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College Football

Post-Mortems: Group of 5

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
16 minute read
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Power 5

Memphis (-14.5/66) at Tulane: The Tigers scored on the first play from scrimmage when Darrell Henderson broke off another of his home run bursts, dashing 47 yards. Maybe that gave the visitors the false impression that the night was going to be easy, but Henderson finished with just 51 yards on seven carries as Memphis completely stalled out as Brady White completed less than half his passes. The Green Wave ran the ball down Memphis’ throat and can be really tough to stop when Jonathan Banks is locked in on moving the chains. RBs Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine will be a solid combo if they stay healthy. Meanwhile, Memphis’ lines are in shambles. The Tigers surrendered seven sacks and are down three defensive starters up front with linemen O’Bryan Goodson and Emmanuel Cooper out in addition to LB Jackson Dillon. Result: Tulane 40-24. ATS: Underdog/Under

South Alabama at Appalachian State (-25/57): The Mountaineers topped the 45-point mark in a third straight game for the first time in school history and got there by halftime. Although special teams continued to be elite, QB Zac Thomas finished just 8-for-18 and threw two picks as the team experimented with some downfield throws and ramped up the degree of difficulty with the game at hand. The Jaguars rode Evan Orth at QB but couldn’t establish much of a run game and hampered themselves with penalties, making for a complete no-show on the road against the Sun Belt’s leader in total offense and defense. Taking Penn State to OT in the opener was a sign of quality. Barring injury, App State will be favored in all its games the rest of the way. Result: Appalachian St. 52-7. ATS: Favorite/Over

Cincinnati (-16/62.5) at UConn: This game was close deep into the second quarter despite QB David Pindell having his mobility being limited by a knee injury, but not being able to tuck and run doesn’t suit him at all, which the Bearcats took full advantage of in clamping down after surrendering the Huskies’ only touchdown on the opening drive. They’re now second in the country in scoring defense (12.2) behind Washington (11.6) and first in pass efficiency defense (89.7). Cincinnati achieved offensive balance with 339 passing yards while racking up 322 on the ground in a dominant performance. Desmond Ridder completed 20 of 26 passes and continues building confidence as the Bearcats look for one more win on Homecoming against Tulane to reach their mid-October bye week with a perfect record. Result: Cincinnati 49-7. ATS: Underdog/Under




Temple at Boston College (-13/54): The Owls stressed out about missed tackles and drops, knowing that big plays like Ryquell Armstead’s huge day shouldn’t have been wasted. His 75-yard TD run to even the game was the first of four scores, but neither the defense nor QB Anthony Russo and his receivers did enough around him to help produce an upset. Despite the struggles, Russo will remain the starter despite senior Frank Nutile now returning to the fold. BC held on despite losing star RB A.J. Dillon in the second half after an ankle injury and ended up running a program-record 105 plays as it continues to play to its strengths, which is no longer defense. There’s still no word on the severity of Dillon’s injury but senior safety Lukas Denis will be back for the key N.C. State game after being ejected in the first half for targeting. Ben Glines filled in well for Dillon, taking advantage of an offensive line that has had their way with everyone but Purdue. Result: Boston College 45-35. ATS: Underdog/Over

Old Dominion at East Carolina (-7/60): The Monarchs couldn’t get a stop on ECU’s final drive and failed to build on their upset of Virginia Tech, giving up a 38-yard field goal to Jake Verity with under 100 seconds left before failing to produce a scoring drive of their own. The Pirates came up with nine sacks, including a three-pack from Nate Harvey that helped turn back the formidable Blake LaRussa-to-Jonathan Duhart combo that produced 104 yards on eight connections but failed to find the end zone. Freshman Holton Ahlers came in as a change-of-pace QB and ended up with a team-high 63 rushing yards for the Pirates, doing most of the damage on a huge 49-yard third-quarter keeper. Result: Old Dominion 37-35. ATS: Underdog/Over

Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan (-3.5/50.5): This game ended up going into three OTs and still failed to surpass the posted total. It got too close for comfort since the score was even at 13 at the end of regulation, but the only hard-luck losers ended up being the EMU Eagles, who lost a second straight game in overtime despite having an opportunity to win on a field goal in the second OT. Chad Ryerson missed a 38-yarder but rebounded to drain a 42-yarder before Tre Harbison was fed four straight carries and found the end zone on the last one to deliver an important early MAC win. NIU’s Marcus Childers and EMU’s Tyler Wiegers each struggled in a game where the Huskies ran their winning streak against the Eagles to 11, the last three of which all required extra sessions. Result: NIU 26-23, 3 OT. ATS: Underdog/Under

Bowling Green at Georgia Tech (-28/65): The Yellow Jackets took all their frustrations from the past few weeks out on the orange-clad visitors, concentrating on shoring up pitches and cleaning up the disastrous turnovers that were such an issue throughout September. TaQuon Marshall threw for 160 yards on just five passes, hitting the big plays that have been missing. Consider the opposition, but there’s no question Georgia Tech needed a feel-good day to get it refocused for ACC play. B-Back Jordan Mason scored twice and could ultimately emerge as the answer to replacing KirVonte Benson’s production with the junior standout out for the season. WR Scott Miller returned to form for Bowling Green and was one of the bright spots. Jarrett Doege threw for 305 yards but was picked off twice and the Falcons were too one-dimensional to seriously compete in Atlanta, averaging less than 2 yards per carry. Result: Georgia Tech 63-17. ATS: Favorite/Over

Rice at Wake Forest (-28/66.5): The Demon Deacons came up short in upset bids of Boston College and Notre Dame but have accomplished one goal prior to next week’s bye. Coach Dave Clawson found his quarterback. Freshman Sam Hartman keeps looking sharper and sharper and his 15 of his 17 passes for 241 yards and four scores in complete dismantling Rice. Greg Dortch caught every one of the TD tosses and hauled in 11 catches for 163 yards, doing the heavy lifting with tag-team partner Scotty Washington sidelined. My hunch is that Washington will attempt to play against Clemson. Redshirt freshman Christian Beal-Smith led the Deacs with 60 rushing yards and offers a different option in the RB rotation. Rice RB Austin Walter leads the country in all-purpose yardage per game but could definitely use more help. QB Shawn Stankavage threw for just 103 yards on 17 completions and accomplished little against Wake’s first-teamers. Result: Wake Forest 56-24. ATS: Favorite/Over

Louisiana-Lafayette at Alabama (-49/69): The Crimson Tide led 49-0 at the break and scored the first points of the second half, so it's wild that they failed to cover in a game where they could've realistically scored 77-plus. Tua Tagovailoa completed all eight of his passes before giving way to Jalen Hurts and threw his last TD pass to make it 49-0 just before the break. The Ragin' Cajuns kept their starters in for four quarters, which doesn't make sense considering the physcial toll that takes on a young team, but first-year head coach Billy Napier was able to see top backs Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell burn 'Bama for 196 yards on 27 carries. Andre Nunez hit a TD pass to Ja'Marcus Bradley to pick up the cover and continue a streak that has seen each of the Crimson Tide's five opponents find the end zone through the air. Result: Alabama 56-14. ATS: Underdog/Over

Western Michigan (-2.5/53) at Miami OH: Junior Jon Wassink didn't let the Broncos lose, which is a great sign for a quarterback out to fill the shoes of a reliable four-year starter, Zach Terrell, who closed his career by throwing 34 TDs and just four picks. He scrambled for a first down on a 4th-and-10, plunged in the end zone on a sneak for the game-winner after throwing for 439 yards and five TDs, connecting with Jayden Reed for four of the scores. The freshman tied Greg Jennings' single-game record for TDs and would've had a bigger day if he didn't fumble twice. Defensive lineman Eric Assoua appeared to injure an ankle and speedy WR D'Wayne Eskridge was limping late, but the Broncos picked up a huge win in Oxford when Miami kicker Sam Sloman missed a 50-yard field goal wide right. Gus Ragland did find a target potentially capable of replacing injured All-MAC WR James Gardner, connecting with sophomore Jack Sorensen nine times for 156 yards. Result: Western Michigan 40-39. ATS: Underdog/Over

