The South Florida Bulls and the UConn Huskies meet Saturday in college football action from Rentschler Field. USF is fresh off a matchup versus Florida Atlantic last weekend. In that one the Bulls lost in blowout fashion to drop to 3-4 on the year. As for UConn, they had a bye last week and sit at 1-5 overall after getting their first win over Rice back on October 7. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
South Florida Bulls
The Bulls started out their year on a sketchy 1-2 run. South Florida got a win over Florida A&M 38-24 in between losses to Western Kentucky 41-24 and Alabama 17-3, but things got better after that. USF would go on to beat Rice 42-29 and Navy 44-30 before taking another loss to UAB 56-35 that dropped the team to 3-3 overall.
On Saturday versus Florida Atlantic, the Bulls were down by just a touchdown at halftime. USF came up empty in the second however, and lost in a blowout 56-14. Quarterback Byrum Brown bagged 179 yards with a TD, and Nay’Quan Wright carried 15 times for 106 yards and a score. Mike Brown-Stephens added four catches for 98 yards as well.
South Florida Bulls Team Facts
- South Florida has lost 20 of its last 21 road games.
- The underdog has covered the spread in each of South Florida’s last six games.
- South Florida has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
- South Florida has lost the first half in six of its last seven road games against non-conference opponents.
- Nine of South Florida’s last 10 October games as a road favorite against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
UConn Huskies
Over on the Huskies’ side, they started out on a rough 0-5 streak this year, but the majority of the losses were reasonably close. UConn fell to NC State 24-14, Georgia State 35-14, FIU 24-17, Duke 41-7 and Utah State 34-33. The Huskies would finally get their first win back on October 7 against Rice, taking it 38-31.
In the win over the Owls, UConn was down 14-0 after the first quarter. The Huskies posted 20 points in the second quarter and never looked back along the way to the win. QB Ta’Quan Roberson finished with 215 yards and two scores, while Victor Rosa added 89 yards on 18 carries. Justin Joly led the receivers with seven catches for 96 yards and a TD.
Connecticut Huskies Team Facts
- Connecticut has lost each of its last 10 home games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.
- Connecticut has covered the spread in seven of its last eight October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Connecticut has lost the first half in each of its last 10 home games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.
- Each of Connecticut’s last four games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference have gone OVER the total points line.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll stick with USF in this one. With the rough performance against FAU however, I’m staying away. The Bulls weren’t great defensively against the Owls, giving up 587 yards (382 passing), 7.5 yards per play and 27 first downs. The offense couldn’t sustain drives either, resulting in 3-of-15 on third-down tries and just 23:41 in time of possession. The Bulls had scored 35 or more points in three straight games prior to that however, so I have to think the offense will come around in this matchup.
As for UConn, they’ll probably look decent in this one after a couple weeks’ worth of preparation. The Huskies gave up 474 yards (362 passing) and 26 first downs to the Owls in their last outing but also came up with four turnovers (three fumbles) with zero giveaways themselves. USF probably won’t make those same mistakes though, so I like the Bulls to come away with the cover in the end.