Rice vs UTEP Expert College Football Picks Against the Spread 11/30/2019

Game: Rice Owls vs UTEP Miners

Date: Saturday, November 30, 2019

Week 14

Location: Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: UTEP +7

Total/Over-Under: 43.5

Sun Bowl is the venue where Kai Locksley and the UTEP Miners will play the Rice Owls on Saturday. The odds on this contest have Rice as 7-point favorites. The Owls are 5-5-1 ATS and 5-6-0 when betting on the total. The Miners are 6-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 3-8-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Rice Owls went up against the North Texas Mean Green and earned the victory by a score of 20-14. Charlie Booker paced the team on the ground for that contest. He tore off a long run of 24 yards and he added 1 TD for the contest. He rushed for a total of 78 yards by way of 22 carries which meant he averaged 3.5 yards per run. Austin Trammell led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 91 yards on 7 catches. He averaged 13.0 yards per catch for that contest. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Owls was Tom Stewart who went 17/27 with 179 yards through the air but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Owls rushed the ball a total of 43 times and generated 122 yards earning them an average of 2.8 yards per attempt. In all, they finished with a total of 71 plays which added up to 328 yards. On the day, the Owls racked up 19 1st downs and they totaled 3 penalties for 10 yards which tells us that we had a very focused team on our hands. In terms of defense, Rice conceded 17 completions on 32 tries totaling 163 yards, and a completion percentage of 53.1%. On the ground, the Owls conceded 75 yards on 25 tries which is an average of 3.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed. For the game, they allowed 238 yards and earned 2 turnovers.

The Owls come into this matchup with a record of 2-9 this year. In terms of scoring, they are one of the worst in the country averaging 16.8 points per game, ranking them 126th in the nation. As a team, they have an average of 117.8 rushing yards per game which is 13th in Conference USA. For total yards, they rank 13th in the conference and 127th in the nation with 3,174 yards. The Owls have one of the average defenses in college football, giving up 26.8 points per game ranking them 8th in Conference USA. When it comes to yards through the air, the Owls have conceded 1,877 yards. Teams are completing 65.7% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. In discussing rushing yards, Rice is allowing 142.3 yards per game ranking them 6th in Conference USA and 46th in Division 1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.1 yards per carry putting them 8th in Conference USA and 55th in the nation overall. Overall, they have allowed 1,565 rushing yards through 11 games.

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

In their last game, the UTEP Miners took on the New Mexico State Aggies and lost 44-35. Running the show from under center for the Miners was Kai Locksley who went 24/38 with 358 yards through the air and completed 2 touchdowns. He threw 1 pick during the game. Kai Locksley led the team on the ground in the game. He had a long run of 40 yards and he ran for 1 TD for the game. He ran for a total of 103 yards by way of 18 carries which meant he averaged 5.7 yards per run. Justin Garrett led the team in receiving yardage by earning 101 yards on 4 catches. He earned an average of 25.3 yards per catch in the game. The Miners ran the football 40 times and earned 199 yards which had them averaging 5.0 yards per run. In the game, they totaled 78 plays which added up to 557 yards. For the game, the Miners racked up a total of 27 1st downs and they had a total of 5 infractions for 45 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, UTEP allowed 19 completions on 31 attempts for a total of 182 yards, and a completion percentage of 61.3%. In the game, they allowed 441 yards but didn't add to their total of forced turnovers. In the running game, the Miners allowed 259 yards on 25 attempts which gave them an average of 10.4 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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

The Miners head into this game 1-10. UTEP needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 146.9 rushing yards per contest, putting them 89th in D-1. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 1,616 yards rushing through 11 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 Miners average 335.9 yards per contest overall which has them at 113th in the nation and 12th in Conference USA. The Miners are giving up 36.5 points per game ranking them 14th in Conference USA and 121st in D-1. When it comes to points given up, they have given up 402 points in total. In terms of yards rushing, they are conceding 197.5 yards per game which puts them at 107th in D-1 and 12th in Conference USA. For this season, they have conceded 2,173 yards rushing and 22 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the mediocre groups in college football. They are allowing 237.8 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Miners sit in 9th in C-USA.

Who will win tonight's Owls/Miners college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Owls -7

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