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Houston at UTEP Line

This Thursday the Houston Cougars will open up Conference USA play on the road against the UTEP Miners. The Cougars dominated Georgia State 56-0 to improve to 4-0 on the season, while the Miners got smashed by South Florida 24-52 on the road to fall to 2-2 on the year. Houston has won four of the last five in the series, but did lose 58-41 the last time they traveled to play the Miners.

Looking at the week 5 college football spreads, oddsmakers currently have the Cougars favored by 16.5-points over the Miners with the total set at 65.

Houston:

The Cougars are absolutely rolling on the offensive side of the ball to start the season. They lead the nation in passing offense (446 ypg) behind senior quarterback Case Keenum.  In just four games Keenum has thrown for 1,534 yards with 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

Keenum’s favorite target is senior wide out Tyron Carrier, who has a team-high 27 catches for 326 yards and score. When it comes to putting points on the board, Keenum usually airs it out to seniors Patrick Edwards and Justin Johnson. Edwards has caught three touchdowns and leads the team with 365 receiving yards on just 17 receptions. Johnson is tops on the team with four touchdown grabs.

While the majority of the offense comes in the passing game, Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes have been very effective running the ball when given the chance. The two have combined for 428 yards and nine touchdowns and are both averaging over 5.0 yards per carry.

Last year the Cougars put up 656 yards of total offense against UTEP, and should have no trouble piling on the yards against the Miners in 2011. UTEP is allowing over 408 yards of total offense per game and just gave up 575 yards to South Florida this past Saturday.

UTEP:

The Miners will have their work cut out for them in this game, and it is going to come down to whether or not they can create enough offense to keep this game close. So far the numbers don’t exactly suggest that will be the case. UTEP is averaging just 252.3 passing yards and just 86.5 yards a game on the ground.

The offense figures to get a bit of a lift in this game, as junior starting quarterback Nick Lamaison is expected to return after leaving the third game with a shoulder injury. Lamaison has completed 61% of his attempts for 507 yards and three touchdowns. Carson Meger will likely go if Lamaison ends up struggling. Meger threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 26 of 40 passing against USF, but did have three costly interceptions.

If Lamaison plays well the Miners could make things interesting against a Houston defense that hasn’t been all that great. The Cougars have struggled against both the run and the pass, allowing 173 yards on the ground and 209.5 through the air on average.  It will be extremely important for the Miners to put touchdowns on the board, as they have no chance of beating the Cougars if they have to settle for field goals.

Betting Trends:

Houston is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite of 10.5 or greater.

UTEP is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Be sure to check out what Steve Janus has picked to win in week 5 of college football. The expert college football handicapper cashed in a 6-1 premium card in week 4!