Rice Owls vs Houston Cougars Betting Pick & Prediction 9/14/24
ESPN+ will be covering this week three non-conference matchup between the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls, set to kick off at 8:00 ET at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Cougars are the -4.5 point favorites at home, with the over/under line currently sitting at 44.5 points. Rice enters the game with a 1-1 record, while Houston is looking for their first win of the season.
RICE OWLS VS HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Houston Cougars -4.5
This game will be played at TDECU Stadium at 8:00 ET on Saturday, September 14th.
WHY BET THE HOUSTON COUGARS:
- We have the Houston Cougars winning this one by a score of 27 to 18
- Not only do we have the Houston Cougars winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -4.5
- Look for this game to go over the line of 44.5 points
Will The Rice Owls Pull Off An Upset As Road Underdogs
After dropping their season opener, Rice evened their record at 1-1 with a dominant 69-7 win over Texas Southern. The game saw no betting lines, but the combined score of 76 points surpassed any potential over/under.
The Owls took control early, leading 14-0 after the first quarter. By halftime, they had extended their lead to 38-0, and they continued to pour it on in the second half. Heading into the fourth quarter, Rice was up 55-0, and Texas Southern managed just 7 points in the final quarter.
Rice’s offense was dominant in their 69-7 win, racking up 535 total yards and 24 first downs. The ground game was particularly effective, with 331 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Dean Connors led the way with 113 yards on just nine carries, averaging 12.6 yards per attempt, and finding the end zone three times.
Quarterback E.J. Warner completed 66.7% of his passes for 189 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. His top target, Braylen Walker, caught four passes for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Rice’s defense was dominant in their most recent game, allowing just 40 rushing yards and 49 passing yards, with a total of 89 yards. The Owls picked off two passes, but they did give up one touchdown. Texas Southern managed just nine first downs against Rice’s defense.
Are The Houston Cougars Going To Defend Home Field Advantage?
After a 16-12 loss to Oklahoma, Houston is looking to get their first win of the season. The Cougars, who were +27.5 point underdogs, managed to cover the spread, and the game’s total score of 28 points was lower than the over/under line of 49.5 points. This was Houston’s second loss of the season, dropping them to 0-2.
Houston fell behind 14-6 by halftime but managed to close the gap to 14-12 by the end of the third quarter. However, they were only able to add 2 points in the fourth quarter, while their defense held Oklahoma scoreless in the second half.
Donovan Smith led Houston’s offense in their 16-12 loss to Oklahoma, throwing for 260 yards and one touchdown. Smith completed 85.7% of his passes and ended the game with a passer rating of 102.38. Joseph Manjack IV was his top target, catching three passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
The Cougars’ offense totaled 318 yards, with 58 yards coming on the ground. Stacy Sneed led the team in rushing with 33 yards on 11 carries.
After allowing 256 total yards to Oklahoma, Houston’s defense will be looking to bounce back. The Cougars were solid against the run, holding the Sooners to just 82 yards on the ground. In the passing game, Houston gave up 174 yards and two touchdowns, but they did manage to come away with an interception. Overall, the Cougars allowed 16 points in the 16-12 loss.