Two schools that prefer running the football, Head Coach Kalani Sitake and the Byu Cougars (-14) are gearing up to face off against their IndFBS nemesis Massachusetts Minutemen at Gillette Stadium. This daytime game is scheduled to get underway at 12:00 p.m. ET and ELEV has the TV rights.
BYU Cougars at Massachusetts Minutemen Betting Preview
In this Saturday Independents (FBS) game, BYU is tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 14 points. The Cougars are also receiving -735 moneyline odds while the Minutemen are +500. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 57.5 points. Should BYU gives up points early, it would likely result in a nice in-game betting opportunity.
After the game’s over/under was initially placed at 55, Sharp bettors have been siding with the over.
The Cougars are 5-4 against the spread (ATS) and are down 3.0 units this season. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 2-7. The Minutemen are down 2.3 units in 2018. The team is 4-6 ATS and has an O/U record of 7-3.
The Cougars are 4-5 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any IndFBS competition yet. The Minutemen are 4-6 SU overall and are also 1-0 SU in conference play.
Massachusetts comes into this one on a two-game losing streak while BYU has won its last two in a row. The Cougars came up short to Boise State 21-16 in a game where Zach Wilson completed 18 passes for 252 yards. Wilson (36 yards on 18 rush attempts, one TD) also spearheaded the ground attack and was complemented by Matt Hadley (39 yards on 11 carries) in the loss. Dylan Collie (four receptions, 38 yards) and Neil Pau’u (three catches, 19 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Massachusetts just put together a 62-59 win over Liberty. The Minutemen defensive unit allowed the Flames to rush for 216 yards on 51 attempts, including five rush TDs. Antonio Gandy-Golden torched the defense, recording 205 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches for Liberty. For Massachusetts, Ross Comis completed 29-of-44 passes for 540 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Marquis Young (148 rushing yards on 23 attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Comis (26 yards on 22 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the ground attack in the win while Andy Isabella (nine receptions, 303 yards, two TDs) and Samuel Emilus (five catches, 76 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching attack.
BYU has run the ball on 53.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Massachusetts has an overall rush percentage of 50.4 percent. The Cougars have rushed for 130 yards/game and have 13 scores via handoffs this year. The Minutemen are totaling 148 rush yards per game and have 19 total rushing TDs.
The Cougars offensive scheme has logged 203 yards/contest through the air overall and has 10 passing scores so far. The Minutemen have recorded 311 pass yards per game and have 25 total pass TDs.
Defensively, BYU has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 139 yards and pass for 195 yards per game. The Massachusetts defense has given up 208.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 264.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cougars are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.66 to opponents, while the Minutemen have given up a 7.55 ANY/A.
Offensively, Wilson has put up 510 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 67 percent of his 57 attempts with four passing scores and one interception. He’s got a 7.13 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.91 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced approach offensively from BYU in this one. Matt Hadley, Talon Shumway and Matt Bushman have combined for 358 total yards over the last couple of outings.
On the other sideline, Ross Comis has completed 68-of-115 passes for 1,141 yards, 10 TDs and one INT. Comis’ ANY/A sits at 9.02 for the season and 10.85 over his past two outings.
We’re looking for the Minutemen to control tempo by feeding their ball-carriers early and often. In addition to Andy Isabella (1,316 receiving yards, 10 receiving TDs this season), Marquis Young (547 rush yards, six rush TDs, 131 receiving yards) and Jordan Fredericks (289 rush yards, one rush TD, 121 receiving yards, one TD) have been key factors in the Massachusetts offense.
These two schools faced off last year with the final result being a 16-10 victory for Massachusetts.
Free Pick: BYU Cougars vs. Massachusetts Minutemen
SU Winner – Massachusetts, ATS Winner – Massachusetts, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The BYU defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times this season. Massachusetts has recorded nine sacks.
The Massachusetts offense has lost 14 fumbles this season while BYU has let seven get away.
The Cougars offense has produced four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Minutemen have put up 11 such plays.
The BYU defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Massachusetts has given up five such plays.
The BYU offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Massachusetts has created 16 such runs.
The Cougars defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Minutemen have given up 28 such runs.
The Over/Under for Massachusetts’ last game going into it was 67. The over cashed in that 62-59 victory over Liberty.
Over its last three matchups, Massachusetts is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three contests, BYU is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
BYU has lost five of its last six games SU, with a 26-point win over Hawaii on October 13th accounting for the only victory over that span.
The O/U for BYU’s last game was set at 52.5. The under cashed in the team’s 21-16 loss to Boise State.
BYU has averaged 3.8 yards per carry across its past three games and 2.5 over its last two.
Massachusetts has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.5 over its last two.
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