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We have a thrilling Conference USA matchup on Thursday night inside the Sun Bowl between the Sam Houston Bearkats and the UTEP Miners. These teams are trending in polar opposite directions this season, so this game can be telling.
The Bearkats (4-1, 1-0 Conference USA) are on a three-game winning streak after a 40-39 home victory over the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday.
Junior quarterback Hunter Watson struggled to find his footing as he went 10-of-19 for 95 yards through the air. He ran 27 rushing attempts for 105 yards (3.9 yards per carry) with a pair of rushing touchdowns.
The Miners (0-4, 0-1) are looking to get their first win of the regular season and had last week off. They are coming off a 27-17 road loss against the Colorado State Rams on Sept. 21 and junior quarterback Cade McConnell finished 19-of-29 for 220 yards with a pair of touchdown passes.
Sam Houston vs. UTEP prediction
The Sam Houston Bearkats are clearly the better team in this game and should be able to dominate in this matchup. When looking at the against-the-spread records this season, the Bearkats are 4-1 ATS while the Miners are 1-3 ATS.
Sam Houston's offense has been doing well as they have scored more than 30 points in all four of their victories. The Miners are allowing a lot of points as the Liberty Flames and the Colorado State Rams average 27.5 points against them, so Sam Houston is going to have chances to score.
The Sam Houston pass defense is brutal thus far as they are 122nd in the nation with a 68.4 completion percentage against. This means that the connection between Cade McConnell and wide receiver Kenny Odom should continue to shine. Odom is coming off his best game of the season last time out with 128 receiving yards against Colorado State.
All in all, go with the Sam Houston Bearkats to cover the spread, score more than 29.5 points, and Kenny Odom to record 70+ receiving yards.
Sam Houston vs. UTEP betting tips
Tip 1: Sam Houston Bearkats -10.5 (-108)
Tip 2: Sam Houston Bearkats Over 29.5 Points (-145)
Tip 3: Kenny Odom 70+ Receiving Yards (-110)
Sam Houston vs. UTEP head-to-head
The Sam Houston Bearkats and the UTEP Miners are not very familiar with one another as this will only be the fourth time that they play against one another in their program's history.
The Miners have dominated this series as they hold a flawless 3-0 record over the Bearkats. The most recent game took place last season as UTEP scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to secure the 37-34 road victory.
How to watch Sam Houston vs. UTEP
This game between the Sam Houston Bearkats and the UTEP Miners will be airing on CBSSN for people watching on linear television. The streaming services that this game is available on are a bit limited compared to other games as it can be viewed on YouTube TV, FuboTV, Hulu + Live Sports, and DirecTV Stream.
