Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Rice Owls Prediction, 11/13/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Rice Owls

Date: Saturday, November 13, 2021

Location: Rice Stadium in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Owls (+20)

Total/Over-Under: 65

Rice Stadium is where the Rice Owls (3-6) will try to defeat the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5-4) on Saturday. Rice is 20-point underdogs. The betting total comes in at 65.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head into this game 5-4 for this season. In their last contest, the Hilltoppers took on the MTSU Blue Raiders and went home with a win by a final score of 48-21. Bailey Zappe went 29/50 with 281 yds passing and 4 TDs. He had a quarterback rating of 131.6 and finished the game without throwing an interception. Noah Whittington led the offense in rushing for the Hilltoppers with 17 attempts for 67 yards (3.9 yards per carry). The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers ran the ball a total of 23 different times and tallied 71 yards, which is an average of 3.1 yds per carry. When the final whistle blew, they had 73 plays which gave them a total of 352 yds. Western Kentucky gave up 27 pass completions on 46 attempts for a total of 226 yds, and a completion percentage of 58.7%. Against the rush, the Hilltoppers conceded 123 yds on 35 tries, which averages out to 3.5 yds per run allowed.

The Hilltoppers have racked up 4,621 total yards this season. When it comes to notching touchdowns, Western Kentucky has amassed 38 touchdowns via the pass and 8 touchdowns via the ground. They have given the ball to the opposition 9 different times. Western Kentucky has accumulated 245 first downs offensively, and they have been hurt by 62 penalties for 467 yds. As a unit they average 97.7 yards in the run game ranking this team at 123rd in the nation. In terms of scoring points, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are averaging 41.3 PPG.

In terms of yards through the air, the Hilltoppers have conceded 2,277 yards which has them sitting in 109th in Division 1. They have relinquished 253.0 yards per game via the pass as well as giving up a completion percentage of 61.0%. During this campaign, they have allowed 422.9 yards/game which ranks them 110th in the country. They have allowed 13 touchdowns by air in addition to 19 touchdowns on the ground. The opposition is running for an average of 4.2 yards per rush on the ground and 169.9 rushing yards per game on the campaign. Overall, they have conceded 1,529 running yards through 9 games. The Hilltoppers are ranked 105th in college football when it comes to team defense, allowing 29.4 points per contest.

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The Owls head into this matchup 3-6 this year. When they last stepped on the field, the Owls took a defeat with a final score of 31-24 against the Charlotte 49ers. Jake Constantine finished the contest with 253 yards on 19/35 passing while his quarterback rating was 109.3. He tossed 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 7.2. Ari Broussard carried the football 20 times for 186 yds, ending the game with 9.3 yards per attempt for Rice. Rice rushed the football for 5.1 yards per carry, finishing with 215 yds on 42 attempts. The Owls finished with 468 yds on 77 plays (6.1 yds per play). The Owls passing defense gave up a completion rate of 69.0%, surrendering 292 yards on 20 for 29 passing. Rice surrendered 24 rushing attempts for 57 yds (2.4 yards per carry).

The Rice Owls have an average of 337.0 yards per outing, which ranks them 108th in the nation. The Rice offense has accrued 544 yds of penalties on 67 infractions, which is good for 21st in college football in terms of helping out the opposition. For the season to this point, the Owls currently have a total of 1,684 yards via the pass in addition to an average of 187.1 passing yards per outing, which has them ranked 107th in the nation. In terms of their ability to score points, the Owls currently rank 118th in the country averaging 19.3 points per game.

Rice has given up a total of 1,616 yards on the ground (179.6 yards per game) as well as 25 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the season. They have yielded 13 touchdowns via the pass and 235.7 yards/game, which has them in 88th in D-1. The Owls defense has participated in 564 plays, which is good for 35th in the nation. The Owls are giving up 35.9 points per game, which has them sitting 131st in the country. This season, they have given up 323 total points.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Hilltoppers -20

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