Liberty vs UMass NCAA Football Picks 11/2/2019

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Andrew Brito and the UMass Minutemen host the Liberty Flames at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday, November 2, 2019. Liberty opens this game as 21-point favorites. The Flames are 3-5-0 ATS and 1-5-0 when betting on the total. The Minutemen are 6-2-0 when wagering on the over/under and 1-7-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Liberty Flames played the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and ended up taking the loss by a score of 44-34. Joshua Mack paced the team on the ground for the game. He tore off a long run of 43 yards and he ran for 2 TD's for the game. He racked up a total of 109 yards on 11 carries which means he ran for an average of 9.9 yards per carry. Kevin Shaa led the team in receiving yardage by earning 89 yards on 4 catches. He notched an average of 22.3 yards per catch for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Flames was Stephen Calvert who went 17/31 with 244 yards passing and tossed 1 touchdown. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Flames rushed the ball a total of 27 times and earned a total of 131 yards earning them an average of 4.9 yards per run. In the game, the Flames racked up a total of 22 1st downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 70 yards telling us that this team was extremely undisciplined. In all, they ran 59 plays which gave them a total of 413 yards. When discussing the defense, Liberty allowed 15 catches on 21 tries totaling 192 yards, and a completion percentage of 71.4%. On the ground, the Flames allowed 271 yards on 55 attempts which means they had an average of 4.9 yards per run allowed. In the game, they allowed 463 yards but didn't add to their total of forced turnovers.

The Flames step onto the field holding a record of 5-3 for 2019. For total yards, they are currently ranked 1st among D-1 Independent teams and 54th in D-1 with 3,280 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 30.1 points per contest, ranking them 60th in D-1. As a team, they have an average of 133.4 yards on the ground per contest which is 4th among Independent teams. The Flames have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, allowing 26.8 points per contest putting them 3rd among Independent teams. In terms of yards on the ground, Liberty is allowing 207.8 yards per game putting them 3rd among FBS Independent teams and 114th in Division 1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.9 yards per rush which has them at 4th among Independent teams and 105th in Division 1 overall. In total, they have conceded 1,662 rushing yards through 8 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Flames have conceded 1,873 yards. Opponents are completing 59.7% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.9 yards per attempt.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

In their last game, the UMass Minutemen faced the Connecticut Huskies and took the defeat by a score of 56-35. Bilal Ally paced the team on the ground for that contest. He broke a long run for 63 yards and he notched 2 TD's for the game. He scurried for 159 yards via 25 carries which had him averaging 6.4 yards per tote. Jermaine Johnson Jr. was the receiving yardage leader by earning 92 yards on 4 receptions. He earned an average of 23.0 yards per reception for that contest. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Minutemen was Andrew Brito who went 20/40 with 239 yards passing and threw 2 touchdowns. He gave away 1 pick on the day. The Minutemen ended up rushing 38 times and earned 200 yards which had them averaging 5.3 yards per run. Overall, they ran 78 plays which gave them a total of 439 yards. For the game, the Minutemen got 24 first downs and they totaled 5 penalties for 46 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. On the defensive side of the ball, UMass allowed 19 completions on 28 throws totaling 213 yards, and a completion percentage of 67.9%. On the ground, the Minutemen allowed 329 yards on 39 tries which means they had an average of 8.4 yards per attempt allowed. Overall, they allowed a total of 542 yards and earned 1 turnover.

Related: Get college football picks & tips on all of today's games

The Minutemen head into this game 1-7. UMass hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 141.8 rushing yards per contest, putting them 91st in the country. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,134 rushing yards through 8 games, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Minutemen average 318.8 yards per game overall ranking them 117th in college football and 6th among FBS Independent teams. The Minutemen are allowing 50.6 points per game ranking them 6th among Independent teams and 131st in D-1. When it comes to points given up, they have allowed 405 total points. In terms of yards on the ground, they are allowing 272.3 yards per contest ranking them 131st in Division 1 and 6th among FBS Independent teams. This season, they have allowed a total of 2,178 rushing yards and 28 rushing TDs. Their passing defense is one of the middling groups in Division 1. They are conceding 278.1 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Minutemen currently sit at 6th among D-1 Independent teams.

Who will win tonight's Flames/Minutemen college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Flames -21

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