The Houston Cougars (1-2) face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats (2-1) on Saturday, September 21st. This game will be played at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati and televised on FS1. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Kickoff is set for 12:00 ET.

Houston Cougars vs Cincinnati Bearcats

 

Houston Offense Breakdown

Quarterback Donovan Smith led Houston’s offense to a 33-7 win, throwing for 142 yards and one touchdown while completing 57.1% of his passes. The Cougars’ offense totaled 379 yards, with 237 yards coming on the ground. Houston’s ground attack was effective, resulting in three rushing touchdowns.

Stacy Sneed was the leading rusher for the Cougars, gaining 82 yards on just seven carries. Stephon Johnson was the top receiver, with one catch for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Cincinnati Offense Breakdown

Cincinnati’s offense was led by Brendan Sorsby, who completed 61.8% of his passes for 186 yards and one touchdown, earning a passer rating of 86.15. The Bearcats’ offense totaled 401 yards, with 215 yards coming on the ground. Corey Kiner was the standout rusher, gaining 126 yards on 21 carries and adding a touchdown.

Xzavier Henderson was the top receiver for Cincinnati, with 108 yards on 10 receptions. The Bearcats’ ground game was effective, and they finished with two rushing touchdowns.

Houston Team Defense

Houston’s defense was dominant in their most recent game, limiting Rice to just 84 passing yards on 16 completions. The Cougars’ secondary also picked off one pass, while the defense as a whole held Rice to just 159 total yards. Houston’s run defense was particularly strong, allowing only 75 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Overall, Houston’s defense allowed just seven points and nine first downs in the game.

Houston Team Defense

Cincinnati’s defense will look to tighten up in the secondary after allowing 356 passing yards and two touchdowns to Miami (OH). The Bearcats gave up a total of 382 yards, but they were able to limit Miami’s rushing attack to just 26 yards on 20 attempts. Cincinnati’s defense did come up with one interception in the game.

Houston vs Cincinnati Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Houston Cougars have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 29 points per game in these contests.
• The Cincinnati Bearcats are 2-1 ATS in their last three home games and 2-1 straight-up.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Houston Cougars have a straight up record of 3-7. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.
• Going back to their last five games as the favorite, the Cincinnati Bearcats have a straight up record of 2-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 1-4.

Cougars vs Bearcats Prediction

Cincinnati is the -3.5 point favorite in this week four matchup against Houston, with the over/under line set at 48.5 points. Our projection is for a 21-20 win for Cincinnati, but we believe Houston is the better bet to cover as the road underdog.

Given our projected score, the under looks like the best play, as it comes in well below the current line of 48.5 points.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.