In the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are underdogs as they prepare to battle the Appalachian State Mountaineers. ESPN has the TV rights and the matchup is scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, Appalachian State is projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 7 points. The Blue Raiders are also receiving +210 moneyline odds while the Mountaineers are -270. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 50.5 points. Multiple decent in-game betting scenarios could exist during the matchup.
This game’s line opened at -7. The total has yet to change since it was set initially at 50.5.
Both of these teams have been profitable this year as the Blue Raiders have gained 4.8 units while the Mountaineers are up 1.5 units.
The Blue Raiders are 8-5 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Mountaineers are 10-2 SU.
The Blue Raiders will look to bounce back after a narrow 27-25 defeat to UAB on December 1Their defense allowed the Blazers to eat up the clock by running for 225 yards on 54 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Spencer Brown torched the defense in that one with 156 rushing yards and a score on 31 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Brent Stockstill completed 29-of-45 passes for 362 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Chaton Mobley (39 yards on nine rush attempts) spearheaded the running attack in the loss. Gatlin Casey (seven receptions, 37 yards) and Patrick Smith (four catches, 42 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Appalachian State enters this one after just getting a 30-19 win over Louisiana a couple of weeks ago. The team’s defense let the Ragin’ Cajuns rush for 216 yards on 44 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Trey Ragas had a good outing in the loss for Louisiana, recording 101 rushing yards on 16 attempts. For Appalachian State, Zac Thomas completed six-of-13 passes for 75 yards. Darrynton Evans (111 yards on 17 rush attempts) and Marcus Williams Jr. (54 yards on 15 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Collin Reed (two receptions, 23 yards) and Corey Sutton (two catches, 23 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Middle Tennessee has run the ball on 50.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Appalachian State has a rush percentage of 63.3 percent. The Blue Raiders have rushed for 133 yards per game and have 15 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Mountaineers are averaging 241 rush yards per game and have 30 total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then it seems like the Mountaineers ought to have the edge in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has logged 5.7 yards per carry while their defense has allowed 3.6 YPC to opponents. The Blue Raiders have registered 3.7 yards per carry while allowing 4.1 YPC to opponents.
The Blue Raiders offensive scheme has averaged 255 yards in the air overall and has 28 passing TDs so far. The Mountaineers have recorded 189 pass yards per contest and have 22 total pass scores.
Defensively, Middle Tennessee has allowed opponents to run for an average of 161 yards and pass for 214 yards per game. The Appalachian State defense has given up 148.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 132.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.14 to opposing QBs, while the Blue Raiders have given up a 5.26 ANY/A.
Offensively, Stockstill has amassed 2,953 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 279-of-398 attempts with 26 passing scores and only eight interceptions. Stockstill’s got a 6.78 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.49 over the last two outings.
Zac Thomas has completed 132-of-206 passes for 1,749 yards, 16 TDs and four INTs for Appalachian State. His ANY/A sits at 8.31 for the season and 5.02 over his last two outings.
Betting Pick: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Appalachian State Mountaineers
SU Winner – Middle Tennessee, ATS Winner – Middle Tennessee, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
As a team, Middle Tennessee has averaged 3.4 yards per carry across its past three games and 3.8 over its last two.
Appalachian State has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.8 over its past two.
The Appalachian State offense has lost four fumbles this season while Middle Tennessee has lost eight.
Appalachian State has won 11 of its last 12 games SU, with a -20-point loss to Georgia Southern on October 25th representing the only defeat over that stretch.
The Blue Raiders offense has recorded 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have put up seven such plays.
The Middle Tennessee defense has allowed 13 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Appalachian State has given up four such plays.
The Middle Tennessee offense has created 13 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Appalachian State has created 31 such runs.
The Blue Raiders defense has allowed 20 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Mountaineers have given up 11 such runs.
The Middle Tennessee defense has 36 sacks on the year while Appalachian State has just 20.
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