The nation’s fifth-leading passer, Nick Mullens (2,613 yards, 21 TDs), will be on display when the Southern Miss Golden Eagles meet the Texas-El Paso Miners. Southern Miss (5-3) comes into this game looking to continue its recent success, having won three of its last four. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 31 and will air on FCS.
Southern Miss won easily over Charlotte 44-10 last week. Nick Mullens had a big game throwing the ball in the win, completing 24 of 38 passes for 265 yards and four TDs. Mike Thomas had a big game as well, totaling 105 receiving yards and a TD on six receptions. UTEP also got the win in last week’s performance, beating Florida Atlantic 27-17. Tyler Batson had an outstanding performance for the Miners, totaling three receptions for 143 yards and two TDs. Mack Leftwich also had a big day, contributing 271 yards and three TDs through the air.
Southern Miss is a heavy 18-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable.
Heading into Week 9 of the college football season, the Golden Eagles are 5-3 Straight Up (SU) and 7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Southern Miss is 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Southern Miss offense features a strong passing attack, currently ranking 13th in the nation with 327 passing yards per game. As for the Southern Miss defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. The Miners will be matching up against a stout Southern Miss pass defense, which only allowed 183.6 passing yards over their last five matchups. Keep an eye on Southern Miss to turn it up a notch during the third quarter, when they average 11.2 points per game.
Across the field, the Miners have a record of 2-5 ATS and 3-4 SU. In the previous five games, UTEP has a record of 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. Southern Miss will be matching up against a stout Miners defense which has been playing better. They only allowed 31 PPG over their last five matchups, well below their season average of 39.3. Prepare to see a lot of yellow flags flying around when the Golden Eagles are playing. They are one of the most penalized teams in the nation with 8.5 calls per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Southern Miss, ATS Winner – Southern Miss
Notes
Southern Miss is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Southern Miss’s last 5 games.
Southern Miss is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games at home.
Southern Miss is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games at home.
UTEP is 1-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Southern Miss is 5-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Per FBS ratings, Southern Miss has an advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing game (ranked 13th in the nation) will face the 123rd-ranked pass defense of UTEP, while its 37th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 79th-ranked aerial attack of the Miners.
