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Buffalo at Ohio Football Betting Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on October 27, 2008

3-4 Buffalo meets 2-6 Ohio in a MAC showdown Tuesday night and odds makers are giving the slight edge to the home team, making Ohio the slight 2-point favorite.

The Bobcats are still in contention in the mediocre Mid-American Conference East Division, but they came one more loss closer to falling out of contention with a 14-10 loss at Temple on October 21. Ohio jumped out to an early lead and outplayed the Owl for three quarters, but it gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lose the game.

Failing to close out games is beginning to be a pattern for the Bobcats. Their loss last week marked the third time this season they have led after three quarters but still lost.

Ohio is still just a game behind MAC East leader Akron and still has a chance to make a move this week.

QB Boo Jackson and running back Chris Garrett both turned in solid performances last week. Garret had 48 yards rushing, 43 kick return yards, and 82 receiving yards, but he will be remembered in this contest as the guy who “fumbled” away the game.

Jackson was 23 of 40 for 220 yards and avoided throwing a pick.

The defensive side of the ball has been the heart and soul of this football team though. Defensive tackle Jameson Hartke is an animal. He led the way for the Bobcats last week, while playing with a sprained shoulder, with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. As a whole, the defense came up with five sacks and 13 tackles for loss. They held the Owls to only 60 yards through the first three quarters.

It’s time for the offense to step up and help these guys out. If you think the Bobcats can bounce back at home this week, bet Ohio at -2 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% sign up bonus.

Buffalo came through with an overtime win against Army but the injuries are starting to mount, which has taken depth away from the backfield and has given the line problems in protecting QB Drew Willy.

Tailback James Starks missed his second game of the season because of a turf toe injury and backup Mario Henry went down with a MCL injury and will be out 4-6 weeks.

Coach Turner Gill is hopeful that he will have Starks back this week, but it may not matter if the offensive line can’t get things figured out.

The running game produced only 41 yards (1.4 per carry) and Willy was dropped five times behind the line of scrimmage. The Bulls are tied for 105th nationally with sacks allowed with 19, an average of 2.71 per game.

The Bulls will presumably get a break this week as Ohio has ranks in the bottom half of the country in sacks, but after seeing last week’s game tape don’t be surprised if the Bobcats go after the QB a little bit more. The Bobcats have only 8 sacks on the season (101st nationally).

The running game, which ranks near the bottom of the MAC, needs to improve this week. If Starks is in the lineup, he will make plays as long as he has a few holes to run through.

The Bulls have shown vulnerability in stopping the short passing game as the linebackers aren’t fast enough to cover receivers. This puts the Bulls in more nickel and dime packages which leaves them susceptible to the run. But despite it all, this team has found a way to win games and is more explosive offensively than Ohio.

Wide receiver Ernest Jackson is the most explosive player on the field. He had nine catches for 134 yards against Army and could be the difference maker again this week. If you like the Bulls to pull off the small upset, bet Buffalo at +2 at BetUS.

Check out the Week 10 football lines right here at Locksmith Sports to compare between the top sportsbooks in the industry. Jimmy is coming off a 7-2 performance in Week 9 action so you don’t want to leave your football betting to chance this week. Saddle up and ride Jimmy Boyd’s college football picks to another big week of winning.

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