Temple Owls vs Miami OH RedHawks NCAA Football Picks

Temple Owls at Miami OH RedHawks
Tuesday, 11/23/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Temple -6
Current Betting Line: Temple -6.5
Opening Total: 44
Current Total: 44
Current Moneyline: Temple -250 / Miami OH +210

The Temple Owls roll into tonight's contest as 6.5-point road favorites against Miami OH

Temple had its 10-game home winning streak snapped at Lincoln Financial Field with a 31-23 loss to the Ohio Bobcats last week. The Owls are looking to rebound and ensure themselves a second place finish in the MAC East Division and lock up a second straight bowl berth. “You can’t go back in time, so we just have to go out and win our next game,” said tailback Matt Brown. The team lost two important players during its last game, as running back Bernard Pierce and top tackler Elijah Joseph were injured early. The Bobcats preceded to take control of the game on the ground, rushing for 204 yards against a defensive unit that entered the game 21st in the nation. Temple is 6-1 ATS as a road favorite this year and the college football lines page has them laying less than a touchdown.

The Owls have still won 15 of their last 20 games and will be looking to have back-to-back seasons of nine wins for the first time in program history. Temple will have to focus on defense in bottling up Miami running back Thomas Merriweather, who had a career-high 141 yards rushing last week against Akron. If they can do that, it gives them an opportunity to put RedHawks backup quarterback in third-and-long situations. Tuesday’s game will mark the fifth meeting between the two teams, with the Owls holding a 3-1 advantage. Pierce ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns to lead Temple to a 34-32 win at home in last year’s meeting.

Miami OH was led by the offensive duo of redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Boucher and senior running back Thomas Merriweather in last week’s 19-14 win over Akron. Boucher completed 22-of-32 passes for 213 yards in his first start, while Merriweather rushed for a career-high 141 yards. The win has moved the program into a position of possibly winning the East Division, but head coach Michael Haywood’s focus in clear. “We have one more game to play and the most important thing is playing that game,” he stated. “That’s the only thing we’re talking to the guys about. Temple. That’s the most important thing we have to do. We have to play Temple.” The team is 4-5 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points.

The RedHawks certainly need some help from Kent State on Friday, as if they pick up a victory tonight and Ohio loses later in the week, they would advance to the MAC title game. The season has already been highly successful, considering the program is the country’s most improved with six more victories than last season, when it ended the year at 1-11. “The seniors on this game are the bridge builders,” said Haywood. “They’re doing a tremendous job of building this bridge for the young guys who are going to follow behind them.”