Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Texas El Paso Miners
The fans at Sun Bowl will be treated to a game between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Texas El Paso Miners when they take their seats on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers currently have the Golden Hurricane listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Miners, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
Tulsa was defeated 28-21 by Boise State last time out as 9-point underdogs. The 49 points went UNDER the posted total of 56.
G.J. Kinne threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns in that loss.
UTEP was downed by Memphis, 35-20, on the road in Week 6.
Memphis covered as a 1.5-point home underdog while the final score played under the 58-point total.
Team records:
Tulsa: 4-2 SU, 3-1-1 ATS
Texas El Paso: 2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS
Tulsa most recently:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on turf are 8-2
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2
Texas El Paso most recently:
When playing in October are 4-6
When playing on turf are 5-5
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing within the conference are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tulsa's last 5 games on the road
Tulsa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tulsa's last 5 games when playing Texas El Paso
Tulsa is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas El Paso's last 5 games when playing Tulsa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas El Paso's last 6 games at home
Texas El Paso is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games at home
Texas El Paso is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Next up:
Tulsa home to Southern Methodist, Saturday, October 31
Texas El Paso home to UAB, Saturday, October 31
Game of the day: Tulsa at UTEP
By Marc Lawrence
The Conference-USA takes moves to prime time when Tulsa (4-2, 2-0) visits UTEP (2-4, 1-1) at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas in a game televised on ESPN Wednesday night.
The Golden Hurricane opened a 6.5-point favorite and the line has moved to -7.5 and now settles at -7 as of Tuesday night.
Weather update
Clear skies and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60’s expected at kickoff. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Hurricane helper
Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne continues to impress despite being constantly pressured by opposing defenses. Kinne has thrown for seven touchdowns with no interceptions in the past three games and has completed 61.9 percent of his passes this season, good for 1296 yards and 12 TD’s with only two INT’s.
Unlike playing against Tulsa quarterbacks of the past, defenses no longer can sit back in pass coverage because of Kinne's running ability. As a result he has been able to turn potential sacks into positive yardage.
"Our quarterback never flinched. He never wavered. He took care of the ball like I asked him to. He took shot after shot after shot and came back and hit a home run. We came back and had our chances… the guy's a warrior and he's gonna be phenomenal,” Tulsa coach Todd Graham told the media.
Receiver Damaris Johnson leads the team in receptions with 24, good for 428 yards and two TD’s. Trae Johnson has 12 catches, six of which have gone for TD’s.
Hurricane RB Donald Buckram ranks 18th in the country in rushing, averaging 103 yards per game.
The Tulsa offensive line continues to struggle. With an All-Conference OT Tyler Holmes out indefinitely with a broken leg and OG Clint Anderson still not 100 percent, Boise State was able to exploit weaknesses up front. The Golden Hurricane surrendered four sacks Wednesday and has allowed 23 on the season, the third worst in the nation.
Miner matters
UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe has completed 103 of 193 attempts this season good for 1235 yards with seven TD’s and five INT’s.
Many of Vittatoe's passes against Memphis were on the money but were dropped by the Miners’ receivers. Against Tulsa, the catches need to be made if UTEP wishes to pull off the upset.
Receiver Jeff Moturi continues to be the Miners clutch receiver, catching a pass in 30 straight games.
"We have to focus on the little things, mainly catching the ball. The most obvious thing is, we've got to catch the ball. Catching the ball has been the biggest struggle,” contends UTEP WR Donavon Kemp.
Linebacker Jeremy Springer continues to amaze the UTEP coaches on his switch from quarterback for the 2009 season. Springer ranks second on the team with 45 tackles after switching to defense this season.
Stand up and be counted
Tulsa has not allowed a rushing touchdown in six games but allowed 193 yards on the ground to Boise State. It was the first game this season an opponent gained more yards rushing than passing against the Hurricane.
The defense held the Broncos to two touchdowns below its season scoring average and did not allow a rushing touchdown for the sixth time this season.
UTEP handed the nation's 12th-ranked Houston Cougars a 58-41 defeat in El Paso three weeks ago and proceeded to lose Memphis on the road a week later.
The Miners have averaged 48 points and 459.5 yards of total offense in its two wins but only 12.8 points and 268.8 yards of total offense in its four losses.
A win here could move the Miners in to a four-way tie atop the CUSA West Division by the end of this week.
The history book
The host on Wednesday night regular season college football games is 24-12-1 ATS this decade.
UTEP is 2-6 ATS at home versus Tulsa, winning the last two games straight up.
The dog in this series is 4-1 ATS the last five games. The loss occurred last season when the Miners lost 77-35 as 20-point puppies.
Tulsa (4-2, 3-1-1 ATS) at UTEP (2-4 SU and ATS)
Tulsa looks to bounce back from a tough non-conference loss to fifth-ranked Boise State when it travels to El Paso, Texas, for a Conference USA battle with the Miners at the Sun Bowl.