Pittsburgh at UCF (-13.5/65.5): The Knights wanted to send a message against the only Power-5 school on this season’s schedule since their visit to North Carolina was canceled due to Hurricane Florence. That spelled trouble for Pitt since it was unable to hang with UCF’s pace in humid Orlando and didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. Only an 85-yard punt return from WR Rafael Araujo-Lopes prevented 45 unanswered points to open game for explosive Central Florida, which got six total touchdowns (4 via pass, 2 on the ground) from Heisman Trophy candidate QB McKenzie Milton. Now the Knights have to root on a Panthers’ resurgence so that the win looks better on the resume. Result: UCF 45-14. ATS: Favorite/Under

Boise State (-16.5/47) at Wyoming: The Cowboys have relied on their defense keep them in games throughout most of the season but have watched the group run out of gas in lopsided losses against Washington State and Missouri. The Broncos were able to rack up over 500 yards and scored on the game’s opening drive thanks to a taunting penalty that extended a drive after Wyoming had forced fourth down. Penalties and an inability to get off the field on third haunted the home team the rest of the way as Boise WR A.J. Richardson hooked up with QB Brett Rypien for a pair of scores and freshman WR Khalil Shakir picked up his first career TD by showing off his athleticism on a direct snap out of wildcat. Bryan Harsin unveiled a new wrinkle in the Mountain West opener, but should be concerned his team lost focus in giving up two scores of over 70-yards to an offense that lacks firepower. Result: Boise State 34-14. ATS: Favorite/Over

Stanford at Notre Dame (-4.5/53.5): If you’re into healthy debate subjects, consider whether this Fighting Irish win was more impressive than their Week 1 upset over Michigan. Shutting down Bryce Love after his first-quarter touchdown and keeping J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from doing too much damage against the Irish secondary were defensive objectives that were met with resounding success. Brian Kelly called it Notre Dame’s most complete win and was giddy about running the ball 55 times to largely control the game against the Cardinal. DT Jerry Tillery registered four sacks. Dexter Williams returned from suspension to run for 161 yards, helping make up for the absence of Jafar Armstrong. QB Ian Book made sure the Irish capitalized courtesy of four TD passes, connecting with Miles Boykin 11 times. The lone blemish for the Irish was losing senior left guard Alex Bars (knee), which will cause some reshuffling along an offensive line that lacks significant depth. Result: Notre Dame 38-17. ATS: Favorite/Over

Central Michigan at Michigan State (-28/45.5): The Spartans trailed 3-0 after another flat start but then took control over the middle quarters and were in position to cover as they opened the fourth up 31-3. Brian Lewerke ran in a couple of scores but failed to throw for one, getting picked off in the end zone by CMU’s top corner, Sean Bunting. RB L.J. Scott missed another game despite originally being expected to play, while WRs Darrell Stewart, Jr. and Jalen Nailor sidelined. Corners Josiah Scott and Josh Butler also didn’t play, so maybe it made sense that the Chips were able to make a comeback as the more aggressive team down the stretch, pulling off a flea-flicker and a halfback pass in addition to recovering an onside kick. Central Michigan head coach John Bonamego also stuck with junior Tommy Lazzaro under center and appears most comfortable with him running the offense. The Chippewas will be home for the next three contests.Result: Michigan State 31-20. ATS: Underdog/Over

