Thursday, November 17, 2016

TDECU Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Louisville Cardinals take on the Houston Cougars on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at TDECU Stadium. The opening line for this game has Louisville as 10 point favorites. This season the Cardinals are 5-4-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 7-3-0. The Cougars have an over/under record of 4-6-0 and they are 4-6-0 against the spread.

Lamar Jackson finished with 231 yards through the air for Louisville last week. He completed 12 passes out of 17 attempts for a 71% completion percentage. The Cardinals were led in rushing by Lamar Jackson, who finished with 185 yards on 15 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 12 yards per carry. Jaylen Smith was the team leader in receiving with a total of 123 yards and 6 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 21 yards per reception. As a team in that game Louisville got a total of 22 first downs. Of those first downs, 6 came on the ground while 13 came through the air. They ran 65 total plays for 515 yards for the game. The Cardinals ran for 210 yards on 36 attempts.

Greg Ward finished with 240 yards passing for Houston last week. He went 26 for 37, resulting in a 70% completion percentage. The Cougars were led on the ground by Duke Catalon, who finished with 82 yards on 19 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. D'Eriq King led the team in receiving with 55 yards and 4 catches. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. Houston had 22 first downs total. 10 came from running the ball and 12 came from a pass. They ran 86 total plays for 398 yards for the contest. The Cougars ran for 158 yards on 49 carries as a team.

Louisville scores 49.6 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 1st in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 20.2 passes on 34.1 attempts for a 59.2 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 313.2 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 17th in college football. The Cardinals run for an average of 270 yards per game on 40.4 attempts for an average of 6.7 yards per carry. That ranks them 9th in the nation. They also run 74.5 plays per contest and average 7.8 yards per play for an average of 583.2 yards per game, ranking their offense 1st overall this season. The Cardinals average 27 first downs per game which ranks them 5th in the country. They accumulate 70.1 penalty yards per game via 7.4 penalties, which ranks 10th in the nation.

Louisville allows 182.5 passing yards per game, ranking 11th in D-1, and they allow 20.3 points per contest on defense, which ranks 16th. They give up 16.4 completions on 30.7 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 53.4. The Cardinals allow 102.7 rushing yards per game on 36.6 carries for an average of 2.8 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 6th in the country. Louisville allows 285.2 total yards per game including 4.2 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 6th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.1 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 6.8 penalties for 64.4 yards per game, ranking them 109th among D-1 teams.

Houston averages 37.6 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 22nd in the country. In the passing department, they complete 25.3 passes per game on 37.4 attempts for a 67.6 percent completion percentage. They throw for 283.8 yards through the air per game, ranking them 26th in Division 1. The Cougars run for an average of 168.6 yards per game on 45.5 attempts for an average of 3.7 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 74th on the ground. They also run 82.9 plays per game and average 5.5 yards per play for a total of 452.4 yards per game, ranking them 42nd in the country on offense. The Cougars get an average of 24.4 first downs per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation. They average 47 penalty yards per game via 4.6 penalties, ranking them 96th in college football.

Houston allows an average of 210.5 passing yards per game, which ranks 41st in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 21.3 points per contest, which has them ranked 25th in the nation. They give up 17.5 completions on 31.7 attempts for a completion percentage of 55.2 per game. The Cougars allow 92.8 rushing yards per contest on 33.6 carries for a 2.8 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 3rd in the country. Houston allows 303.3 total yards per game for an average of 4.6 yards per play, which ranks 9th in D-1. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and 4.6 penalties for 39.9 yards in each contest, ranking 9th in the nation.

Louisville Betting Trends

Louisville is 7-3-0 against the over/under this season

Louisville has an ATS record of 5-4-1 this season

Houston Betting Trends

Houston is 4-6-0 against the over/under this season

Houston has an ATS record of 4-6-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Louisville

11/13/16 RB L.J. Scott Hamstring "?" Thursday vs. Houston U
09/29/16 S London Iakopo Knee out for season
09/26/16 LB Trevon Young Hip out for season
08/19/16 DB Cornelius Sturghill Foot out for season

Houston

11/14/16 QB Kyle Postma Arm out for season
11/13/16 QB Greg Ward Jr. Shoulder injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Louisville
09/21/16 WR Tren'Davian Dickson Personal left the team

Guy's Pick: Take Houston

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