The Golden Hurricane jumped on Boise State quickly a week ago tonight and led 14-8 after the first quarter, then gave up the next 20 points and couldn’t recover in a 28-21 loss, though they did cover as a nine-point home underdog. Tulsa managed just 295 yards of offense while giving up 380, and it got out-rushed 193-88 in seeing a two-game winning streak halted. The Hurricane’s two losses this year came to teams ranked fifth and 12th (45-0 loss at Oklahoma).
UTEP has been idle since falling 35-20 at Memphis as a 1½-point road favorite on Oct. 10, failing to capitalize on the momentum gained after a stunning 58-41 home upset of then-No. 12 Houston on Oct. 3. Against Memphis, the Miners rolled up 442 total yards, but gave up 486, including 270 on the ground, and they committed three turnovers in falling to 2-6 SU in their last eight games.
The home team has won five in a row (3-2 ATS) and seven of eight (5-3 ATS) in this rivalry. Last year, Tulsa rallied from a 28-21 deficit and destroyed UTEP 77-35 as a 20½-point home favorite, finishing with a whopping 791-338 edge in total offense (321-32 rushing). It was the most yards gained in a Division I-A game last year. The Hurricane are 5-2 ATS in the last seven battles with the Miners overall and 5-2 ATS in their last seven trips to El Paso.
Prior to last year’s rout, the underdog had cashed in four straight meetings, with those four games decided by a total of 16 points.
UTEP is surrendering an average of 46.7 points and 596 yards per game in its last three contests, while the Golden Hurricane are surrendering just 13.7 points and 270.7 yards in their last three.
The Golden Hurricane are just 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight road games, but otherwise are on pointspread surges of 4-1-1 overall, 3-0-1 as a favorite and 4-1 after a SU loss. UTEP has cashed in four straight games as an underdog of 3½ to 10 points, but otherwise the Miners are in ATS ruts of 2-5 overall, 3-7 at home, 3-11 on artificial turf and 2-5 after a bye week.
Tulsa has stayed under the total in seven straight lined games and is on further “under” streaks of 4-0 on the road, 4-1 in Conference USA action, 5-0 as a favorite, 10-3-1 in October and 5-2 as a road favorite. Conversely, UTEP is on “over” streaks of 5-2 in conference play, 5-2 after a bye and 8-2 as an underdog. Finally, five of the last six clashes in this rivalry have topped the posted total, including each of the last three at the Sun Bowl.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TULSA
Tulsa vs UTEP
By SportsPic
Off a 28-21 loss to Boise State the highest ranked team the've played Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (4-2, 4-1-1 ATS) head back into conference play with a lot of confidence knowing they held one of the most explosive offenses in the nation to two touchdowns below its season scoring average and did not allow a rushing touchdown. Scoring 30.8 points per game while allowing just 18.2 Golden Hurricanes should have their way with UTEP (2-4, 2-4 ATS) managing 24.5 PPG but allowing a whopping 34.8 on 277.2 passing, 214.7 rushing yards per contest. Tulsa won last years encounter 77-35 as 20.5 point home favorites marking a fifth win in seven meetings with a profitable 5-2 mark at the betting window. Sportsbooks look for Tulsa to take this one pegging Golden Hurricanes 8 point road favorites. Tulsa enters 6-12-1 ATS last 19 on the road, 3-7-1 ATS away vs conference foes while Miners bring to the contest a 7-12 ATS record it's last nineteen lined home games and a vig losing 5-5 ATS mark it's last ten hosting a conference opponent
Tulsa Golden Hurricane UTEP Miners
CUSA CFB betting action heats up on Wednesday night when the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Golden Hurricane invades El Paso to take on the Miners.
For the second week in a row, Tulsa (4-2, 4-1-1 ATS) will partake in a midweek CFB betting affair when they take on UTEP (2-4, 2-4 ATS) Wednesday night. The Golden Hurricane covered the number against Boise State last week, but never really had a chance of pulling off the outright win. After shocking Houston at home as 2-TD underdogs (58-41), the Miners laid an egg on the road and lost at Memphis as 1.5-point favorites (35-20) back on October 10th.
BoDog Sportsbook currently has the visiting Golden Hurricane tagged as 7.5-point road favorites over the host Miners with a game ‘total’ of 58-points for tonight’s match-up.
