Saturday, October 1, 2016

M. M. Roberts Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Rice Owls take on the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at M. M. Roberts Stadium. The opening line for this game has Southern Mississippi as 21 point favorites. This season the Owls are 1-3-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 1-3-0. The Golden Eagles have an over/under record of 2-2-0 and they are 2-1-1 against the spread.

Tyler Stehling finished with 232 yards through the air for Rice last week. He completed 22 passes out of 38 attempts for a 58% completion percentage. The Owls were led in rushing by Tyler Stehling, who finished with 92 yards on 13 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Zach Wright was the team leader in receiving with a total of 120 yards and 10 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. As a team in that game Rice got a total of 28 first downs. Of those first downs, 16 came on the ground while 8 came through the air. They ran 100 total plays for 491 yards for the game. The Owls ran for 255 yards on 60 attempts.

Nick Mullens finished with 176 yards passing for Southern Mississippi last week. He went 16 for 27, resulting in a 59% completion percentage. The Golden Eagles were led on the ground by Ito Smith, who finished with 108 yards on 16 carries. He ended the game with an average of 7 yards per rush. D.J. Thompson led the team in receiving with 48 yards and 4 catches. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. Southern Mississippi had 18 first downs total. 8 came from running the ball and 9 came from a pass. They ran 66 total plays for 378 yards for the contest. The Golden Eagles ran for 202 yards on 39 carries as a team.

Rice scores 18.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 119th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 17.8 passes on 33.5 attempts for a 53 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 161.8 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 113th in college football. The Owls run for an average of 171.5 yards per game on 39 attempts for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. That ranks them 74th in the nation. They also run 72.5 plays per contest and average 4.6 yards per play for an average of 333.3 yards per game, ranking their offense 115th overall this season. The Owls average 18.5 first downs per game which ranks them 103rd in the country. They accumulate 50.8 penalty yards per game via 6.8 penalties, which ranks 78th in the nation.

Rice allows 296 passing yards per game, ranking 116th in D-1, and they allow 39.3 points per contest on defense, which ranks 114th. They give up 17.5 completions on 28 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 62.5. The Owls allow 239 rushing yards per game on 48.8 carries for an average of 4.9 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 113th in the country. Rice allows 535 total yards per game including 7 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 125th in terms of yards per game. They force 0.5 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 7.8 penalties for 70.5 yards per game, ranking them 114th among D-1 teams.

Southern Mississippi averages 41.3 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 28th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 19.8 passes per game on 34 attempts for a 58.1 percent completion percentage. They throw for 235.8 yards through the air per game, ranking them 68th in Division 1. The Golden Eagles run for an average of 256.3 yards per game on 46.3 attempts for an average of 5.5 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 15th on the ground. They also run 80.3 plays per game and average 6.1 yards per play for a total of 492 yards per game, ranking them 27th in the country on offense. The Golden Eagles get an average of 24.5 first downs per game, which ranks 31st in the nation. They average 63.8 penalty yards per game via 8 penalties, ranking them 41st in college football.

Southern Mississippi allows an average of 144.8 passing yards yards per game, which ranks 8th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 19.8 points per contest, which has them ranked 32nd in the nation. They give up 11 completions on 23.5 attempts for a completion percentage of 46.8 per game. The Golden Eagles allow 118 rushing yards per contest on 32.3 carries for a 3.7 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 33rd in the country. Southern Mississippi allows 262.8 total yards per game for an average of 4.7 yards per play, which ranks 8th in D-1. They force 1.8 turnovers per contest and 6.8 penalties for 57 yards in each contest, ranking 68th in the nation.

Rice Betting Trends

Rice is 1-3-0 against the over/under this season

Rice has an ATS record of 1-3-0 this season

Southern Mississippi Betting Trends

Southern Mississippi is 2-2-0 against the over/under this season

Southern Mississippi has an ATS record of 2-1-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

Rice

09/07/16 OL Connor Patterson Leg out for season
08/30/16 CB Justin Bickham Knee out for season

Southern Mississippi

09/18/16 DL Draper Riley Ankle "?" Saturday vs. UTEP
09/02/16 TE Taylor Marini Undisclosed out indefinitely

Guy's Pick: Take Rice

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn