Saturday, October 29, 2016

FIU Stadium

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The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders take on the Florida International Golden Panthers on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at FIU Stadium. The opening line for this game has MTSU as 17 point favorites. This season the Blue Raiders are 4-2-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 4-3-0. The Golden Panthers have an over/under record of 4-4-0 and they are 2-6-0 against the spread.

Brent Stockstill finished with 280 yards through the air for Middle Tennessee last week. He completed 23 passes out of 41 attempts for a 56% completion percentage. The Blue Raiders were led in rushing by I'Tavius Mathers, who finished with 215 yards on 28 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 8 yards per carry. Richie James was the team leader in receiving with a total of 129 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 26 yards per reception. As a team in that game Middle Tennessee got a total of 27 first downs. Of those first downs, 11 came on the ground while 11 came through the air. They ran 83 total plays for 584 yards for the game. The Blue Raiders ran for 300 yards on 41 attempts.

Alex McGough finished with 281 yards passing for Florida International last week. He went 25 for 44, resulting in a 57% completion percentage. The Golden Panthers were led on the ground by Alex Gardner, who finished with 61 yards on 13 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Thomas Owens led the team in receiving with 96 yards and 8 catches. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. Florida International had 24 first downs total. 5 came from running the ball and 18 came from a pass. They ran 78 total plays for 398 yards for the contest. The Golden Panthers ran for 67 yards on 29 carries as a team.

Middle Tennessee scores 40.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 16th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 30.4 passes on 47.9 attempts for a 63.6 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 354.4 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 8th in college football. The Blue Raiders run for an average of 192.9 yards per game on 33.7 attempts for an average of 5.7 yards per carry. That ranks them 47th in the nation. They also run 81.6 plays per contest and average 6.7 yards per play for an average of 547.3 yards per game, ranking their offense 5th overall this season. The Blue Raiders average 26.9 first downs per game which ranks them 6th in the country. They accumulate 60.6 penalty yards per game via 6.7 penalties, which ranks 45th in the nation.

Middle Tennessee allows 253.6 passing yards per game, ranking 92nd in D-1, and they allow 29.1 points per contest on defense, which ranks 77th. They give up 22.9 completions on 39.6 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 57.8. The Blue Raiders allow 175.4 rushing yards per game on 41.9 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 77th in the country. Middle Tennessee allows 429 total yards per game including 5.3 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 84th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.4 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 7.1 penalties for 65.1 yards per game, ranking them 105th among D-1 teams.

Florida International averages 21.6 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 113th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 20 passes per game on 35.6 attempts for a 56.1 percent completion percentage. They throw for 226.4 yards through the air per game, ranking them 75th in Division 1. The Golden Panthers run for an average of 139.5 yards per game on 34 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 101st on the ground. They also run 69.6 plays per game and average 5.3 yards per play for a total of 365.9 yards per game, ranking them 103rd in the country on offense. The Golden Panthers get an average of 19.1 first downs per game, which ranks 104th in the nation. They average 55.3 penalty yards per game via 6.1 penalties, ranking them 67th in college football.

Florida International allows an average of 213 passing yards per game, which ranks 49th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 33.9 points per contest, which has them ranked 107th in the nation. They give up 17.8 completions on 29 attempts for a completion percentage of 61.2 per game. The Golden Panthers allow 203.3 rushing yards per contest on 40.4 carries for a 5 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 95th in the country. Florida International allows 416.3 total yards per game for an average of 6 yards per play, which ranks 75th in D-1. They force 0.9 turnovers per contest and 7.1 penalties for 60.9 yards in each contest, ranking 91st in the nation.

Middle Tennessee Betting Trends

Middle Tennessee is 4-3-0 against the over/under this season

Middle Tennessee has an ATS record of 4-2-1 this season

Florida International Betting Trends

Florida International is 4-4-0 against the over/under this season

Florida International has an ATS record of 2-6-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Middle Tennessee

09/06/16 DE Chris Hale Knee out indefinitely
09/06/16 WR Demetrius Frazier Leg out for season
08/30/16 RB Shane Tucker Leg out for season
08/29/16 WR Jocquez Bruce Ankle out for season
08/19/16 WR Terry Pettis Leg out for season

Florida International

10/24/16 QB Alex McGough Ankle injured last game, probable Saturday vs. Middle Tenn St
09/23/16 RB Napoleon Maxwell Knee out indefinitely
09/11/16 WR Shug Oyegunle Ankle out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Middle Tennessee

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