Last week’s home game against Boise State was filled with exhilaration and depression for Tulsa throughout the games 60 minutes of play. Tulsa got on the board first when they scored on a trick play, and held a 14-8 lead after the 1st quarter of play; but then it got ugly. The Broncos rattled off the next 20 points to take a 28-14 lead into the final quarter. Lightning struck when QB G.J. Kinne hit WR Slick Shelly from 55-yards out to get Tulsa backers within the spread, but the Golden Hurricane’s final effort to tie the game up fell short when Kinne misfired to a wide open FB Charles Clay on 4th down with less than a minute to go. Though the SU defeat was tough to swallow, the Golden Hurricane proved its worth by staying within the spread in a game they probably should’ve gotten blown out in. Boise’s O-Line had its way up front allowing the Broncos RB corps to run wild for 193 yards on 43 rushes. With UTEP coming in ranked 90t h in the country in rushing offense (122.7 YPG) it will allow Tulsa’s 42nd ranked pass defense (201 YPG) to flex its muscles.
UTEP has been very inconsistent throughout its first six games of the ’09 season. When the offense is clicking (check vs. NMST & Houston), the team is 2-0 SU & ATS. When it’s not, HC Mike Price’s squad is tough to watch (0-4 SU & ATS vs. Buffalo, Kansas, Texas, and Memphis). The Miners will have had 10 days to prepare for tonight’s contest, so at the very least, UTEP backers will be looking for some sort of consistency. The Miners are allowing opponents an average of 215.7 YPG on the ground this season (#114), but luckily for them, Tulsa sits in the middle of the pack averaging 154.7 YPG on the ground (#52). That said; they’ve been picked apart through the air as well allowing an average of 277.3 YPG (#115). The Miners won’t be winning tonight’s game with its defense, so instead, it should look to match points and outscore the Golden Hurricane much like they did a couple weeks back in this venue vs . Houston.
Tulsa trounced UTEP by a 77-35 final count as 20.5-point home favorites last season, and they’ve covered 5 of their L/7 trips to El Paso. UTEP is 4-0 ATS the L/4 times it was installed a home pup in the 3.5 to 10-point range. The over has cashed in 5 of the L/6 overall meetings b/n these CUSA West rivals.
NCAAF Week 8
Wednesday's game
Tulsa crushed UTEP 77-35 LY (-18) gaining an astonishing 791 yards in the game, 321 running, 470 passing, but Golden Hurricane lost three of last four visits here, losing 48-47 in Sun Bowl in '07. Tulsa is 3-0 as the favorite this season, 3-1 SU on road, losing only at Oklahoma- they lost tough home game to Boise State last Thursday, while erratic Miners are 2-4. losing last game 35-20 at Memphis 11 days ago. Home underdogs are 4-5 against the spread in Conference USA games this season.
Tulsa at UTEP
By Brian Edwards
One week after giving Boise St. fits before dropping a 28-21 decision at home, Tulsa (4-2 straight up, 3-1-1 against the spread) goes on the road to square off against UTEP tonight.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Tulsa as a 6½-point favorite. As of early this morning, most spots had the Golden Hurricane favored by 7½. Sportsbook.com had a total of 58 this morning with UTEP at plus-250 on the money line (risk $100 to win $250).
Although Todd Graham’s team couldn’t pull the upset as a plus-280 money-line underdog against the Broncos, bettors backing Tulsa as a nine-point ‘dog cashed tickets. They did so thanks to a 55-yard TD pass from G.J. Kinne to Slick Shelley with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Hurricane got the ball back twice with a chance to tie, but they could muster just one first down. Therefore, the 49 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 56-point total.
Kinne completed 14-of-27 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. For the season, the transfer from Texas has connected on 61.9 percent of his throws for 1,296 yards with an outstanding 12/2 touchdown-interception ratio.
Kinne has a dynamic playmaker to work with in sophomore wide receiver Damaris Johnson, who has 24 receptions for 428 yards and a pair of TDs. Johnson also has 118 rushing yards on just 15 carries.
Even in the losing effort against Boise St., Graham came away pleased with both his team and his quarterback. According to the Associated Press, Graham said about Ginne, "G.J. doesn't need me to pick him up. He's pretty strong. He was disappointed in the locker room, but the guy's a warrior and he's gonna be phenomenal."
When asked if his team’s confidence was shaken by the end of an 11-game home winning streak, Graham told the AP, "Our boys battled hard. This is the highest ranked team we've played. They are a great team, and they have one of the best offenses in the nation, they are really explosive. We fought and battled hard."
UTEP (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS) had an open date this past weekend. Before that, the Miners lost 35-20 at Memphis as one-point road favorites.
Mike Price’s team is 1-2 both SU and ATS at home this year. UTEP opened the season with a 23-17 loss to Buffalo as an 11-point home ‘chalk.’ In Week 2, Kansas came to town and dealt out a 34-7 beating as a 13½-point road favorite.
The Miners picked up their first win of the year in a 38-12 triumph at New Mexico St. as 14-point road favorites. They were rolled up early and often the following week at Texas, losing by a 64-7 count as 36-point puppies.
