Eastern Michigan Eagles vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 8/31/2024 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024

Location: Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Minutemen (-2)

Total/Over-Under: 49.5

The Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-7 last year) are on their way to Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday, August 31, 2024 where they will try to beat the UMass Minutemen (3-9 last season). UMass opens this matchup as 1.5-point favorites. The total is set at 49.5.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles finished the season having a 6-7 record. The last time they took the field, the Eagles took the field against the South Alabama Jaguars and went home with a loss by a final score of 59-10. Overall, they tallied 61 plays which converted into 150 yards. The Eastern Michigan Eagles ended up rushing 31 times and accumulated 77 yds, earning them an average of 2.5 yards per attempt. On the ground, the Eagles conceded 320 yds on 37 tries, which averages out to 8.6 yards per rush surrendered. Eastern Michigan conceded 23 completions on 36 attempts for a total of 307 yards, and a completion percentage of 63.9%.

In terms of scoring, the Eastern Michigan Eagles had an average of 19.5 points per outing. As a unit they had an average of 110.8 yds on the ground, which was 114th in D-1. The Eagles earned 3,416 total yards over the course of last year. Eastern Michigan earned 10 touchdowns via the pass and 18 touchdowns via the ground. Eastern Michigan compiled 205 1st downs, and they were called for 81 infractions for 777 yards. They surrendered the football 18 times.

When it comes to passing yards, the Eagles gave up 2,769 yards which had them ranked 51st in college football. In their 13 games played last season, they allowed 213.0 yards per contest via the pass in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 58.7%. They surrendered 401.6 yards per game putting them at 95th in D-1. They relinquished 17 passing touchdowns as well as 23 rushing touchdowns. They gave up 4.8 yards per run and 188.6 rushing yards per contest last season. Over the course of last season, they allowed 2,452 yards via the running game in 13 games. The Eagles sat in 69th in college football when it comes to team defense, conceding 26.7 PPG.

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The Minutemen finished the season with a 3-9 record. The last time they took the field, the Minutemen walked away with a loss by a score of 31-18 when they played the Connecticut Huskies. The Minutemen finished the contest with a total of 289 yds and they ran 56 plays (5.2 yards per play). UMass ran the football for 2.3 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 59 yds on 26 carries. UMass gave up 46 rushing attempts for 240 yds (5.2 yards per rush). The Minutemen pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 57.1%, surrendering 174 yds on 16 out of 28 passing.

In terms of the points being put on the board, the Minutemen were ranked 99th in the country holding an average of 23.2 PPG. The UMass Minutemen maintained an average of 356.3 yards/outing, which had them ranked 88th in college football. The UMass offense accrued 851 yds of penalties on 96 violations, which had them ranked 10th in Division 1 in terms of hurting your team. They threw 11 interceptions while allowing opponents to recover 6 fumbles and they earned 215 1st downs. For the previous season, the Minutemen had a total of 2,569 yards via the pass as well as an average of 214.1 throwing yards per contest, which ranked 82nd in the nation. They had an average of 142.2 yards per game via the ground game and rushed for 1,706 yards for the season.

The Minutemen surrendered 37.8 PPG, ranking them 133rd in the country. UMass allowed the opposition a total of 2,650 yards on the ground (220.8 yards per outing) in addition to 30 touchdowns by way of the ground game last season. Last season, they relinquished 454 points in total. They conceded 24 touchdowns through the air as well as 206.2 yards per contest, which had them in 36th in the country. The Minutemen defense was on the field for 754 plays, which had them ranked 9th in college football. They compiled 8 fumbles recovered and 8 interceptions for the prior year.

Who will win tonight's Eagles/Minutemen college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Eagles +1.5

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