The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (-13) and UTEP Miners are ready to do battle on the turf at Sun Bowl. This CUSA matchup will get going at 3:00 p.m. ET and spectators can watch the action on ESPN+. When these two schools met last year, Southern Miss won handily 24-0.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. UTEP Miners Betting Preview
UTEP enters this CUSA game as a big underdog and is currently getting 13 points. The Golden Eagles are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Miners are +375. Should one team gets out in front early it would create a reasonable in-game betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 45.5 points.
The Golden Eagles are 5-5 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.5 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-5. The Miners have lost 5.0 units this season. The team is 5-6 ATS and the over’s hit in six of its games.
The Golden Eagles are 5-5 straight up (SU), including 4-3 SU against conference opponents. The Miners are 1-10 SU overall and 1-6 SU in conference play.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 21-20 win over Louisiana Tech last week. The D did its part in the win, holding the Bulldogs to just 243 passing yards and 68 rushing yards. Adrian Hardy had a good day for the Bulldogs in that one with 110 yards and a score on 11 catches. On the offensive side, Jack Abraham completed 24 passes on 29 attempts for 195 yards and one touchdown. Steven Anderson (only 29 yards on 12 rushes, but two TDs) led the running attack while Quez Watkins (nine receptions, 110 yards) and Tim Jones (three catches, 27 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
UTEP just fell convincingly 40-16 to Western Kentucky. The defense let the Hilltoppers eat up the clock by rushing for 208 yards on 50 attempts, including two rush TDs. Quin Jernighan had a good outing in the win for Western Kentucky, posting 82 yards on seven catches. As a group, the Miners collectively completed 15-of-34 passes for 342 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions. Brandon Jones went 14-for-25 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while Kai Locksley was one-of-nine for two yards and three interceptions. Quardraiz Wadley (22 yards on seven rush attempts) mounted the running attack while Warren Redix (four receptions, 34 yards) and Tre’Shon Wolf (three catches, 63 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Southern Miss has run the ball on 48.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UTEP has an overall rush percentage of 56.8 percent. The Golden Eagles have run for 99 yards/game (including 97 per game versus Conference USA opponents) and have eight scores on the ground this year. The Miners are logging 128 rushing yards per game (102 in conference) and have 17 total rush TDs.
The Golden Eagles offensive scheme has averaged 268 yards in the air overall (262 per game versus conference opposition) and has 18 passing TDs so far. The Miners have recorded 190 pass yards per outing (230.1 against CUSA competition) and have nine total pass scores.
Southern Miss seems to have an advantage in both defensive phases. The team’s let opponents rush for an average of 106 yards and pass for 182 yards per game. The UTEP D has allowed 205.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 190.6 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Eagles are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.39 to opponents, while the Miners have allowed a 7.29 ANY/A.
Offensively, Abraham is up to 2,255 passing yards this season. He’s completed 209-of-285 attempts with 14 scores through the air and 10 interceptions. Abraham has a 6.27 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.76 over the last two outings.
Quez Watkins (722 receiving yards, eight receiving touchdowns on the year), Tim Jones (469 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Darius Maberry (18 rush yards) have all played significant roles recently.
Brandon Jones has completed 27-of-52 passes for 504 yards, two TDs and two INTs for UTEP. His ANY/A stands at 7.22 for the year and 9.41 across his last two outings.
David Lucero (249 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns on the year), Quardraiz Wadley (497 rush yards, five rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Josh Weeks (82 receiving yards) have combined to account for 410 total yards and three touchdowns the last two games.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. UTEP Miners
SU Winner – Southern Miss, ATS Winner – Southern Miss, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
Each team defense has created 18 sacks this season.
UTEP has lost eight fumbles in 2018 while the Southern Miss offense has lost 10.
The Golden Eagles offense has tallied 12 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Miners have accounted for nine such plays.
The Southern Miss defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while UTEP has given up eight such plays.
The Southern Miss offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while UTEP has created 15 such runs.
The Golden Eagles defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Miners have given up 17 such runs.
The Over/Under for UTEP’s previous matchup going into it was 48. The over cashed in that 40-16 defeat to Western Kentucky.
In its last three games, UTEP is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
In its last three contests, Southern Miss is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Southern Miss’ last game was set at 45.5. The under cashed in the team’s 21-20 win over Louisiana Tech.
Southern Miss has produced 1.3 yards per carry over its past three games and 0.9 over its last two.
UTEP has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.4 over its last two.
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