
Golden Hurricane on defense
Tulsa has led the nation in total offense the past two years but this season it’s all about the defense. The squad has not allowed a rushing touchdown this season and has 19 sacks from nine different players. Outside of the Oklahoma game, the unit has held opponents to 36 combined points in four games.
That’s a stark difference from 27.9 points per game the stop unit allowed last season.
The Golden Hurricane will have their hands full with a Bronco unit that averages 214.3 rushing yards per game behind Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin. Not to be outdone, quarterback Kellen Moore is second in the nation in passing efficiency. The balanced attack has coach Chris Peterson’s group averaging 40.2 points per game.
Bronco busting
All of the publicity is for the BSU offense but the defense is also earning its keep. The defensive group is ranked 14th in total defense and 23rd against the pass.
The one issue the unit may have is that they don’t get pressure on the quarterback. They average 1.2 sacks per game, which is 96th overall.
Tulsa counters with quarterback G.J. Kinne and the 37th ranked passing attack. Kinne has a 161.7 passer rating and has thrown for 1,142 yards with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Kinne throws to Damaris Johnson an average of four times per game with A.J. Whitmore and Slick Shelley also getting some receiving love as well.
Line movement
BetUS.com opened at +10 early this week and but is now dealing 8.5. The total stayed in place around 53.5.
Trends
Boise State is a covering machine going 4-0 against the spread this season in its four lined games. The Broncos have a history of being successful against the number. In the last three years they are 8-2 ATS when playing a team with a winning record and also 8-2 as a road favorite.
The Broncos have gone under the closing total in five of their last six games against Conference USA opponents.
The numbers aren’t as nice for the Golden Hurricane who are 15-15 against the spread over their last three seasons. They’re 2-1 ATS this year, but 0-1 as an underdog.
It’s surprising to see that a year after putting up prolific offensive numbers, the Golden Hurricane have gone under in all four of their lined games.
Weather
The weather for Wednesday night’s game calls for a high of 55 degrees with a 30 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms possible. The wind impact will be light at 7 mph.
Tips and Trends
Boise State at Tulsa
Boise State (-8.5, O/U 53): Fifth-ranked Boise State has covered seven of its last eight road games. But following impressive wins in their first four games, the Broncos were flat in their last contest, a 34-16 victory against UC Davis. The Broncos were held to a season-low 101 yards on the ground and were whistled for nine penalties. Quarterback Kellen Moore continued his strong season, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Moore has the second-highest passer rating in the nation and a 13-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Boise State’s offensive line has allowed only three sacks all season. The Broncos were idle last week. They’re expecting back defensive leader and top punt returner, senior cornerback Kyle Wilson. The Broncos gave up an average of 163.3 yards through the air in their first four games when Wilson played, but surrendered 206 passing yards to UC Davis with Wilson out because of strained shoulder.
The Broncos are 37-18-1 ATS in their last 56 non-conference matchups.
Key Injuries - Running back D.J Harper (knee) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 31 (Side of the Day)
Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane have won 13 of their last 14 games at home, but need to prove they can play well against a strong opponent after losing 45-0 on the road to Oklahoma on Sept. 19. Tulsa’s four victories have come against inferior teams Tulane, New Mexico, Sam Houston State and Rice. The Golden Hurricane is 0-4 versus Boise State, although the last time they met was in 2004. Quarterback G.J. Kinne ranks seventh with a 161.7 passer rating. He’s thrown for 1,142 yards and 10 touchdowns, while being picked off just twice. Kinne has put up these numbers despite an offensive line that has been battered by injuries. Left guard Clint Anderson is healthy, though, after being bothered by a foot injury. The Golden Hurricane has gone under in their last four non-conference matchups. The under has cashed in Tulsa’s last seven games overall.
Tulsa has covered in 9 of its past 10 home contests.
Key Injuries - Offensive left tackle Tyler Holmes (knee) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 22