NIU at Utah NCAA Football Tips 9/7/2019

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Rice-Eccles Stadium

Rice-Eccles Stadium is the venue where Tyler Huntley and the Utah Utes will play the NIU Huskies on Saturday. The odds on this matchup have Utah as 19.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 44.

In their last game, the NIU Huskies played the Illinois State Redbirds and notched a win by a score of 24-10. Leading the way at QB for the Huskies was Ross Bowers who went 20/33 with 299 yards by way of passing and threw 2 TD's. He tossed 1 interception on this day. Tre Harbison led the team in rushing in this outing. His longest run of the day went for 17 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for a total of 99 yards on 23 carries which means he ran for an average of 4.3 yards per tote. Tyrice Richie was the receiving yardage leader by earning 102 yards on 3 catches. He averaged 34.0 yards per reception in this outing.

The Huskies come into this game with a record of 1-0 for this season. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country averaging 24 points per game, which has them at 91st in D-1. As a team, they have an average of 90 rushing yards per contest which is 9th in the conference. For total yards, they are currently ranked 6th in the conference and 80th in D-1 with 389 yards. When it comes to getting in the endzone, the Huskies have compiled a total of 2 passing touchdowns and 0 rushing touchdowns. They are a team that has the capability to score points in the MAC and I wouldn't expect things to change too much in this game.

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The Huskies have one of the best defenses in the nation giving up 10 points per game, ranking them 3rd in the MAC and 29th in Division 1. When it comes to passing yards, the Huskies have conceded 299 yards. Teams are completing 43.8% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. They have conceded 1 passing TD and 0 rushing touchdowns. In regard to yards rushing, NIU is giving up 51 yards per game putting them 3rd in the Mid-American Conference and 19th in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 1.8 yards per carry ranking them 2nd in the conference and 19th in Division 1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 51 rushing yards through 1 game.

In their last outing, the Utah Utes took the field against the BYU Cougars and notched a win by a score of 30-12. Zack Moss led the team in rushing for that game. He broke a long run for 28 yards and he notched 1 TD for this outing. He racked up a total of 187 yards via 29 carries which gave him an average of 6.4 yards per carry. Brant Kuithe was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 37 yards on 3 catches. He earned an average of 12.3 yards per catch for that game. Leading the way at QB for the Utes was Tyler Huntley who went 13/16 with 106 yards via the pass but didn't get a passing TD in this game. He walked away from this game with no interceptions.

The Utes head into this game 1-0. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Utes have one of the middle tier offenses in the country. In discussing their scoring prowess, the Utes currently sit at 8th in the Pac-12 and 71st out of all the teams in the nation with an average of 30 points per game. Utah is making teams fear their ground game this season by averaging 262 yards per game, ranking them 23rd in the country. As a team, they have compiled a total of 262 yards rushing through 1 contest, so they'll look to continue their dominance on the ground to grind out wins. The Utes average 368 yards per contest overall ranking them 86th in the nation and 9th in the conference.

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The Utes are allowing 12 points per contest which puts them at 4th in the Pac-12 Conference and 31st in Division 1. In discussing points allowed, they have given up 12 total points. In discussing yards rushing, they are conceding 92 yards per contest ranking them 42nd in Division 1 and 3rd in the Pac-12. For 2019, they have given up 92 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD. Their pass defense is one of the middling units in the country. They are giving up 208 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Utes currently sit at 6th in the Pac-12 Conference. They have allowed 0 passing touchdowns for 2019.

Who will win tonight's Huskies/Utes college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Utes -19.5

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