Connecticut at Louisville

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the Louisville Cardinals will host the Connecticut Huskies in Big East action, with both teams still looking for their first conference win. The Cardinals came up short last Friday against Cincinnati, losing 35-27, while the Huskies fell to Rutgers 27-24 on the road. Last year the Huskies dropped the Cardinals 38-25 at home for their third straight win in the series. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, the current college football odds have the Huskies as 2-point favorites over the Cardinals on the road.

Connecticut (3-3, 0-1 Big East): The Huskies suffered another tough loss against Rutgers last week, as they lost in the final minutes of the game for the third straight year against the Scarlet Knights. After falling behind 17-7 early in the second quarter, Connecticut came alive and took a 24-17 lead into half, but the offense could get nothing going the rest of the way, and Rutgers added two late scores to steal a win.

Running back Jordan Toddman had 123 yards on 24 carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run that got the Huskies going in the second quarter. Quarterback Cody Endres struggled throwing the ball, as he completed just 17 of 34 attempts for 153 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nick Williams got the Huskies on the board with a 100 yard kickoff return in the first quarter, but it simply wasn’t enough to get the win.

Defensively the Huskies were great against the run, allowing Rutgers just 88 yards on the ground, but freshman quarterback Chas Dodd carved up the Huskies secondary for 322 yards and two touchdowns, including a 52 yard touchdown pass that tied the game up at 24-24 with just under four minutes to play. Connecticut has now lost all three of their road games this season, a trend they hope they will snap this weekend.

Louisville (3-3, 0-1 Big East): The Cardinals got off to a great start against Cincinnati last week, as they took a 24-21 lead into halftime, but the offense could only manage a field goal in the final two periods of play, and it ended up being the deciding factor in the game. The Cardinals got a huge game from Bilal Powell, who finished with 209 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, and quarterback Adam Froman connected on 18 of 27 passes for 179 yards and score, but the Cardinals were just five of 13 on third down conversions and really hurt themselves with two missed field goals.

Defensively Louisville created three turnovers, but was unable to keep the Bearcats receivers in front of them to avoid the big play, as Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros threw for five touchdowns, three of which were 30 yards or more. The Cardinals should have a much easier time stopping the pass this week, as Connecticut averages just 176 yards a game through the air.

Looking at the Odds: With the way the Huskies have struggled to finish games on the road this season, I think the right bet is on the Cardinals at +2 in this one, as I think they have a great shot of winning this game outright. Louisville has lost three games by eight points or less, and I think this is a much better football team than they are getting credit for. My final score prediction is Louisville 31, Connecticut 28.

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