The No. 19 Toledo Rockets (6-0) look to continue their unbeaten streak as they travel to play the Massachusetts Minutemen (1-5). The game will begin Saturday, Oct 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3.
Massachusetts was defeated by Kent State 15-10 last week. Rodney Mills had a solid game in the loss, totaling four receptions for 96 yards. Toledo is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it routed Eastern Michigan 63-20. Phillip Ely had an outstanding performance throwing the ball for the Rockets, completing 18 of 27 passes for 327 yards and four TDs. Terry Swanson also had a big game with 97 rushing yards and a TD on four attempts.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 8 of the college football season, the Minutemen are 1-5 Straight Up (SU) and 2-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Massachusetts has America’s 15th-ranked passing attack, which averages 327.5 yards per game. Massachusetts’s special teams are one of its strengths. They earn 124.3 return yards per game, putting them 14th in Division I.
On the other side, the Rockets are undefeated with records of 6-0 SU and ATS. If Massachusetts’s earlier games are any indication, the Rockets running backs will be busy. The Minutemen allow 230.8 rushing yards per game, 118th in Division I. Switching gears to the Toledo defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Minutemen. Toledo’s defense ranks in the top half of the nation for rushing yards allowed and will look to bolster its statistics this week against the 125th-ranked rushing attack of the Minutemen, which only averages 98 yards on the ground per game. The Minutemen need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Rockets. The Toledo defense ranks 23rd in the country in sacks with 2.8 per game. The Rockets usually get a boost in the second quarter, when they average 14.2 points this year.
Predictions: SU Winner – Toledo, ATS Winner – Toledo
Notes
Massachusetts is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
Massachusetts is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games.
Massachusetts is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Massachusetts’s last 6 games at home.
Toledo is 6-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Massachusetts is 1-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
Among all FBS teams, the Massachusetts offensive passing game is ranked 15th in the nation, while the Toledo pass defense is only ranked 89th. The Rockets passing attack is ranked 57th, compared to the 102nd-ranked pass defense of the Minutemen.
