Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Russell Athletic Bowl

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The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The opening line for this game has Miami as 1.5 point favorites. This season the Mountaineers are 5-7-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 5-7-0. The Hurricanes have an over/under record of 6-6-0 and they are 8-4-0 against the spread.

Skyler Howard finished with 111 yards through the air for West Virginia in his last game. He completed 10 passes out of 26 attempts for a 38% completion percentage. The Mountaineers were led in rushing by Justin Crawford, who finished with 209 yards on 28 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Gary Jennings was the team leader in receiving with a total of 69 yards and 3 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 23 yards per reception. As a team in that game West Virginia got a total of 25 first downs. Of those first downs, 14 came on the ground while 5 came through the air. They ran 88 total plays for 422 yards for the game. The Mountaineers ran for 311 yards on 62 attempts.

Brad Kaaya finished with 396 yards passing for Miami in his last contest. He went 22 for 35, resulting in a 63% completion percentage. The Hurricanes were led on the ground by Mark Walton, who finished with 60 yards on 13 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. David Njoku led the team in receiving with 134 yards and 2 catches. He finished the game with an average of 67 yards per reception. Miami had 24 first downs total. 11 came from running the ball and 11 came from a pass. They ran 65 total plays for 568 yards for the contest. The Hurricanes ran for 172 yards on 30 carries as a team.

West Virginia scores 32.6 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 46th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 19.3 passes on 31.9 attempts for a 60.6 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 267.4 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 30th in college football. The Mountaineers run for an average of 239.5 yards per game on 44.6 attempts for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That ranks them 19th in the nation. They also run 76.5 plays per contest and average 6.6 yards per play for an average of 506.9 yards per game, ranking their offense 12th overall this season. The Mountaineers average 25.3 first downs per game which ranks them 10th in the country. They accumulate 59.6 penalty yards per game via 6.2 penalties, which ranks 36th in the nation.

West Virginia allows 255.7 passing yards per game, ranking 98th in D-1, and they allow 23.4 points per contest on defense, which ranks 36th. They give up 20.6 completions on 37 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 55.6. The Mountaineers allow 175.5 rushing yards per game on 40.3 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 66th in the country. West Virginia allows 431.2 total yards per game including 5.6 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 78th in terms of yards per game. They force 2.1 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 7.3 penalties for 66.8 yards per game, ranking them 116th among D-1 teams.

Miami averages 34.6 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 35th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 19.9 passes per game on 32.7 attempts for a 61 percent completion percentage. They throw for 273.5 yards through the air per game, ranking them 27th in Division 1. The Hurricanes run for an average of 157.7 yards per game on 33.4 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 85th on the ground. They also run 66.1 plays per game and average 6.5 yards per play for a total of 431.2 yards per game, ranking them 55th in the country on offense. The Hurricanes get an average of 20.1 first downs per game, which ranks 86th in the nation. They average 65.6 penalty yards per game via 7.3 penalties, ranking them 16th in college football.

Miami allows an average of 220.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 60th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 18.9 points per contest, which has them ranked 13th in the nation. They give up 20.4 completions on 35 attempts for a completion percentage of 58.3 per game. The Hurricanes allow 133.3 rushing yards per contest on 38.3 carries for a 3.5 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 29th in the country. Miami allows 353.8 total yards per game for an average of 4.8 yards per play, which ranks 26th in D-1. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and 6.8 penalties for 57.5 yards in each contest, ranking 87th in the nation.

West Virginia Betting Trends

West Virginia is 5-7-0 against the over/under this season

West Virginia has an ATS record of 5-7-0 this season

Miami Betting Trends

Miami is 6-6-0 against the over/under this season

Miami has an ATS record of 8-4-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

West Virginia

12/01/16 WR Ka'Raun White Leg out for season
10/13/16 PK Josh Lambert Personal has left team
09/29/16 DL Jaleel Fields Undisclosed out indefinitely
09/07/16 CB Jake Long Knee out for season
09/07/16 DE Xavier Pegues Shoulder out indefinitely
09/05/16 OL Yodny Cajuste Knee out for season
08/19/16 LB Brendan Ferns ACL out for season
08/14/16 FS Dravon Askew-Henry Knee out for season

Miami

12/04/16 S Cedrick Wright Suspension "?" Wednesday vs. West Virginia
11/16/16 DB Adrian Colbert Forearm out for season
11/11/16 C Nick Linder Shoulder out for season
10/11/16 OT Sunny Odogwu Leg out for season
10/10/16 WR Sam Bruce Dismissed has been dismissed
09/16/16 QB Tucker Beirne Legal problems out indefinitely
09/05/16 LB Jamie Gordinier Knee out for season
09/03/16 LB Juwon Young Suspension has transferred
08/27/16 DL Al-Quadin Muhammad Dismissed has been dismissed
08/27/16 LB Jeremaine Grace Dismissed has been dismissed
08/19/16 RB Trayone Gray Knee out for season
08/18/16 WR Lawrence Cager Knee out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Miami -1.5

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