Brigham Young Cougars at TCU Horned Frogs
Saturday, 10/16/10, 4:00 PM EDT; TV: Versus
Opening Point Spread: TCU -28.5
Current Betting Line: TCU -29
Opening Total: 48
Current Total: 48.5
Current Moneyline: TCU -4500 / BYU +2250
BYU will be facing its fourth ranked opponent this season in Saturday’s contest against the TCU Horned Frogs, as those four programs have a combined record of 22-2. The Horned Frogs are the highest-ranked team that the Cougars have faced since going against No. 3 Oklahoma in last year’s season opener. The team is looking to break a two-game losing streak to TCU, the longest current Cougar losing streak against a Mountain West Conference opponent. BYU will also look to win its first game at Forth Worth since 2006. The Cougars ended a three-game losing streak with a 24-21 win over San Diego State last week, as they finished with season highs in points and yards (413), after averaging 13.3 points and 288.8 yards during their slide. All six of the squad’s games this year have fallen under the total.
The Cougars defense stepped up to the plate last week after head coach Bronco Mendenhall called the plays for the first time since firing defensive coordinator Jaime Hill, holding the Aztecs to minus-two yards rushing in the first half and 53 for the game. “This is just the beginning,” said Mendenhall after the win. “We’re excited to go down to Texas and play one of the best teams in the country.” BYU must bring a similar effort into Fort Worth, as TCU ranks seventh nationally in averaging 280 yards per game. The offense is still ranked 91st in the nation in total offense and 113th in scoring by averaging just 16.6 points per game. Quarterback Jake Heaps is just 13 pass completions away from setting the school’s freshman record in that category, but will be hard-pressed to find success against the nation’s top defense.
TCU enters this week’s contest the only ranked team in the state of Texas and continues a three-game homestand against the Cougars. “I think our early schedule helped us,” said head coach Gary Patterson. “The last couple of weeks I think we’re getting healthy and getting our legs back and becoming a stronger football team.” The Horned Frogs have won 32 of their last 35 games and has a 19-game regular season winning streak. TCU is also 6-0 for the second straight year and fourth time in 11 seasons. The team is extremely dominant at home and carries a school record 17-game home winning streak into this contest, which is currently the fourth-longest in the nation. The team is 19-11 ATS over the last three years and the total is 12-16 Over/Under in that span.
The Horned Frogs possess the top-ranked defense in all of college football, allowing an average of 230.2 yards of total offense and ranks second in scoring, giving up just 10.2 points per game. “Defensively, we seem to be getting a lot better with attention to detail,” Patterson stated. Due to its defensive prowess, TCU has trailed just three times this year for a combined 9:19 and each time the team has immediately responded with either a game-tying or go-ahead touchdown. Offensively, the club is led by senior quarterback Andy Dalton, who has led the Frogs to 152 first downs on the season, which trails only three teams nationally.
Bettors will likely play against the Cougars despite the large line, as the team is 2-9 ATS in October. TCU is 4-1 ATS in its last five games during the month and 21-8-1 ATS in its last 30 conference games.
