Saturday, September 3, 2016

Commonwealth Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, September 3, 2016 at Commonwealth Stadium. The opening line for this game has Kentucky as 6.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 63.5. Last season the Golden Eagles were 10-4-0 against the spread and their over/under record was 6-8-0. The Wildcats had an over/under record of 5-6-1 and they were 3-9-0 against the spread.

Southern Mississippi scored 39.9 points per game on offense last season, which ranked 13th in Division 1. In the passing department, they averaged 24.1 passes on 37.9 attempts for a 63.7 percent completion percentage last season. They threw for a total of 329.7 yards per game through the air as well, which ranked them 12th in college football. The Golden Eagles ran for an average of 179.8 yards per game on 35.9 attempts for an average of 5 yards per carry. That ranked them 54th in the nation. They also ran 73.8 plays per contest and averaged 6.9 yards per play for an average of 509.5 yards per game, ranking their offense 12th overall last season. The Golden Eagles averaged 23.1 first downs per game which ranked them 30th in the country. They accumulated 66.5 penalty yards per game via 6.9 penalties, which ranked 18th in the nation.

Southern Mississippi allowed 227.6 passing yards per game, ranking 70th in D-1, and they allowed 25.6 points per contest on defense, which ranked 49th. They gave up 19.4 completions on 35.1 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 55.1. The Golden Eagles allowed 151.9 rushing yards per game on 36.1 carries for a 4.2 average per play, which ranked their rush defense 44th in the country. Southern Mississippi allowed 379.5 total yards per game including 5.3 yards per play, which ranked their overall defense 51st in terms of yards per game. They forced 1.7 turnovers per contest and got flagged for 5.7 penalties for 56.2 yards per game, ranking them 72nd among D-1 teams.

Kentucky averaged 24.7 points per game last season on offense, which ranked them 95th in the country. In the passing department, they completed 18.2 passes per game on 33.1 attempts for a 54.9 percent completion percentage. They threw for 209.3 yards through the air per game last year, ranking them 80th in Division 1. The Wildcats ran for an average of 162.7 yards per game on 34.9 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry last season, which ranked them 79th on the ground. They also ran 68 plays per game and averaged 5.5 yards per play for a total of 372 yards per game, ranking them 89th in the country on offense. The Wildcats got an average of 18.5 first downs per game, which ranked 103rd in the nation. They averaged 56.3 penalty yards per game via 5.8 penalties, ranking them 57th in college football.

Kentucky allowed an average of 198.1 passing yards yards per game, which ranked 28th in Division 1. Their defense overall allowed 27.4 points per contest, which had them ranked 68th in the nation. They gave up 16.3 completions on 28.6 attempts for a completion percentage of 57.1 per game. The Wildcats allowed 196.1 rushing yards per contest on 42.5 carries for a 4.6 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 97th in the country. Kentucky allowed 394.2 total yards per game for an average of 5.5 yards per play, which ranked 60th in D-1. They forced 1.7 turnovers per contest and 5.7 penalties for 50.8 yards in each contest, ranking 45th in the nation.

Nick Mullens finished his last game of last season with 331 yards through the air for Southern Mississippi. He completed 25 passes out of 38 attempts for a 66% completion percentage. The Golden Eagles were led in rushing by Ito Smith, who finished with 40 yards on 16 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Michael Thomas was the team leader in receiving with a total of 190 yards and 9 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 21 yards per reception. As a team in that game Southern Mississippi got a total of 22 first downs by way of 5 rushing, 14 passing, and 3 by penalty. They ran 69 total plays for 375 yards for the game. The Golden Eagles ran for 22 yards on 30 attempts.

Drew Barker finished his last game of last season with 128 yards through the air for Kentucky. He completed 6 passes out of 22 attempts for a 27% completion percentage. The Wildcats were led in rushing by Mikel Horton, who finished with 44 yards on 13 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Dorian Baker was the team leader in receiving with a total of 94 yards and 3 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 31 yards per reception. Kentucky got a total of 14 first downs by way of 6 rushing, 6 passing, and 2 by penalty. They ran 63 total plays for 291 yards for the game. The Wildcats ran for 92 yards on 37 attempts.

Southern Mississippi Betting Trends

Southern Mississippi were 6-8-0 against the over/under last season

Southern Mississippi had an ATS record of 10-4-0 last season

Kentucky Betting Trends

Kentucky were 5-6-1 against the over/under last season

Kentucky had an ATS record of 3-9-0 last season

Injuries to Watch

Southern Mississippi

No key injuries to report

Kentucky

08/19/16 DB Darius West Knee out for season
08/19/16 RB Mikel Horton Ankle "?" Saturday vs. Southern Miss
08/19/16 DL Regie Meant Personal out indefinitely
08/19/16 RB Stanley Boom Williams Elbow probable Saturday vs. Southern Miss

Guy's Pick: Take Southern Mississippi

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