Temple vs SMU NCAA Football Game Picks

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Gerald J. Ford Stadium

Shane Buechele and the SMU Mustangs host the Temple Owls at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Saturday, October 19, 2019. Temple opens this contest as 6-point dogs. The Owls are 4-2-0 ATS and 3-3-0 when betting on the total. The Mustangs are 6-0-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-1-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Temple Owls played the Memphis Tigers and ended up getting the victory by a score of 30-28. Running the show from under center for the Owls was Anthony Russo who went 20/33 with 224 yards through the air and threw 2 touchdowns. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. Jager Gardner led the team in rushing for that contest. He broke a long run for 24 yards and he notched 1 TD for the game. He ran for 77 yards by way of 18 carries which gave him an average of 4.3 yards per run. Branden Mack led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 125 yards on 9 receptions. He averaged 13.9 yards per reception for that contest. The Owls ran the ball a total of 48 times and earned a total of 193 yards which earned them an average of 4.0 yards per run. In all, they ran 85 plays which gave them a total of 456 yards. Overall, the Owls earned 27 1st downs and they totaled 6 penalties for 70 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, Temple gave up 28 completions on 44 throws totaling 363 yards, and a completion percentage of 63.6%. Overall, they allowed a total of 492 yards and earned 4 turnovers. On the ground, the Owls gave up 129 yards on 33 runs which gave them an average of 3.9 yards per run allowed.

The Owls head into this game 5-1 for this year. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country averaging 29.8 points per contest, which has them at 62nd in college football. As a unit, they have an average of 166.2 yards on the ground per contest which is 8th in the conference. For total yards, they currently sit at 5th in the AAC and 41st in college football with 2,682 yards. The Owls have one of the top tier defenses in D-1, giving up 19 points per contest which has them at 2nd in the American Athletic Conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Owls have allowed 1,685 yards. Teams are completing 49.5% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 5.6 yards per attempt. In terms of yards on the ground, Temple is allowing 126.5 yards per game putting them 2nd in the conference and 43rd in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.3 yards per carry putting them 2nd in the American Athletic Conference and 28th in the nation overall. In total, they have allowed 759 rushing yards through 6 games.

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In their last game, the SMU Mustangs faced the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and earned the victory by a score of 43-37. Running the show from under center for the Mustangs was Shane Buechele who went 23/40 with 280 yards through the air and threw 2 TD's. He ended the game without an interception. Xavier Jones led the team on the ground in the game. He tore off a long run of 14 yards and he tallied 2 touchdowns for the game. He scurried for 121 yards on 26 carries which meant he was running for 4.7 yards per carry. James Proche led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 153 yards on 11 receptions. He averaged 13.9 yards per catch in the game. The Mustangs rushed the ball a total of 49 times and generated 130 yards which had them averaging 2.7 yards per rush. On the day, they totaled 91 plays which added up to 440 yards. For the game, the Mustangs earned a total of 25 1st downs and they had 9 penalties for 80 yards telling us that this team was extremely undisciplined. When discussing the defense, SMU allowed 23 completions on 41 attempts totaling 346 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.1%. In the running game, the Mustangs allowed 154 yards on 35 carries which gave them an average of 4.4 yards per carry allowed. In the game, they allowed 500 yards and earned 3 takeaways.

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The Mustangs head into this game 6-0. SMU has made teams game plan around their running game by averaging 207 yards on the ground per game, which has them at 35th in D-1. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 1,242 yards rushing through 6 contests, and if they want to continue their dominance, they'll want to keep running the ball. The Mustangs average 498.8 yards per game overall ranking them 11th in college football and 2nd in the conference. The Mustangs are conceding 28.3 points per contest ranking them 8th in the American Athletic Conference and 77th in Division 1. When talking about points allowed, they have allowed 170 points in total. In terms of yards rushing, they are giving up 126.8 yards per contest ranking them 44th in Division 1 and 3rd in the conference. For this year, they have given up a total of 761 yards on the ground and 3 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in D-1. They are conceding 259.3 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Mustangs are currently ranked 11th in the American Athletic Conference.

Who will win tonight's Owls/Mustangs college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Mustangs -6

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