The Rice Owls (+10) will meet their in-conference foe UAB Blazers (-10) at Legion Field. The matchup will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET and interested parties can tune in to the action on ESPN+.
Betting Preview: UAB Blazers vs. Rice Owls
Rice is a big road underdog in this CUSA game and is currently getting 10 points. The Owls are also receiving +290 moneyline odds while the Blazers are -370. This CUSA matchup should provide several decent in-game betting possibilities, and oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 42.5 points.
With the game’s over/under initially set at 44, Sharp bettors are hammering the under.
The Owls have lost 2.0 units so far and are 3-1-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-3.
The Blazers are up 0.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-3.
The Owls have gone 0-5 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against CUSA opponents. The Blazers are 3-1 SU overall and 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Owls lost to Louisiana Tech 23-20 in a matchup where the D did its part in the loss, holding the Bulldogs to just 210 passing yards and 84 yards on the ground. Justin Henderson had a good day for the Bulldogs in that one with 64 rushing yards and a score on 12 attempts. On the offensive side, Wiley Green completed 14-of-21 passes for only 128 yards. Charlie Booker (only 70 rushing yards on 21 attempts) and Aston Walter (112 yards on 20 carries, two TDs) led the ground attack in the loss while Austin Trammell (five receptions, 53 yards) and Brad Rozner (five catches, 64 yards) shared the receiving duties.
One week ago, Western Kentucky knocked off this UAB crew by a score of 20-13. The Blazers defense held its territory in the loss, keeping the Hilltoppers to only 189 passing yards and 33 yards on the ground. Jahcour Pearson had a productive outing in the win, posting 94 yards and a score on five catches for Western Kentucky. For UAB, Tyler Johnston III completed 18-of-31 passes for 181 yards and four interceptions. Spencer Brown (70 rushing yards on 21 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Johnston III (28 yards on 15 carries) led the ground game in the defeat as Myron Mitchell (five receptions, 48 yards) and Austin Watkins (four catches, 53 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Rice has run the ball on 58.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UAB has an overall rush percentage of 61.4 percent. The Owls have produced 117.8 rush yards per game and have six touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Blazers are logging 144.3 rush yards per game and have four total rushing TDs.
If 2019 numbers can translate to this game, then the Blazers ought to own the edge in terms of efficiency in the ground game. Their backfield has generated 3.5 yards per carry while their defense has allowed 2.6 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Owls have rushed for 3.3 yards per carry while allowing 4.4 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Owls offensive scheme has averaged 164.2 yards through the air overall and has three passing scores so far. The Blazers have produced 231.8 pass yards per outing and have eight total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rice has allowed 162.2 rush yards and 243.2 pass yards per game. The UAB defense has given up 186.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 79.8 yards per game on the ground. The Blazers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.66 to opposing QBs, while the Owls have given up a staggering 9.54 ANY/A.
Johnston III has completed 41-of-74 passes for 614 yards, five TDs and five INTs. Johnston III’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.03 for the season and 4.81 over his past two games. In the other huddle, Green has put up 259 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 24-of-40 attempts with zero passing touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception. Green’s got a 6.10 ANY/A, including 5.82 over the last two outings.
When these two schools met last year, UAB knocked off Rice by six touchdowns 42-0.
Rice Owls vs. UAB Blazers Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: UAB, ATS Winner: UAB, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The UAB defense has recorded 15 sacks on the year while Rice has just six.
- Both offenses have lost two fumbles this season.
- The Owls offense has produced three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Blazers have put up four such plays.
- Both teams have allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards. The Rice defense has given up eight pass plays of 30+ yards while UAB has given up six such plays.
- The Rice offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while UAB has created one such runs.
- The Owls defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Blazers have given up three such runs.
- The O/U for UAB’s previous matchup was 48. The under cashed in the 20-13 defeat to Western Kentucky.
- Over its last three games, UAB is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- In its last three matchups, Rice is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Rice’s previous game was 49. The under cashed in the team’s 23-20 defeat to Louisiana Tech.
- Rice, as a team, has produced 3.0 yards per carry over its past three games and 3.1 over its last two.
- UAB has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.8 over its past two.
