Missouri Tigers vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Betting Preview – September 9, 2011
This Missouri Tigers vs. Arizona State Sun Devils betting preview for the Friday September 9, 2011 game is courtesy of Sportsbook.com. Get up to $200 in Free cash when you join today here.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Arizona State -8.5 & 52.5
Opening Line & Total: ASU -6 & 52.5
The 21st-ranked Missouri Tigers visit Arizona State on Friday night knowing they will need a much better showing than their season opener. Missouri struggled to beat 19.5-point underdog Miami Ohio last Saturday, winning 17-6. However, the win gave the Tigers their 23rd straight non-conference win in the regular season.
These schools haven’t met since 1990, but Missouri is familiar with this field, having lost the Insight Bowl to Iowa in Tempe last December. In contrast to the Tigers’ Week 1 struggles, Arizona State had no problem with UC Davis, leading 41-0 after three quarters and cruising to a 48-14 victory. The Sun Devils are now 12-2 ATS in their past 14 home games, while Missouri is 2-5 ATS in its past seven non-Big 12 games.
Missouri sophomore QB James Franklin tallied 201 total yards and 2 TD in his first career start, but he didn’t have the kind of game that Tigers fans have come to expect from their past two signal callers who are now in the NFL, Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert. Franklin was fortunate that the Tigers defense put forth a mammoth effort, limiting the defending MAC champion RedHawks to 76 yards on 36 carries (2.1 YPC).
ASU also did a nice job stuffing the run last week, holding UC Davis to 88 yards on 26 carries (3.4 YPC). The defensive star was LB Vontaze Burfict who had three sacks in the victory. Offensively, QB Brock Osweiler had a huge performance. He threw for 262 yards and 2 TD, both to Aaron Pflugrad, and the ground game rushed for 217 yards and three scores, two by Cameron Marshall.
Both teams are dealing with quite a hefty amount of injuries. For ASU, starting RT Aderious Simmons is questionable due to sprained ankle, and the team is already without three players suffering major knee injuries: WR T.J. Simpson, CB Omar Bolden and S Ezekiel Bishop. LB Brandon Magee and RB Deantre Lewis will also miss the game due to leg injuries.
On the Missouri side, LB Will Ebner (ankle) and DE Jacquies Smith (elbow) are both expected to miss Friday’s game after getting hurt in the opener. The Tigers could also be without four offensive players in WRs Jerrell Jackson (hamstring) and Gahn McGaffie (knee), TE Eric Waters (hamstring) and C Travis Ruth (Achilles). LT Elvis Fisher ruptured a tendon in his left leg in the preseason and will not play in 2011. The one piece of good injury news is that CB Kip Edwards is fully healed from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the opener, and is expected to start.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
