The FIU Golden Panthers (-3.5) are traveling north to face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Houchens-Smith Stadium. This conference showdown gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can watch the action on beIN Sports.
FIU Golden Panthers at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Betting Preview
Western Kentucky is the home underdog in this CUSA game and is currently getting 3.5 points. The Golden Panthers are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Hilltoppers are +155. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 54 points, and should one team finds paydirt early, it would likely create a nice live betting scenario.
The total has not changed after it was initially posted at 54. Having said that, the line opened at 4.5 and the early action has slanted in favor of the Hilltoppers.
The Golden Panthers are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.0 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-5. The hapless Hilltoppers have lost 9.2 units this season. The team is 4-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-4.
The Golden Panthers have gone 5-2 straight up (SU), including 3-0 SU against conference opponents. The Hilltoppers are 1-6 SU overall and 0-3 SU in conference play.
These two schools faced off a year ago with the final result being a 41-17 win for FIU.
FIU enters this matchup on a zero-game losing skid while Western Kentucky has won zero in a row. The Golden Panthers are coming off a resounding 36-17 win over Rice last week. James Morgan completed 20 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. D’Vonte Price (79 yards on 12 rushes) and Napoleon Maxwell (39 yards on 12 carries) spearheaded the ground attack while Price (five receptions, 38 yards) and Austin Maloney (four catches, 73 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Western Kentucky narrowly lost a 37-34 game to Old Dominion. The defense let the Monarchs pass for 327 yards while rushing for 181 yards and three scores. Kesean Strong was a force to be reckoned with, recording 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts for Old Dominion. For Western Kentucky, Davis Shanley completed 24-of-31 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Gino Appleberry, Jr. (80 yards on 18 rush attempts, two TDs) and Joshua Samuel (87 yards on 15 carries) mounted the running game as Mik’Quan Deane (six receptions, 74 yards, one TD) and Kyle Fourtenbary (six catches, 54 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the loss.
FIU has run the ball on 58.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Western Kentucky has a rush percentage of 48.8 percent. The Golden Panthers have produced 173 rush yards per game (including 159 per game against Conference USA opponents) and have 14 scores on the ground this year. The Hilltoppers are putting up 119 rushing yards per game (103 in conference) and have seven total rush TDs.
It appears that the Golden Panthers may have the more disruptive lines up front. Their offensive line has allowed only 29 sacks while the D-line logged 22 sacks. The Hilltoppers, on the other hand, have given up 48 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 12 times.
The Golden Panthers offensive scheme has tallied 252 yards per contest in the air overall (280 per game against conference opposition) and has 16 passing TDs so far. The Hilltoppers have recorded 253 pass yards per contest (244.7 against CUSA competition) and have 10 total pass scores.
Defensively, FIU appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 177 yards and pass for 198 yards per game. The Western Kentucky D has allowed 237.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 172.1 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Panthers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.12 to opposing QBs, while the Hilltoppers have allowed a 6.62 ANY/A.
Offensively, Morgan is up to 1,286 passing yards this season, and has completed 85-of-137 attempts with 14 scores through the air and only four interceptions. He has a sparkling 9.54 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 9.32 over the last two outings.
As a group, CJ Worton, D’Vonte Price and Austin Maloney have combined to account for 421 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
Davis Shanley has managed to complete 61-of-86 passes for 669 yards, three TDs and zero INTs for Western Kentucky. His ANY/A stands at 7.49 for the year and 5.23 over his last two outings.
We’re thinking the Hilltoppers will control the game’s pace by pounding the defense with their running backs. In addition to Jacquez Sloan (254 receiving yards this season), Joshua Samuel (289 rush yards, one rush TD) and Gino Appleberry, Jr. (121 rush yards, three rush TDs) have really been key factors in the Western Kentucky offense.
RELATED: Week 9 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Pick: FIU Golden Panthers vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
SU Winner – FIU, ATS Winner – FIU, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Western Kentucky has lost five fumbles this season while FIU has lost three.
The Western Kentucky defense has notched 13 sacks on the year while FIU has 12.
FIU has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.0 over its last two.
Western Kentucky has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 4.0 over its past two.
In its last three matchups, Western Kentucky is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for FIU’s last game was set at 53.5. The under cashed in the team’s 36-17 victory over Rice.
Over its last three contests, FIU is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Western Kentucky’s last matchup was set at 55. The over cashed in the 37-34 defeat to Old Dominion.
FIU has won six of its last seven games SU, with a 14-point defeat to Miami (FL) on September 22nd accounting for the only loss over that span.
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