The Golden Panthers (-5) are prepared to welcome the Massachusetts Minutemen to FIU. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET and beIN Sports has the TV rights.
Massachusetts Minutemen at FIU Golden Panthers Betting Preview
In this Saturday matchup, FIU is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 5 points. If they are wanting to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to put up $200 in order to win $100 back on the Golden Panthers (-200). The Minutemen are getting +170 moneyline odds. Multiple good live betting opportunities could present themselves during this game.
The Minutemen are 1-2 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.0 unit so far. The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 2-1. The Golden Panthers have gained 0.0 units this season. The team is 2-0 ATS and owns an O/U record of 1-1.
The Minutemen are 1-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Golden Panthers are 1-1 SU.
The Minutemen fell to Georgia Southern 34-13 in a blowout where their defense allowed the Eagles to eat up the clock by running for 334 yards on 59 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Wesley Fields had a good day for the opposition in that one with 141 rushing yards on 21 attempts. On the offensive side, Andrew Ford completed 22 passes for 190 yards and one interception. Marquis Young (71 rushing yards on 14 attempts) led the ground attack in the loss while Andy Isabella (nine receptions, 95 yards) and Taylor Edwards (four catches, 32 yards) shared the receiving duties.
FIU enters this one after just getting a 28-20 win over Old Dominion. The team’s defensive secondary let the Monarchs air it out for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Duhart torched the defense, recording 150 yards and two touchdowns on three catches for Old Dominion. For FIU, James Morgan completed 17-of-27 passes for 251 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Shawndarrius Phillips (94 yards on 18 rush attempts, one TD) and Napoleon Maxwell (64 yards on 16 carries) mounted the ground game in the win while Bryce Singleton (four receptions, 62 yards) and CJ Worton (three catches, 79 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack.
Massachusetts has run the ball on 50 percent of its offensive possessions this year while FIU has an overall rush percentage of 60.4 percent. The Minutemen have run for 152 yards per game and have seven touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Golden Panthers are averaging 180 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
The Minutemen offense has averaged 252 yards through the air overall and has five passing TDs so far. The Golden Panthers have put up 229 pass yards per outing and have four total pass scores.
Massachusetts should hold an edge when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents run for an average of 245 yards and pass for 201 yards per game. The FIU defense has given up 277.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 153.0 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Panthers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.97 to opposing QBs, while the Minutemen have given up an ugly 9.21 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Ford is up to 376 yards this year, and has completed 67 percent of his 52 attempts with two passing scores and one interception. Ford’s got a 6.91 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 2.50 over the past two outings.
The Minutemen have tried to maintain tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. In addition to wideout Andy Isabella (226 receiving yards and two touchdowns), Jordan Fredericks (34 rush yards, one rush TD, 30 receiving yards) and Marquis Young (161 rush yards, one rush TD) have been big focal points in the Massachusetts offensive scheme.
On the other sideline, James Morgan has completed 17-of-27 passes for 251 yards, three TDs and one INT. Morgan’s ANY/A stands at 8.72 for the season and 6.20 across his past two outings.
The Golden Panthers should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to CJ Worton (79 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Shawndarrius Phillips (94 rush yards, one rush TD) and Anthony Jones (88 rush yards, two rush TDs) have seen plenty of touches lately.
These two teams met last year with the final outcome being a 63-45 victory for FIU.
Betting Pick: Massachusetts Minutemen at FIU Golden Panthers
SU Winner – Massachusetts, ATS Winner – Massachusetts
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Each team has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Minutemen have have made three pass plays of 30+ yards while the Golden Panthers have created four such plays.
Both defenses have allowed two pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Massachusetts defense has given up six pass plays of 30+ yards while FIU has yielded four such plays.
The Massachusetts offense has created one rushing play of 20+ yards, while FIU has created two such runs.
The Minutemen defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Golden Panthers have given up two such runs.
The FIU D has created three sacks on the year while Massachusetts has zero.
Over its last three matches, Massachusetts is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
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