Charlotte at WKU: 10/30/21 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
WKU Hilltoppers (3-4) vs Charlotte 49ers (4-3)
Game Info: Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 4:00 pm (Houchens-Smith Stadium)
Betting Odds: WKU Hilltoppers -17.5 -- Over/Under: 73 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Charlotte 49ers will travel to Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Charlotte 49ers dropped to 4-3 on the season after being defeated by the FAU Owls, 38-9, on October 21st. Charlotte went into halftime with a 9-7 lead, however, the 49ers had no answers for FAU on either end of the field in the 2nd half and could not fight back after a 30-yard TD reception by the Owls Brandon Robinson gave FAU a 28-9 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Charlotte was outgained by FAU by a 427-351 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 3-1 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the 49ers was WR Victor Tucker who had 6 receptions for 105 yards.
On the season, Charlotte is averaging 26.9 ppg on 398.3 total yards per game (236.1 passing yds/g; 162.1 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Charlotte has been led by QB Chris Reynolds who has completed 66.1% of his passes for 1537 yards, 16 TD, & 5 INT while also rushing for 207 yards & 3 TD. In the backfield with Reynolds have been the RB duo of Calvin Camp (68 att, 394 yards, 3 TD) & Shadrick Byrd (80 att, 314 yards, TD). The top receiving threats for the 49ers have been Victor Tucker (37 rec, 537 yards, 2 TD), Grant DuBose (34 rec, 536 yards, 5 TD), & Elijah Spencer (11 rec, 155 yards, 5 TD).
Defensively, Charlotte is allowing their opponents to average 27.4 ppg on 445.4 total yards per game (223.6 passing yds/g; 221.9 rushing yds/g).
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won their 2nd straight game and improved to 3-4 on the season after defeating the FIU Panthers, 34-19, this past Saturday. Western Kentucky led by just a 17-12 margin at halftime, however, had no trouble securing the victory after 17-unanswsered points gave the Hilltoppers a 34-12 lead with just 4:08 left in regulation. Western Kentucky outgained FIU by a 530-290 margin and committed 1 turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Hilltoppers was QB Bailey Zappe who completed 39 of 49 passes for 382 yards & 3 TD.
On the season, Western Kentucky is averaging 39.9 ppg on 542.9 total yards per game (438.3 passing yds/g; 104.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Western Kentucky has been led by QB Bailey Zappe who has completed 71-1% of his passes for 3014 yards, 29 TD, & 4 INT. The top receiving threats for Zappe and the Hilltoppers have been Jerreth Sterns (83 rec, 1077 yards, 10 TD), Mitchell Tinsley (34 rec, 539 yards, 4 TD), Malachi Corley (43 rec, 411 yards, 4 TD), & Daewood Davis (20 rec, 322 yards, 3 TD). Leading the way for the Western Kentucky backfield has been Adam Cofield who has 303 rushing yards & 4 TD on 60 carries.
Defensively, Western Kentucky is allowing their opponents to average 33.0 ppg on 448.3 total yards per game (276.1 passing yds/g; 172.1 rushing yds/g).
The 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a double-digit loss at home, however, are just 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Hilltoppers are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up win and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on fieldturf.
Charlotte has been decent at times this season, however, this is a team that can really struggle at times on the offensive end as they are heavily reliant on QB Chris Reynolds to generate offense with both his arm and his legs. Western Kentucky has no issues generating offense as they have the top-rated passing attack in College Football and as I’m a bit concerned about a 49ers defense that looked awful in the 2nd half last week against FAU, I think Western Kentucky does enough to win this one by 3 TD and cover this spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -17.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
