UConn – Tulane
Time: 8 PM ET
Spread: TUL -3.5
M/L: TUL -175; CON +155
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Connecticut Huskies and Tulane have both had rough starts to their respective seasons. The Huskies and Green Wave have both started 1-4, and the Huskies have lost both of its conference games, while the Wave fell in its lone American conference matchup.
The Green Wave enter this game as 3.5-point favorites in college football odds, despite having a woeful defense which has surrendered 34.8 points per game. The team has struggled offensively both on the pass and rush, and has generated just 21.2 points per game.
In Tulane’s lone win against Southeast Louisiana, Tanner Lee threw three TDs and Sherman Badie and Lazerdrick Thompson both had rushing TDs. The Green Wave scored 35 points, while racking up 360 total yards, and converting 6-of-14 third downs.
Lee is a freshman with plenty of improvement to make, but the Green Wave are expecting a lot from him. The 6’4” 220 lb QB has thrown for 914 yards in five games, but is struggling with his accuracy, with a 49.3 percent completion ratio and nine INTs to just eight TDs. He’s also been sacked an average of 2.2 times per game. His best performance came in the double-OT loss to Tulsa, as Lee threw for 262 yards on 50 percent completion.
Unfortunately, the Wave will be without Lee’s services as he recovers from a shoulder injury. It makes the road a little more difficult.
Tulane will turn to Devin Powell, and that’s not necessarily a goo thing. Powell has thrown just 38.5 percent for completion on 26 attempts, with just 4.27 yards per reception. This could be a wide open door for a poor UConn team.
The UConn Huskies rank near the bottom of every major statistical category. The team has scored just 14.8 points per game, while surrendering 28.4 points to opponents. The rush has been horribly ineffective, generating just 75.4 yards per game, while the pass has been equally ineffective, ranking 103rd in the nation at 186 yards per game.
The Huskies lone win came over the Stony Brook Seawolves, a team that is hardly a juggernaut in an insignificant conference (CAA).
Huskies QB Chandler Whitmer has thrown for 715 yards and has five TDs to his three INTs. Even so, Whitmer is struggling in his senior season compared to his two previous years a starter which saw Whitmer throw 57.6 and 55 percent completion ratios.
No one in the Huskies backfield has been effective. Leading rusher Max DeLorenzo has 195 yards but rushes just 3.4 yards per carry on his 57 attempts. The Huskies also have just one rushing TD, compliments of Joshua Marriner. Over the six Huskies games there have been just five TDs.
Kicker Bobby Puyol has nailed 4-of-5 from 30 to 49 yards, with a long kick of 42. That may not matter if the Huskies can’t advance the ball against what is still a pretty poor Green Wave defense.
