Rice at UAB NCAA Football Picks 10/5/2019

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Legion Field

Wiley Green and the Rice Owls travel to Legion Field on Saturday where they'll take on the UAB Blazers. UAB opens this game as 9.5-point favorites. The Owls are 2-1-1 ATS and 2-2-0 when betting on the total. The Blazers are 1-2-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-1-0 against the spread.

Key Rice Owls Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key UAB Blazers Injuries

08/06/19 CB Brontae Harris Foot is out for season

In their last outing, the Rice Owls went up against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and lost 23-20. Aston Walter led the team in rushing for the game. He broke a long run for 28 yards and he ran for 2 TD's for the game. He rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries which had him averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Brad Rozner was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 64 yards on 5 catches. He had an average of 12.8 yards per reception for the game. Running the show from under center for the Owls was Wiley Green who went 14/21 with 128 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He ended the game without an interception. The Rice Owls rushed the ball a total of 47 times and earned a total of 204 yards which earned them an average of 4.3 yards per rush. For the game, the Owls earned 19 1st downs and they had a total of 5 penalties for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the day, they ran 73 plays which added up to 352 yards. In terms of defense, Rice allowed 21 catches on 39 tries totaling 210 yards, and a completion percentage of 53.8%. Against the run, the Owls allowed 110 yards on 22 tries allowing their opponent an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed. For this contest, they conceded 320 yards but weren't able to foce a turnover.

The Owls come into this game with a record of 0-5 for the 2019 season. For total yards, they rank 10th in Conference USA and 109th in the country with 1,424 yards. They are one of lowest scoring teams in the nation averaging 14.8 points per contest, which has them at 130th in the country. As a unit, they are averaging 120.6 yards on the ground per contest which is 12th in Conference USA. The Owls have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, giving up 29.4 points per game ranking them 6th in Conference USA. When it comes to passing yards, the Owls have conceded 821 yards. Teams are completing 68.4% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 8.9 yards per try. When it comes to yards rushing, Rice is giving up 167.4 yards per game putting them 9th in C-USA and 90th in D-1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.5 yards per carry putting them 8th in Conference USA and 92nd in college football overall. Overall, they have allowed 837 rushing yards through 5 contests.

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The last time they played, the UAB Blazers took on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and ended up taking the loss by a score of 20-13. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Blazers was Tyler Johnston III who went 18/31 with 181 yards through the air but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He gave away 4 interceptions in the game. Spencer Brown paced the team on the ground for that game. He had a long run of 14 yards and he notched 1 TD during the game. He rushed for a total of 70 yards via 21 carries which had him averaging 3.3 yards per tote. Austin Watkins was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 53 yards on 4 catches. He had an average of 13.3 yards per catch for that game. The UAB Blazers ran the ball 39 times and earned a total of 117 yards earning them an average of 3.0 yards per run. In all, they ran 70 plays which added up to 298 yards. For the contest, the Blazers had a total of 20 first downs and they had 7 penalties for 67 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. When discussing the defense, UAB gave up 15 completions on 24 attempts for a total of 189 yards, and a completion percentage of 62.5%. On the ground, the Blazers gave up 33 yards on 29 carries which means they allowed 1.1 yards per run allowed. For the game, they allowed 222 yards and forced 1 turnover.

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The Blazers head into this game 3-1. UAB hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 144.3 rushing yards per contest, ranking them 84th in D-1. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 577 rushing yards through 4 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Blazers average 376 yards per contest overall which has them at 87th in the nation and 7th in the conference. The Blazers are allowing 15.5 points per contest ranking them 1st in the conference and 15th in the nation. In regard to points allowed, they have given up 62 points in total. When it comes to yards on the ground, they are giving up 79.8 yards per contest ranking them 14th in D-1 and 1st in the conference. This season, they have conceded a total of 319 yards rushing and 2 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the top units in the country. They are allowing 186.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Blazers are currently ranked 3rd in C-USA.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Owls +9.5

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