The Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Northern Illinois Huskies meet Saturday in college football action from Huskie Stadium. Tulsa is fresh off a tough matchup versus Oklahoma. In that one the Hurricane ended up getting stomped in a blowout. As for Northern Illinois, they played Nebraska in their last outing. The Huskies would go on to lose in blowout fashion to fall to 1-2 overall. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 

Tulsa didn’t have too many troubles versus AR-Pine Bluff in their opener (outside of three turnovers, that is), cruising to a 42-7 blowout win on 517 total yards (260 rushing). In game two, Tulsa ran into a tough customer in Washington and predictably fell 43-10. The Hurricane gave up 563 yards (454 passing) and 31 first downs in the defeat. 

Tulsa had another very difficult matchup in game three versus Oklahoma. The Hurricane gave up a whopping 59 points in the first three quarters along the way to a blowout loss 66-17. QB Cardell Williams had 196 yards with two scores and two picks. Devan Williams was the team’s top receiver with 71 yards and a score off six catches. 

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Team Facts

Tulsa has lost each of its last 13 September games as an underdog.
Tulsa has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games as a road underdog.
Tulsa has won the first quarter in each of its last three games against opponents from the Mid-American Conference.
Tulsa has won the first half in each of its last three games against opponents from the Mid-American Conference.
Each of Tulsa’s last four September games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Northern Illinois Huskies 

Over on the Northern Illinois side, they started out the year with a matchup against Boston College. The Huskies managed 338 total yards (172 passing) there in a 27-24 overtime win. Things didn’t go so well against Southern Illinois in game two, as Northern Illinois took a 14-11 loss. The Huskies threw three interceptions and couldn’t get anything going on 360 total yards (297 passing). 

Northern Illinois played Nebraska over the weekend. The Huskies went on to give up points in every quarter (including 14 in the fourth) during a 35-11 loss. Rocky Lombardi posted 73 yards and an interception, while Antario Brown led the rush with just 16 yards. Davis Patterson caught two balls for 30 yards as well. 

Northern Illinois Huskies Team Facts

Northern Illinois has lost each of its last seven games as a favorite.
Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in each of its last eight games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
Northern Illinois has won the first half in three of its last four home games against non-conference opponents.
Seven of Northern Illinois’ last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

Northern Illinois was one of only 17 FBS teams with a better road winning percentage (.333) than home winning percentage (.167) last season (min. 8 games).
Northern Illinois ranked 39th among FBS teams for H2 points per game last season (15.1).
Tulsa ranked 12th among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (11.8).
Tulsa ranked 22nd among FBS teams for Q4 points allowed per game last season (5.0).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m going to stick with Tulsa. The Hurricane have gotten a couple of unenviable draws in their first three games of the year, but for the most part they’ve still played relatively well. Last weekend versus Oklahoma, Tulsa performed about as expected against a top-shelf opponent, giving up 595 total yards (476 passing), 27 first downs and 7-of-9 on third-down conversions. The Hurricane had just 292 yards themselves and five picks along the way. Tulsa will look a whole lot better up against a much more manageable Northern Illinois, and I like the Hurricane to power out the cover/win.