Kentucky Wildcats at No. 1 LSU Tigers
Saturday, 10/1/11, 12:20 PM EST, TV: ESPN3
Opening Point Spread: LSU -28
Current Betting Line: LSU -30
Opening Total: 47
Current Total: 44.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Kentucky will travel on the road for the first time this Saturday and is coming off a 48-10 defeat to the Florida Gators as 17.5-point home underdogs. The Wildcats have been out-gained in all four contests this year, including by a 221-yard margin last week. Turnovers have been a major issue for the squad, giving the ball to the Gators four times, which allowed the contest to turn into a blowout. “I’ve got to get this football team to know how precious the football is,” commented Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips. “We’ve had poor field position the last couple weeks.” Kentucky is 5-11 ATS as an underdog and 7-10 ATS versus conference opponents.
The Wildcats are led offensively by quarterback Morgan Newton, who has completed 59-of-110 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns. Kentucky’s top wide receiver has been La’Rod King, who leads the team with 19 catches for 276 yards and four touchdowns. This will be the 56th meeting in this series, with the Wildcats posting a 16-38-1 record, including a 5-22-1 mark in Baton Rouge. Over the years, the program has played 223 games against ranked competition, coming away with a 39-179-5 record. Kentucky is 4-23-1 all-time against ranked LSU teams.
LSU can pretty much name the score in this contest and comes off spread victories over Mississippi State and West Virginia on the road. The Tigers were out-gained by 167 yards last week, which should definitely be noted despite the 26-point margin of victory. “We hold the No. 1 spot in college football today, but that is not the final achievement,” commented Tigers head coach Les Miles. The team has been relying on a punishing defense that has forced 11 turnovers, including four last week. LSU is 9-10 ATS as a favorite and 8-8 ATS versus conference foes.
The Tigers have cashed in on those turnovers mentioned above, scoring eight times, including seven touchdowns on drives following opponent’s miscues. LSU will go into this contest with a 14-3 record in games played as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team. Despite all the accolades, the squad still allowed 533 yards to West Virginia, but the defensive unit remains among the best in the nation in terms of points allowed. LSU is 38-6 in seven seasons under Miles when playing inside of Tiger Stadium, including a 7-0 record last year. Quarterback Jarrett Lee seems to be settling in at quarterback and is now 9-4 when being under center to start a contest.
Bettors will likely back the Wildcats due to their 5-2 ATS mark in this series, while the Tigers are 1-5 ATS as a home favorite of 10.5 or more points.
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