No. 19 South Florida will look to remain unbeaten in their third game this season when they hit the road to take on an UConn Huskies team that struggled mightily in its regular season opener this past weekend. The Bulls and Huskies meet on Saturday 12:00 PM ET at UConn’s Rentschler Field with this matchup airing live on ESPNEWS. Now, let’s find out which one of these undefeated teams will suffer its first loss of the season and what their respective NCAA Football betting odds are as they get ready for this match.
“I think it helps that I have some experience,” said Shirreffs, a fifth-year senior who lost his starting job after struggling last season. “I know the guys and I’ve played with most of the guys and I’ve been in the environment before. But really what it came down to is that I prepared for this game than I did any other game in the past.”
Schirreffs made his impact felt immediately by leading UConn on a five-play, 53-yard touchdown drive, capped by Nate Hopkins’ three-yard run. Speaking of Hopkins, the elusive sophomore rushed for a steallar 130 yards and three touchdowns in his debut with the Huskies while receiver Hergu Mayala caught nine balls for 106 yards and one touchdown.
South Florida Bulls vs. Connecticut Huskies Week 2 NCAA Football Odds
When: Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 12:00 PM WET Where: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field TV: ESPNEWS Live Stream: NCAA Live NCAA Football Odds: UConn Huskies +17.5 / Total: 68Why Bet the South Florida Bulls NCAA Football Odds at -18
The Charlie Strong era is off to a good start at South Florida, with the 19th-ranked Bulls currently 2-0 as they get set for their third against of the season in an official Week 2 matchup against UConn. South Florida rolled all over San Jose State in their 42-22 opener on August 26 but came up just short of covering the spread as a 21-point road favorite. Starting quarterback Quinton Flowers threw two touchdown passes and D’Ernest Johnson had two scoring runs in the win to help the Bulls come back from a 16-point deficit and get the win. “It’s good that you have a good game like this so now guys know there’s improvement to be made,” Strong said. “We can’t get complacent. You want a game like this. It’s not as much pressure as they think it is but you have to play well to win games.” “I told the guys we can’t flinch,” Flowers said. “We’ve been down like that before. It was time where I had to step up and tell the team, `Let’s go.” South Florida also beat Stony Brook 31-17 on Saturday following another slow start as Flowers passes for 186 yards and tossed a pair of second-half touchdowns to help South Florida stay unbeaten. “They didn’t surprise us. We knew what we were getting,” Strong said. “As a ranked team, we’re going to get everyone’s best.”USF BULLS TEAM STATISTICS
- Offensive total yards 443.5058
- Current Offensive rush yards 234.0041
- Offensive passing yards 209.5078
- Average Score For 36.5054
- Defensive total yards 308.0047
- Current Defensive rush yards 100.5053
- Defensive passing yards 207.5063
- Average Score Against 19.5055
East Carolina at West Virginia NCAAF Odds & Expert Pick
Why Bet the UConn Huskies NCAA Football Odds at +18
UConn got past Holy Cross in their opener, 27-20, but it didn’t come without its share of drama. Former starting quarterback Brandon Shirreffs came off the bench to replace starter David Pindell and lead the Huskies to a closer-than-expected 27-20 win over the Crusaders.
“I think it helps that I have some experience,” said Shirreffs, a fifth-year senior who lost his starting job after struggling last season. “I know the guys and I’ve played with most of the guys and I’ve been in the environment before. But really what it came down to is that I prepared for this game than I did any other game in the past.”
Schirreffs made his impact felt immediately by leading UConn on a five-play, 53-yard touchdown drive, capped by Nate Hopkins’ three-yard run. Speaking of Hopkins, the elusive sophomore rushed for a steallar 130 yards and three touchdowns in his debut with the Huskies while receiver Hergu Mayala caught nine balls for 106 yards and one touchdown.
UCONN HUSKIES TEAM STATISTICS
- Offensive total yards 438.0060
- Current Offensive rush yards 160.0065
- Offensive passing yards 278.0043
- Average Score For 27.0085
- Defensive total yards 447.0090
- Current Defensive rush yards 89.0048
- Defensive passing yards 358.00112
- Average Score Against 20.0058
