UMass vs. Temple Prediction
Is Temple giving up too many points at home when it faces UMass tonight at 7PM ET? Here’s our prediction for this contest.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Temple is favored at home in this game, as the Owls are getting odds of -15 points against UMass. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 53 points. These two met back in 2015 with Temple getting a 25-23 road win, as a 13.5-point favorite. Tonight’s game takes place from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The contest will air live on ESPNU.
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Temple has started the season 1-1, losing to Notre Dame 49-16 and beating Villanova 16-13. The Owls have yet to cover the spread in their two games in 2017. Temple has given up an average of 504 yards per game, but most of that came in the loss to the Irish in the opener. Offensively, Temple is averaging 341.5 yards per game. Logan Marchi has thrown for 519 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense while Keith Kirkwood has eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Ryquell Armstead is the leading rusher with 86 yards on 31 carries.
UMass has already played three games this season, losing all three to Hawaii, Costal Carolina and Old Dominion. The Minutemen have also failed to cover the spread in all three games, as they were actually favored in two of them. UMass comes into tonight averaging 23.3 points per game on offense while allowing 31 per contest on defense. Andrew Ford has thrown for 827 yards and four touchdowns from the quarterback position. Adam Breneman is the leading receiver with 21 catches for 323 yards, but he is dealing with a lower body injury. Still, he is expected to play tonight. The leading rusher is Marquis Young, who has 148 yards and four touchdowns.
It’s tough to expect either team to cover tonight when they are a combined 0-5 against the spread in 2017. Still, the trends back the Owls so I will too. Temple is 6-1 against the spread in its last 7 at home and 5-0 ATS in its last five against losing teams. UMass is just 2-6 ATS in its last eight games on grass. Temple will be looking forward to bouncing back from a pair of poor showings while UMass takes a step up in competition tonight. The Minutemen have had close games against bad teams, but Temple should be able to pull away from them tonight.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: TEMPLE -15