The Blazers (-12) are gearing up to welcome their CUSA nemesis Southern Miss Golden Eagles to Uab. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can watch the action on beIN Sports.
Betting Preview: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. UAB Blazers
The Golden Eagles head into this Saturday CUSA game as a big dog here and are currently getting 12 points. If they want to play the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to put down $500 in order to win $100 back on the Blazers (-500). The Golden Eagles are getting +350 moneyline odds. This CUSA tilt should provide several decent live betting opportunities, and Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 44 points.
The line opened at -12 while the O/U has yet to move since it was initially established at 44.
The Golden Eagles are 4-4 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.5 units so far. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 3-4.
The surprising Blazers have gained 4.3 units this season. They’re 8-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 2-6.
The Golden Eagles have gone 4-4 straight up (SU), including 3-2 SU against CUSA opponents. The Blazers are 8-1 SU overall and 6-0 SU in conference play.
The Golden Eagles just put together a 26-24 victory over Marshall last week where Tate Whatley completed 16-of-25 passes for just 134 yards and one touchdown. Whatley (40 rushing yards on 25 attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack in the win. Quez Watkins (five receptions, 79 yards, one TD) and Trivenskey Mosley (three catches, 10 yards) handled the receiving duties.
UAB just got a 52-3 win over UTSA. The defense held its ground in the victory, restricting the Roadrunners to just 136 passing yards and 84 yards on the ground. Greg Campbell Jr. was a bright spot in the loss for UTSA, recording 62 yards on six catches. For UAB, Tyler Johnston III completed 10-of-17 passes for 249 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Spencer Brown (147 yards on 20 rush attempts, two TDs) and James Noble III (92 yards on 11 carries) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Xavier Ubosi (three receptions, 72 yards, two TDs) and Kendall Parham (three catches, 47 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Southern Miss has run the ball on 48.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UAB has an overall rush percentage of 67.2 percent. The Golden Eagles have rushed for 116.0 yards/game (including 124.6 per game against Conference USA opponents) and have five scores via handoffs this year. The Blazers are logging 253.3 rush yards per game (240.0 in conference) and have 27 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Blazers might hold an edge when it comes to efficiency in the ground game. Their running backs has produced 5.4 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 3.4 to opponents. The Golden Eagles have tallied 3.3 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 3.8 to opponents.
The Golden Eagles offensive scheme has tallied 286.6 yards/contest through the air overall (289.0 per game against conference opposition) and has 16 passing TDs so far. The Blazers have recorded 194.0 pass yards per contest (192 against CUSA competition) and have 10 total pass scores.
Defensively, Southern Miss has allowed 112.1 rush yards and 171.0 pass yards per game. The UAB defense has given up 153.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 117.9 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Golden Eagles have given up an ANY/A of 4.29 to opposing QBs, while the Blazers are allowing an ANY/A of 4.16.
Passing-wise, Whatley has put up 139 yards this year. He’s completed 17-of-26 attempts with one passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. Whatley’s got a 5.18 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 7.63 over the past two games.
Look for Whatley to distribute the football early and often in this one. Quez Watkins (0 receiving yards and eight touchdowns), Tim Jones (346 yards, one TD) and Tate Whatley (0 yards) have all been heavily involved recently.
Tyler Johnston III has completed 12-of-21 passes for 284 yards, three TDs and two INTs for UAB. His ANY/A stands at 12.10 for the year and 12.59 over his last two outings.
We expect the UAB offense to mix it up in this one. Spencer Brown (738 rushing yards, 12 rush TDs this season), Andre Wilson (80 rush yards, one rush TD, 282 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Tyler Johnston III (182 rush yards, one rush TD, zero receiving yards) have each played significant roles recently. The trio has combined for 506 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns over the last two games.
When these two schools faced each other a year ago, UAB earned the win 30-12.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles at UAB Blazers NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Southern Miss, ATS Winner: Southern Miss, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The O/U for Southern Miss’ last game was set at 47.5. The over cashed in the team’s 26-24 win over Marshall.
- Southern Miss, as a team, has rushed for 3.5 yards per attempt over its past three games and 2.7 over its last two.
- UAB has averaged 6.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 6.8 over its last two.
- The UAB offense has lost three fumbles this season while Southern Miss has lost nine.
- Over its last three games, Southern Miss is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for UAB’s last match was 42.5. The over cashed in that 52-3 triumph over UTSA.
- In its last three matchups, UAB is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Golden Eagles offense has registered 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Blazers have accounted for six such plays.
- The Southern Miss defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while UAB has given up four such plays.
- The Southern Miss offense has created five rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while UAB has created 20 such runs.
- The Golden Eagles defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Blazers have given up 11 such runs.
- The UAB defense has produced 28 sacks on the year while Southern Miss has just 16.