In Week 5, UTEP pulled a stunner by capturing a 58-41 win over a Houston squad that had previously beaten Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech. The Miners were live ‘dogs in that spot, winning outright even though they were catching 15 points.
Junior QB Trevor Vittatoe has not been able to play at the level he exhibited in posting a 33/9 TD-INT ratio in 2008. Vittatoe has seen his completion percentage drop from 58.9 percent to 53.4. Most telling, his TD-INT ratio is an abysmal 5/7 this year.
Donald Buckram has emerged as Price’s go-to RB, rushing for 618 yards and six touchdowns. He averages 6.4 yards per carry to date. Buckram was the catalyst in the win over the Cougars, producing 262 rushing yards and four TDs.
Tulsa and SMU are tied for first place in Conference USA’s West division with 2-0 records. UTEP is 1-1 in the loop.
UTEP owns a 7-4 spread record in 11 games as a home underdog during Price’s six-year tenure. The Miners have won outright in four of those contests.
Tulsa is 2-0-1 as a road favorite this year, but it went 4-7 ATS in those spots during the first two years on Graham’s watch.
The home team has won five in a row in this series. When these schools met last year, Tulsa had a NCAA season-high 791 yards of total offense in a 77-35 win as an 18-point home ‘chalk.’ The 77-point outburst was the most for the Golden Hurricane since 1964.
The ‘under’ is a perfect 4-0 for Tulsa this year. The ‘over’ is 3-2 overall for UTEP, 1-1 in its home assignments.
ESPN will have television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
UTEP junior DB Braxton Amy is “doubtful” with an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out the last three weeks.
Tulsa’s best offensive lineman – sophomore Tyler Holmes – is “out” with a leg injury, while senior safety Charles Davis is “out” for the year with a knee injury.
Idaho is the nation’s lone undefeated team remaining for our purposes, improving to 7-0 ATS with its 35-23 home win over Hawaii as an eight-point favorite. The Vandals, who are 6-1 SU with their only loss coming at Washington, were in the ‘chalk’ role for the first time in their win over the Warriors. Robb Akey’s team plays at Nevada this week as a double-digit underdog.
Pitt’s Dion Lewis is enjoying a sensational freshman campaign. Lewis is second in the country in rushing yards (918), averaging 5.7 YPC with nine touchdowns. The Panthers are 6-1 going into Saturday’s home game against USF.
The ‘over’ has hit in four consecutive games for North Carolina St. with each game playing to 54 combined points or more. The Wolfpack have given up the following scoring outputs in those four outings against Pitt, Wake Forest, Duke and BC: 31, 30, 49 and 52. Obviously, Tom O’Brien’s defense was crushed by the loss of linebacker Nate Irving, who is out for the season due to injuries sustained during a car crash over the summer.
vegasinsider.com.
Tips and Trends
Tulsa at UTEP
Tulsa (-7.5, O/U 57): Tulsa is averaging 30.8 points and 394.3 yards of total offense per game, but the Golden Hurricane isn’t just strong offensively. They also lead all Conference USA teams in scoring defense allowing 18.2 points per game. Tulsa hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this season in going 4-2. Quarterback G.J. Kinne is Tulsa’s second-leading rusher, while passing for 1,296 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Kinne has a seven-to-zero touchdown-to-interception ratio in his last three games. Tulsa’s offensive line, though, has struggled giving up 23 sacks, third-worst in the nation. DeAundre Brown had 18 tackles in last Wednesday’s 28-21 home loss to Boise State. That game marked the eighth straight time Tulsa has gone under the total. The Golden Hurricane is 2-5-1 against the spread in their last eight road contests. Tulsa is 5-2 against the spread in its last seven away games against Texas El Paso.
The Under is 11-3-1 in Tulsa’s past 15 October games.
Tulsa is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games.
Key Injuries - Offensive tackle Tyler Holmes (leg) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 33
Texas El-Paso: The 2-4 Miners have been inconsistent, but can be dangerous as they showed in their last home game, a 58-41 upset win against Houston. The Miners were plus 14 ½ in that matchup. UTEP is 9-3 against the spread in its last 12 home contests versus teams with a winning road record. Junior quarterback Trevor Vittatoe has thrown for nine 300-yard passing games in his career. Donald Buckram averages 103 yards rushing per game. The Miners are 119th in total defense, giving 493 yards per game. They rank 109th in scoring defense, allowing 34.9 points per contest. The Miners have gone against several strong offenses, including Texas, Houston and Kansas. Those three teams all rank in the top seven nationally. UTEP lost to Tulsa last year, 77-35. The Miners surrendered 791 yards in that humiliation. UTEP is 3-7 against the spread in its last 10 home games.
The Over is 8-2 the past 10 times the Miners have been an underdog.
The Over has cashed in 5 of the past six meetings between the two teams.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 25 (Side of the Day)