North Texas vs Rice Expert College Football Picks 11/23/2019

Game: North Texas Mean Green vs Rice Owls

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2019

Week 13

Location: Rice Stadium in Houston, TX

TV: NFL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Rice +5.5

Total/Over-Under: 56.5

Wiley Green and the Rice Owls host the North Texas Mean Green at Rice Stadium on Saturday, November 23, 2019. The odds on this matchup have North Texas as 5.5-point favorites. The Mean Green are 3-7-0 ATS and 7-3-0 when betting on the total. The Owls are 5-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 4-5-1 against the spread.

In their last game, the North Texas Mean Green faced the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and were defeated 52-17. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Mean Green was Austin Aune who went 3/4 with 123 yards passing and added 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Tre Siggers led the team in rushing for that contest. He had a long run of 22 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown during the game. He rushed for a total of 77 yards on 19 carries which means he ran for an average of 4.1 yards per tote. Michael Lawrence led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 79 yards on 2 receptions. He had an average of 39.5 yards per catch for that contest. The Mean Green ran the football 23 times and racked up 74 yards which had them averaging 3.2 yards per run. For the game, they ran 58 plays which added up to 339 yards. On the day, the Mean Green earned 16 1st downs and they totaled 8 penalties for 91 yards telling us that this team had an undisciplined week of practice. On the defensive side of the ball, North Texas gave up 23 catches on 40 throws totaling 278 yards, and a completion percentage of 57.5%. Overall, they conceded a total of 542 yards and forced 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Mean Green gave up 264 yards on 53 attempts which is an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

The Mean Green come into this game with a record of 4-6 for this season. For total yards, they rank 2nd in the conference and 33rd in the country with 4,496 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation averaging 33.2 points per contest, which has them at 38th in the country. As a unit, they have an average of 152.5 rushing yards per contest which is 9th in the conference. The Mean Green have one of the most lackluster defenses in D-1, allowing 34.4 points per game ranking them 12th in Conference USA. In terms of yards on the ground, North Texas is giving up 194.9 yards per contest which has them at 10th in the conference and 102nd in the country. Opposing teams are running for an average of 5 yards per rush putting them 10th in Conference USA and 106th in the nation overall. In total, they have conceded 1,949 rushing yards through 10 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Mean Green have allowed 2,971 yards. Teams are completing 61.6% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 7.1 yards per try.

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In their last game, the Rice Owls went up against the MTSU Blue Raiders and ended up getting the victory by a score of 31-28. Aston Walter led the team in rushing for the game. He had a long run of 34 yards and he added 1 touchdown for the game. He racked up a total of 106 yards via 15 carries which gave him an average of 7.1 yards per run. Brad Rozner was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 130 yards on 8 catches. He earned an average of 16.3 yards per reception for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Owls was Tom Stewart who went 18/23 with 222 yards passing and added 3 TD's. He ended the game with no interceptions. The Owls ran the football 41 times and added 155 yards which earned them an average of 3.8 yards per run. In the game, the Owls totaled 17 first downs and they had 7 penalties for 56 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the day, they ran 64 plays which gave them a total of 377 yards. In terms of defense, Rice conceded 22 catches on 31 tries for a total of 338 yards, and a completion percentage of 71.0%. Against the run, the Owls conceded 120 yards on 30 tries which means they had an average of 4.0 yards per attempt allowed. On the day, they allowed a total of 458 yards and forced 2 turnovers.

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The Owls head into this game 1-9. In discussing the offensive production, the Owls have one of the worst offenses in the country. Rice is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 117.4 yards on the ground per contest, ranking them 119th in the country. As a team, they have a total of 1,174 yards rushing through 10 contests, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Owls average 284.5 yards per contest overall which has them at 128th in D-1 and 13th in the conference. The Owls are conceding 28.1 points per game which puts them at 8th in C-USA and 70th in the country. In discussing points allowed, they have given up 281 total points. In regard to yards rushing, they are allowing 149 yards per contest ranking them 57th in college football and 8th in Conference USA. For the 2019 season, they have allowed a total of 1,490 yards on the ground and 17 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the middling groups in the country. They are allowing 252.4 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Owls currently sit at 12th in Conference USA.

Who will win tonight's Mean Green/Owls NCAA football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Owls +5.5

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