Utah Utes vs Texas Longhorns Picks, Odds, Alamo Bowl Prediction 12/31/2019

Game: Utah Utes vs Texas Longhorns

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Alamo Bowl

Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Texas +6

Total/Over-Under: 54

Alamodome is the venue where Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns will play the Utah Utes on Tuesday, December 31 in the Alamo Bowl. Texas opens this matchup as 6-point dogs. The Utes are 9-4-0 ATS and 4-8-1 when betting on the total. The Longhorns are 7-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 6-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Utah Utes played the Oregon Ducks and took the defeat by a score of 37-15. Leading the way at QB for the Utes was Tyler Huntley who went 17/29 with 193 yards through the air and threw 2 TD's. He gave away 2 picks during the game. Zack Moss led the team on the ground for the game. He broke a long run for 42 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He racked up a total of 113 yards on 19 carries which gave him an average of 5.9 yards per run. Zack Moss was the receiving yardage leader by earning 57 yards on 4 catches. He earned an average of 14.3 yards per catch for the game. The Utes rushed the ball a total of 35 times and earned 116 yards which earned them an average of 3.3 yards per rush. On the day, they ran 64 plays which gave them a total of 309 yards. For the contest, the Utes racked up 18 first downs and they had 8 penalties for 48 yards telling us that this team had an undisciplined week of practice. On the defensive side of the ball, Utah allowed 14 catches on 26 attempts for a total of 193 yards, and a completion percentage of 53.8%. On the ground, the Utes allowed 239 yards on 41 runs which is an average of 5.8 yards per attempt allowed. In the game, they allowed a total of 432 yards but weren't able to force a turnover.

The Utes head into this game 11-2 for this year. For total yardage, they are currently ranked 3rd in the conference and 15th in college football with 5,753 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 34 points per game, ranking them 28th in college football. As a unit, they are averaging 207 rushing yards per contest which is 1st in the conference. The Utes have one of the top tier defenses in the country, allowing 13.2 points per game which has them at 1st in the Pac-12 Conference. In discussing yards rushing, Utah is giving up 70.5 yards per contest putting them 1st in the Pac-12 and 1st in the nation. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2.7 yards per rush putting them 1st in the Pac-12 Conference and 3rd in the nation overall. Overall, they have allowed 917 yards rushing through 13 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Utes have allowed 3,062 yards. Opponents are completing 56.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 5.8 yards per try.

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In their last outing, the Texas Longhorns played the Texas Tech Red Raiders and ended up getting the win by a score of 49-24. Leading the way at QB for the Longhorns was Sam Ehlinger who went 19/27 with 348 yards through the air and added 2 TD's. He ended the game without an interception. Roschon Johnson led the team on the ground for the game. His longest run of the day went for 16 yards and he tallied 3 TD's during the game. He scurried for 105 yards by way of 23 carries which had him averaging 4.6 yards per run. Devin Duvernay was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 199 yards on 6 receptions. He averaged 33.2 yards per reception for the game. The Longhorns rushed the ball a total of 48 times and added 262 yards which gave them an average of 5.5 yards per rushing attempt. In the game, the Longhorns earned a total of 29 1st downs and they totaled 9 penalties for 100 yards which shows us how undisciplined this team can be. For the game, they totaled 76 plays which gave them a total of 610 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Texas allowed 36 completions on 58 throws for a total of 399 yards, and a completion percentage of 62.1%. On the ground, the Longhorns allowed 71 yards on 24 carries which is an average of 3.0 yards per run allowed. Overall, they conceded 470 yards and forced 2 takeaways.

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The Longhorns head into this game 7-5. In discussing the offensive production, the Longhorns have one of the top tier offenses in the country. Texas has built a respectable ground game this year by averaging 172.7 rushing yards per game, which has them at 55th in the nation. As a team, they have a total of 2,072 yards rushing through 12 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Longhorns average 468.8 yards per contest overall which has them at 15th in D-1 and 3rd in the conference. The Longhorns are giving up 28.9 points per contest ranking them 8th in the Big 12 and 75th in D-1. Their passing defense is one of the least effective groups in the nation. They are allowing 306.4 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Longhorns are ranked 9th in the Big 12. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 347 total points. In terms of yards on the ground, they are conceding 139.8 yards per contest ranking them 47th in D-1 and 4th in the conference. This season, they have given up 1,678 yards on the ground and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Utes/Longhorns college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Longhorns +6

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