The North Texas Mean Green (-13.5) and Liberty Flames will face off on the turf at Williams Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and ESPN 3 will broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: Liberty Flames vs. North Texas Mean Green
In this Saturday game, North Texas is projected as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 13.5 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to put up $600 to win $100 back on the Mean Green (-600). The Flames are getting +425 moneyline odds. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 65 points. If the underdog strikes early on, it will likely create a nice live betting scenario.
This game’s line opened at 14. The over/under has not moved after it was initially set at 65.
The Mean Green are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.8 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 0-3.
The Flames have gained 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-1.
The Mean Green have gone 3-0 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Flames are 1-1 SU.
The Mean Green are hoping to remain undefeated after a 44-17 win over Arkansas last weekTheir defense allowed the Razorbacks to rush for 126 yards on 32 attempts, including two rush TDs. Maleek Williams had a productive day for the Razorbacks in that one with 74 rushing yards and a score on five attempts. On the offensive side, Mason Fine completed only 24 passes on 45 attempts for 281 yards and one touchdown. Loren Easly (68 yards on 13 rush attempts, one TD) mounted the ground attack in the win. Kelvin Smith (five receptions, 60 yards) and Jaelon Darden (five catches, 87 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Liberty just fell 38-14 to Army West Point. The team’s defense allowed the Black Knights to eat up the clock by running for 449 yards on 74 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. Darnell Woolfolk put up a productive showing in the win, recording 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts for Army West Point. For Liberty, Stephen Calvert completed 19-of-37 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Kentory Matthews (81 rushing yards on nine attempts) spearheaded the ground game in the defeat while Damian King (eight receptions, 172 yards, one TD) and Antonio Gandy-Golden (three catches, 33 yards) led the receiving attack.
When breaking down offensive play-calling, each squad has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. North Texas has run the ball on 43.8 percent of its offensive possessions while Liberty has a rush percentage of 45.2. The Mean Green have run for 105.3 yards/game and have five touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Flames are logging 174.0 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
The Mean Green offense has averaged a stellar 398.7 yards through the air overall and has eight passing scores so far. The Flames have recorded 330.0 pass yards per outing and have six total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, North Texas has allowed 91.3 rush yards and 204.7 pass yards per game. The Liberty defense has allowed 116.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 289.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mean Green are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 1.55 to opposing QBs, while the Flames have given up a 5.77 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Fine is up to 725 yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 64-of-95 attempts with four passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. He has a pristine 7.94 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.66 over the last two outings.
Stephen Calvert has connected on 19-of-37 passes for 307 yards, two TDs and one INT for Liberty. His ANY/A stands at 7.36 for the season and 9.49 over his last two outings.
North Texas Mean Green at Liberty Flames NCAA Tip
SU Winner: North Texas, ATS Winner: North Texas, O/U: Over
