Rice Owls (1-3) vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles (1-3)
Game Info: Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 6:30 pm (Rice Stadium)
Betting Odds: Rice Owls -1.5 -- Over/Under: 45 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Rice Owls meet Saturday in week 5 C-USA college football action at Rice Stadium. The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles need a win here to rebound from a 1-3 start to the season. The Rice Owls need another win to also build on their 1-3 record.
The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles have lost four straight road games. Ty Keyes is completing 50 percent of his passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Grayson Gunter and Jakarius Caston have combined for 185 receiving yards and one touchdown while Demarcus Jones has eight receptions. The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles ground game is averaging 124.3 yards per contest, and Frank Gore Jr. leads the way with 281 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Southern Mississippi is allowing 28.8 points and 337.8 yards per game. Malik Shorts leads the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles with 27 tackles, Josh Carr Jr. has 3.5 sacks and Lakevias Daniel has one interception.
The Rice Owls look to win back-to-back games for the first time since November of 2019. Jake Constantine is completing 78.9 percent of his passes for 351 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cedric Patterson III and Jake Bailey have combined for 319 receiving yards and one touchdown while Jordan Myers has 15 receptions. The Rice Owls ground game is averaging 178 yards per contest, and Myers leads the way with 224 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, Rice is allowing 43.5 points and 461.8 yards per game. Antonio Montero leads the Rice Owls with 33 tackles, Ikenna Enechukwu has two sacks and Gabe Taylor has one interception.
The Golden Eagles are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games and 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games overall. The Owls are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The under is 7-2 in Golden Eagles last 9 games overall. The over is 4-0 in Owls last 4 games overall. The favorite is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
These are two bad football teams that you shouldn't be thrilled to back, however, Southern Mississippi is significantly in worser shape. You can argue the Golden Eagles are the worst offensive team in college football, as they're ranked 125th in total offense and 122nd in scoring offense. The Rice Owls are coming off a feel good win last week over Texas Southern and put up a fight in their opener against a good Arkansas squad. This line could be a point or two steeper. Give me the Rice Owls at home.
Randy’s Pick Rice Owls -1.5
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds