Liberty Flames (4-1) vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (2-3)
Game Info: Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 3:30 pm (Williams Stadium)
Betting Odds: Liberty Flames -19.5 -- Over/Under: 58 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will travel to Williams Stadium (VA) to take on the Liberty Flames this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders snapped their 3-game losing streak and improved to 2-3 on the season after defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd, 34-28, this past Saturday. Middle Tennessee was outstanding on the offensive end in the 1st half against Marshall and was able to hold on late for the victory after taking a 28-7 lead with 5:52 left in the 2nd quarter. Middle Tennessee was outgained by Marshall by a 493-314 margin, however, forced 6 turnovers in the victory. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders was RB Chaton Mobley who had 132 rushing yards & 1 TD on 15 carries.
On the season, Middle Tennessee is averaging 30.0 ppg on 341.6 total yards per game (241.2 passing yds/g; 100.4 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Middle Tennessee has been led by QB Chase Cunningham who has completed 64.8% of his passes for 743 yards, 10 TD, & 1 INT. The top receiving threats for the Blue Raiders have been Jimmy Marshall (18 rec, 252 yards, 2 TD), Jaylin Lane (13 rec, 199 yards, 3 TD), Jarrin Pierce (21 rec, 195 yards, 3 TD), & DJ England-Chisolm (8 rec, 125 yards, 2 TD). Leading the way for the Blue Raiders rushing attack has been the duo of Chaton Mobley (30 att, 176 yards, 2 TD) & Amir Rasul (42 att, 108 yards).
Defensively, Middle Tennessee is allowing their opponents to average 29.4 ppg on 432.2 total yards per game (256.4 passing yds/g; 175.8 rushing yds/g).
The Liberty Flames improved to 4-1 on the season after defeating the UAB Blazers, 36-12, this past Saturday. Liberty was outstanding offensively against UAB and had no trouble securing the victory after going into the 4th quarter with a 24-3 lead. Liberty outgained UAB by a 544-325 margin and forced 1 turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Flames was QB Malik Willis who completed 13 of 19 passes for 287 yards & 1 TD while also rushing for 144 yards & 2 TD’s.
On the season, Liberty is averaging 34.2 ppg on 442.6 total yards per game (253.0 passing yds/g; 189.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Liberty has been led by QB Malik Willis who has completed 71.0% of his passes for 1105 yards, 11 TD, & 0 INT. Willis is also the leading rusher for the Flames as he comes into this game with 418 rushing yards & 6 TD’s on 66 carries. In the Flames backfield with Willis has been the trio of Joshua Mack (54 att, 176 yards, 2 TD), T.J. Green (38 att, 173 yards), & Shedro Louis (31 att, 165 yards, TD). The top receiving threats for the Flames have been Demario Douglas (27 rec, 370 yards, 3 TD), CJ Daniels (13 rec, 246 yards, 4 TD), & Kevin Shaa (6 rec, 107 yards, 2 TD).
Defensively, Liberty is holding their opponents to an average of 14.6 ppg on 266.4 total yards per game (151.4 passing yds/g; 115.0 rushing yds/g).
The Blue Raiders are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 October games, however, are just 1-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Flames are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite and 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS win.
Liberty bounced back from their loss at Syracuse with an impressive victory over UAB and I’m expecting a similar result in this one against a Middle Tennessee team that is 0-3 on the road this season. Liberty has one of the better defenses in all of College Football as they come into this game ranked 9th in scoring defense & 5th in total defense and as I think Malik Willis will have plenty of success offensively in this one, I think Liberty wins this one by at least 3 TD’s and covers this large home spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Liberty Flames -19.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
