Houston vs. GA Southern Recap: Six Straight Scoring Drives

Houston beat Georgia Southern 42-28, and the Houston offense never really stopped. Georgia Southern fumbled on its first drive, and Houston turned it into a Conner Weigman touchdown run. Houston led 14-0, Georgia Southern tied it at 14 in the second quarter, and then Houston scored touchdowns on its next four possessions to go up 42-21. Houston scored on each of its first six drives, went 8-for-9 on third down and didn't turn the ball over. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, all posted before kickoff.

What cashed

Houston ML (-1053 at FanDuel): CASHED

• Our read: Ranked Houston was a 17.5-point road favorite. At -1053, this was a parlay piece, not a straight bet.
• What happened: Houston won by 14. Weigman completed 17 of 22 passes for 239 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions, and ran for two more scores. Re'Shaun Sanford II added 17 carries for 120 yards, and Houston ran for 202 as a team.
• Worth watching: At this price the only question is whether it belongs in a parlay. With an offense that scored on six straight drives, it did.

ALT: Houston -7.5: CASHED

• Our read: The main line was -17.5. We took ten points of cushion on a ranked favorite.
• What happened: Houston won by 14 and covered -7.5 by 6.5. Georgia Southern scored the last touchdown of the game, a 5-yard River Helms catch with 8:20 left, to close it to 42-28.
• Worth watching: This is the game the alt exists for. Houston never trailed, and the full -17.5 would have come up 3.5 points short. The cushion was the difference.

ALT: Amare Thomas 4+ receptions: CASHED

• Our read: Thomas led Houston with 18 catches in 3 games (6 a game) for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns. Houston had no receiver injuries beyond Muizz Tounkara, who had been out all year.
• What happened: He caught 5 passes for 50 yards, with a long of 17, and scored on an 11-yard catch early in the fourth. That's 1.5 over the line. Trent Walker led Houston with 6 catches for 83 yards, and Weigman only threw 22 times.
• Worth watching: On a light passing day, Thomas still got to 5. A catch line a couple below his average is a sensible way to play him.

How the game played out

Max Johnson threw for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, and Alex Taylor caught 6 passes for 119 yards and two scores. Georgia Southern held the ball for 31:21 but ran for only 66 yards on 26 carries. It couldn't get stops: Houston punted once all game.

Trends to watch

• The main line came up short on a game Houston controlled. Cushion on big road favorites is worth a look.
• Weigman threw only 22 times, and Thomas still caught 5. His floor held even with low volume.
• Houston ran 41 times for 202 yards, split between Sanford (17 carries, 120 yards) and Makhi Hughes (16 carries, 70 yards). A split backfield makes single-back rushing props harder to trust.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these terms? Read up on the alt line, the point spread and the parlay, or head back to the college football hub.