How and what to watch for UCF vs. Memphis

The UCF Knights and Memphis Tigers are both known nationwide for their ability to score a lot and score fast. But both teams are coming off a loss their last time out and had an idle week to fix any issues ahead of this pivotal AAC tilt.

Memphis fell to SMU on a last-second field goal their last time out. They had nearly a full month off after a COVID outbreak within the team and their rust was evident through the first quarter.

Once the Tigers got warmed up, they were off to the races. Early in the second quarter, SMU led 24-3. but the Tigers came back, scoring 17 unanswered before the half. Quarterback Brady White threw for 296 yards and the Tigers RB Rodrigues Clark ran for 98 yards and backup Kylan Watkins ran for 68 of his own. In the passing game Memphis can distribute it around quite a bit, making it tough for defenses to key in on one guy in particular.

The UCF Knights fell to Tulsa for the second year in a row, in what was one of the team’s worst offensive performances in recent memory. The team coughed up the ball three times in a rain-soaked game in Orlando. UCF out-gained the Golden Hurricane, but were plagued by 124 yards worth of penalties. The Knights currently lead the nation with 45 penalties through just three games. Their offense has sputtered out of the blocks in every game this season, but tends to ramp up as the game goes on, scoring 52 and 49 points in Week 1 and 2. But against Tulsa it never really came alive, scoring just 17 offensive points that weren’t aided by an extremely short field.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch this game Saturday, October 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, or you can stream it here with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: UCF (-2.5) at Memphis
Point Total: 75
Money line: UCF (-141). Memphis (+114)

• UCF is 4-9 ATS in their last 13
• UCF is 10-0 straight up in their last 10 against Memphis
• The total has gone under in five of the Tigers last six games
• Memphis are 0-5 ATS in their last five games.

The Best Bet

The over/under is the best play in this one, since both offenses can typically go up and down the field at will. The line on this one is high at 75. But two out of the last times these teams faced off the total was 97 and 117, respectively.

Pick: Over 75

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