Liberty at New Mexico (-7/66): The Flames established a 42-10 lead by halftime in Albuquerque despite falling behind after the Lobos’ opening drive as QB Buckshot Calvert had one of his better games despite dealing with cramping and an upset stomach. Liberty ran more than 90 plays, but had the most impact throwing it up for top receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden, who ended up with 245 receiving yards. BJ Farrow added 122 on seven catches, helping make up for the departure of senior slot receiver Damian King due to a first-half injury that’s expected to keep him out a month. Corner Jeremy Peters should return from concussion symptoms as the Flames look to sweep the New Mexico schools in their backyard as they they head to Las Cruces to play NMSU. The Lobos won the second half 33-10 behind new QB Sheriron Jones’ 312 yards and four scores but his three picks didn’t help matters. With sophomore Tevaka Tuioti dealing with shoulder issues after overcoming a concussion, it may be Jones’ show going forward. The former Tennessee recruit established a connection with senior Delanie Hart-Johnson. Result: New Mexico 52-43 ATS: Underdog/Over

UTEP at UT-San Antonio (-10/46.5): The Miners lost their 17th consecutive game despite taking their first lead of the season but then gave up 24 straight points, hand delivering a couple of touchdowns on a muffed punt and an interception that set UTSA up with short fields. The Roadrunners took advantage behind a three-TD game from QB Cordale Grundy, who threw for a pair and ran for another score in picking up an otherwise inconsistent rushing attack. UTEP lost QB Kai Locksley late in the fourth quarter to an ankle sprain that may keep him out against North Texas. If he can’t go, veteran Ryan Metz will get another start, something he’s done 17 times over his first few seasons without a lot of success. Result: UTSA.30-21 ATS: Underdog/Over

BYU at Washington (-18/47.5): The Gamecocks were barely favored by the time this game kicked off since most of the "smart" money was on Vandy at home. The Commodores ended up losing their 10th straight against South Carolina just the same, and it wasn't even close. An inability to run the ball and QB Kyle Shurmur creating as many opporunities for the visitors via turnovers as he did for his own offense made this a laugher. Vandy head coach Derek Mason called it a "comedy of errors" but the only people chuckling were the ones who never bought into Vandy despite a solid showing in South Bend. SC WR Shi Smith scored on one long pass and set up another score with another catch so Jake Bentley has another weapon to work with as he looks to bounce back from a rocky early performance agaisnt Georgia. Result: Washington 35-7. ATS: Favorite/Under

Toledo at Fresno State (-10.5/61.5): The Rockets looked to be right where they needed to be on their West coast odyssey and even led in the second quarter before the bottom fell out. QB Mitchell Guadagni got hit hard and suffered a concussion and the Toledo defense surrendered six touchdowns over the course of the second and third quarter as Fresno QB Marcus McMariyon went to work, finishing with 368 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Mims and KeeSean Johnson each ended up with six catches for over 100 yards and combined for three scores and Mims added another 59 yards rushing and a TD. Toledo allowed more big plays and struggled to get off the field on third down, but the major concern was Guadagni’s availability going forward since it may take him another week or two to get right. Sophomore QB Eli Peters may get his first career start and connected with WR JonVea Johnson on a pair of scores despite being sacked four times in just over a half in Fresno. Result: Fresno State 49-27. ATS: Favorite/Over

Hawai’i (-9.5/63) at San Jose State: The Spartans squandered their chance at getting their first win of the season, losing their highest-scoring game since Sept. 2016 as Hawai’I prevailed in five OTs. John Ursua scored three TDs and continues to be the NCAA’s most productive receiver, currently up to 50 catches, 771 yards and 12 TDs, all tops in the country. Cole McDonald finished with 341 passing yards, outperformed by Josh Love, who threw for 451 and had SJSU in position to win in the third OT before kicker Bryce Crawford missed a 30-yarder. The Spartans also lost top receiver Bailey Gaither, who was carried off the field after an Achilles injury that ends his season. Tight end Josh Oliver is now likely to merit more attention, which is unlikely to help the offense continue the upward trend that it has been on this season. Result: Hawai’I 44-41 2OT. ATS: Underdog/Over


Follow Tony Mejia on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA or e-mail him at mejia@vegasinsider.com

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