Miami(FL) at Pittsburgh
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Thursday, the No.19 ranked Miami Hurricanes will be tested on the road, as they are set to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers out of the Big East. Both teams should be well rested and prepared for this game, as neither school was in action last weekend. Looking at the current odds for this game, the oddsmakers are calling for a Miami win, as the Hurricanes come in 3.5-point favorites over the Panthers.
Miami (1-1): The Hurricanes started the season with an easy win over Florida A&M at home, but were unable to take care of business on the road against a very good Ohio State team in their second game of the season, losing 36-24 to the Buckeyes. The Hurricanes moved the ball against Ohio State, but it was turnovers that really killed them in the loss, as quarterback Jacory Harris threw four interceptions. On the day Harris completed 22 of 39 attempts for 232 yards and a touchdown, but the mistakes are what did him in. In the last five Miami losses, Harris has just five touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Running back Damien Berry had a pretty solid game against the Buckeyes, rushing for 94 yards on 16 carries, and wide out Leonard Hankerson finished with a team best seven catches for 90 yards. These two will both have to come up with big games again this week against a pretty good Pitt team.
Pittsburgh (1-1): The Panthers started the season ranked No.15 in the country, but suffered a tough overtime loss to Utah in this first game of the season. The Panthers had no problem pulling their record back to .500, as they crushed New Hampshire 38-16 in their second game of the season.
It has been a slow start for running back Dion Lewis, who has just 102 yards after two games. Not exactly the numbers you would expect for a running back that was second team All-American who rushed for 1,799 yards a year ago. One positive for Lewis is the fact that he has been able to find the endzone in each of the Panthers games this season, and there is no doubt the Panthers could use a big day on the ground against Miami. If Lewis continues to struggle, look for backup Ray Graham to get a few more touches, as he led the Panthers with 115 yards and two touchdowns against New Hampshire.
Sophomore quarterback Tino Sunseri has looked pretty good in his first two starts of the season, throwing for 459 yards and three touchdowns. Sunseri has thrown a pick in each game this season, but I look for him to continue to improve as the season goes on.
Looking at the Odds: I don’t think Pitt is getting near enough credit in this game, as they could very easily be 2-0 and a top 15 team. As of right now my money is on the Panthers at +3.5. The Panthers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games and are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss. One big trend that also has Pittsburgh looking good this Thursday, is the fact that the Hurricanes are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games following a bye week.
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