No. 12 Missouri Tigers (7-1, 5-3 ATS) at Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-4, 2-5-1 ATS), Week 10 College Football, Saturday November 6th, 8:00PM Easter Jones AT&T Stadium Lubbock, T.X.
By Jay Horne, Professional Sports Handicapper of Predictem.com
Betting Odds: Mo. -4.5/TT +4.5
Over/Under: 58
The no. 12 Missouri Tigers undefeated streak came to an end last week with a disappointing loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-17. However, the Tigers can still make a Big 12 Championship appearance with a little help if they can take care of business the rest of the way. The Tigers will have to shake off last week’s loss as they take the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders this Saturday night. The Red Raiders are sitting at a disappointing 4-4 mark on the season, but still have an opportunity to salvage the season if they can string together a couple of big wins starting this Saturday when the host Missouri.
The Tigers have won the last 3 meetings over the Red Raiders and of course will look to continue that streak. Even though most of the Big 12 is known for fast scoring offenses, the Tigers defense has been the biggest strength of their team this season. Missouri sports the 9th best scoring defense in the country allowing just 15 points per game. The Tigers defensive front does a great job at getting to the ball and they have also wreaked havoc in the opponent’s backfield. The Tigers are averaging 3 sacks per game which ties them for 7th in the nation. Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts has been one of the most solid arms in the Big 12 this season. Therefore the more pressure the Missouri defensive front can apply, the better chance they have at keeping the Red Raiders offense on the right side of the field.
On offense QB Blaine Gabbert has posted very solid numbers completing 64% for 2098 yards, 12 scores, and only 4 picks. Gabbert has been able to spread the ball around to some talented targets on the outside. WR T.J. Moe leads the team with 696 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. However, both wide outs in Michael Egnew and Jerrell Jackson have also contributed well combining for just less than 1,000 yards receiving for 6 touchdowns. Therefore, the Red Raiders defense will have their hands full in attempting to contain the Missouri pass offense. The Red Raiders secondary has been one of the worse units in college football this season giving up 317 yards per game. I do not believe the Tigers will have many problems throwing the football especially since they have so many talented receivers in their arsenal. However even with that being said, the Tigers defense will still have to come up big to slow down the Red Raiders offense.
Texas Tech owns the 7th best passing attack in college football averaging 316 yards per game. The Red Raiders offense has also produced 32 points on average this season so they definitely have the fire power to keep pace with any opposing offense. Potts has been electric throwing for 21 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions while compiling 2,388 yards on the season. Potts is a proven veteran and a guy that can definitely give opposing defenses a hard time.
Senior WR Lyle Leong has also been a solid leader in the passing game. Leong leads the team with 588 receiving yards that have resulted in 13 touchdowns. Leong’s 13 receiving touchdowns rank 2nd for receivers and he will be trying to put his self a top that list this Saturday. Outside of Leong, wide outs Detron Lewis and Alexander Torres have benefited from the Red Raiders high powered offense. Both wide outs are averaging 12 plus yards per catch and can be dangerous in the open field. However, the most interesting aspect to this Saturday night’s game will be if the Red Raiders offense can overcome that tough Missouri defensive front. If Potts is able to have time to throw, they can definitely put some points on the board which could possibly result in the upset.
Jay’s pick to cover the point spread: Missouri -4.
