Sport: College FootballPick Selection: Louisville Cardinals -3.5 -110
Connecticut Huskies at Louisville Cardinals 8:00 PM ET
Louisville Cardinals -3.5 -110
**89.4% *3* NCAA Friday Night GOM (100%)** The Cardinals have something to prove and it is not just because it lost to the Huskies last season. It was the way it lost. The play that perhaps turned Louisville's season came with the Cardinals leading 7-0 early in the third quarter. They punted and the officials blew a fair catch signal and the Huskies ran the punt back for a score. The victory kick-started Connecticut's run to a co-Big East championship and while Louisville says that it has forgotten it, I guarantee you that the Cardinals have far from forgotten it.
Connecticut has not had to come from behind many times this season but if it falls behind here, it may not recover. Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen is not a good signal caller and his numbers are showing that as he is completing just 58.8 percent of hid passes while throwing one touchdown and six interceptions. He is 97th in the nation in passing efficiency and seeing that the Huskies have played the 118th ranked schedule in the country, it is even worse.
Because of this, the Huskies will try and use running back Donald Brown to get the job done but that is not going to as easy as it has been in the past four games. Louisville comes into this game with the 2nd ranked rushing defense in the nation, allowing just 42 ypc. The Cardinals have given up 63, 33 and 30 yards in their three games thus far. On the other side Louisville manhandled the Wildcats, piling up more than 300 yards on the ground as Victor Anderson and Brock Bolen each topped 100 yards.
Leading returning receiver Scott Long, out since August with a broken foot, practiced this week and is a gametime decision. This means that the Cardinals could be at full strength for the first time all year as they try to win their conference opener for only the second time in four years in the league. The lessons of last year, however, seem to have been learned. Look for the Cardinals to come out strong and win the line of scrimmage meaning an easy win on Friday.
Louisville falls into a solid situation following last Thursday?s victory over Kansas St. Play on home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that are coming off an upset win as a home underdog, in weeks five through nine. This situation is 25-4 ATS (86.2 percent) since 1992 with the average point differential being +14.7 ppg. Add to that, Louisville is 9-1 ATS L9 (90 percent) in home games against teams that are averaging 200 or more ypg and it is 8-0 ATS L8 (100 percent) after allowing 75 or fewer rushing yards last game. Play Louisville Cardinals 3 Units
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