Tulsa Golden Hurricane at No. 4 Boise State Broncos |
Tulsa is looking for its first victory in six meetings against Boise State, as the last meeting was a 28-21 loss as nine-point home underdogs on Oct. 14, 2009. The Golden Hurricane have lost the last two games by an average of five points, which is a dramatic different to losing the first three meetings by an average of 22 points.
The Golden Hurricane have already played an extremely challenging schedule, falling 47-14 to the Oklahoma Sooners as 24.5-point road underdogs, while dropping a 59-33 contest to the Oklahoma State Cowboys as 13.5-point home underdogs.
Sandwiched in between those games was a 31-3 victory over Tulane in the team’s Conference USA opener. Since joining the league, the Golden Hurricane are 6-1 in league openers.
The rushing game rolled up 365 yards against Oklahoma State last week, as a pair of sophomore running backs gained all but 33 of those yards. The duo was the first pair of Tulsa runners to each gain over 100 yards in the same game since Nov. 11, 2006.
Quarterback G.J. Kinne is still undoubtedly the leader of the team, as he’s the only player in school history to throw for over 6,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards. The problem for the squad this week is he may miss the game with a knee injury suffered last week.
It’s a significant blow to an offensive unit that is already playing without receiver Damaris Johnson, who was suspended indefinitely from the team before the season started.
Bettors will find that the Golden Hurricane are 14-12 ATS over the last two-plaus seasons, including a 7-6 ATS mark on the road.
Boise State is set to play its first home game of the season, tallying a neutral-site win over Georgia before going on the rode to beat the Toledo Rockets last week. The Broncos lead the all-time series 5-0, which began when both played in the WAC.
The Broncos are 16-2 against current members of Conference USA and will be looking to win their 41st game for the senior class. This year’s group is the 10th-consecutive class to win 40-or-more games.
Head coach Chris Petersen’s record is truly unmatched in college sports, posting a 63-5 record over the last five-plus seasons. Quarterback Kellen Moore has been in the huddle for him the past four years, as he currently leads all active signal-callers with 40 wins.
Home field advantage is definitely in play at Bronco Stadium, as the team is a remarkable 69-2 inside the venue since the 2000 season. Boise State has won 32-consecutive home games, which only trails Oklahoma (37).
Dating back to 1997, Boise State has gone 147-32 (.822), which represents the best winning percentage in the country. It has also managed to score 41.7 points a game since the start of the 2000 campaign, which also paces all teams in college football.
Bettors will find that the Broncos are 18-8 ATS as a favorite and 8-1 ATS in September.
Backing the Golden Hurricane in this contest is tough, as the team is 0-4 ATS as an underdog of 10.5 or more points, while the Broncos are 43-21-2 ATS in their last 66 games as a home favorite.
