Syracuse Orange at UConn Huskies

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The research

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All research from this day

• GARY'S PICK

  KALIEB OSBORNEANYTIME TOUCHDOWN OVER 0.5

  NCAAFUConn· -110

  LOST · ACTUAL 0

  GARY'S TAKE

  If UConn scores on Syracuse, the quarterback is the likeliest player to finish the drive. Kalieb Osborne has five rushing touchdowns in four games on 44 carries, more than any other UConn ball carrier. Cyncir Bowers has three on 31 carries, and Kenji Christian has one rushing and one receiving score. Look at the board against that production: Christian is -105 and Osborne is -110. The books are pricing those two players almost the same, and their scoring records are nowhere near each other. I'd much rather lay the extra nickel on the player who has actually been finishing drives. The matchup points the same way. The Syracuse front is the best unit on this field, with 8 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in three games. A defense like that makes it hard to grind out a short-yardage touchdown with a traditional handoff. A quarterback who can extend a play, pull the ball on a read or scramble when the pocket collapses near the goal line is a different problem. This week's previews leaned hard on Osborne's mobility as UConn's answer to that pressure, and the red zone is where it matters most. UConn has averaged 4.625 points per scoring opportunity, so when it gets close, it has been finishing. The risk is plain. Syracuse allows 258.7 yards per game, and UConn may get only two real trips inside the 20. The 129th-ranked schedule inflates every UConn number, and against Maryland Osborne went 10 of 21 in a 38-14 loss. That is why the confidence is modest. My side says this game stays tight with UConn moving the ball enough to hang around, and in that version Osborne is the player most likely to cross the line. At a near coin-flip price, I'll take the player with the clearest path to the end zone.

  ×

  Kalieb Osborne
  Anytime Touchdown over 0.5

  -110 · LOST · ACTUAL 0

  UConn

  Read Gary’s Take

  If UConn scores on Syracuse, the quarterback is the likeliest player to finish the drive. Kalieb Osborne has five rushing touchdowns in four games on 44 carries, more than any other UConn ball carrier. Cyncir Bowers has three on 31 carries, and Kenji Christian has one rushing and one receiving score. Look at the board against that production: Christian is -105 and Osborne is -110. The books are pricing those two players almost the same, and their scoring records are nowhere near each other. I'd much rather lay the extra nickel on the player who has actually been finishing drives.

  The matchup points the same way. The Syracuse front is the best unit on this field, with 8 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in three games. A defense like that makes it hard to grind out a short-yardage touchdown with a traditional handoff. A quarterback who can extend a play, pull the ball on a read or scramble when the pocket collapses near the goal line is a different problem. This week's previews leaned hard on Osborne's mobility as UConn's answer to that pressure, and the red zone is where it matters most. UConn has averaged 4.625 points per scoring opportunity, so when it gets close, it has been finishing.

  The risk is plain. Syracuse allows 258.7 yards per game, and UConn may get only two real trips inside the 20. The 129th-ranked schedule inflates every UConn number, and against Maryland Osborne went 10 of 21 in a 38-14 loss. That is why the confidence is modest. My side says this game stays tight with UConn moving the ball enough to hang around, and in that version Osborne is the player most likely to cross the line. At a near coin-flip price, I'll take the player with the clearest path to the end zone.

Every prop from this day is on the archive page.