The Southern Miss Golden Eagles (-7.5) and Charlotte 49ers are ready to face off on the turf at Jerry Richardson Stadium. This daytime game is scheduled to kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPN 3.
Betting Preview: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Charlotte 49ers
In this Saturday Conference USA game, Southern Miss is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 7.5 points. The Golden Eagles are also receiving -330 moneyline odds while the 49ers are +250. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 45 points. If the favorites get behind early, it’ll likely produce a solid betting scenario in-game.
This game’s opening line was 7, while the over/under has not changed since it was initially posted at 45.
The Golden Eagles have lost 1.4 units this season and are 3-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-3.
The 49ers are up 0.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. They’re 4-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 4-2.
The Golden Eagles have gone 3-3 straight up (SU), including 2-1 SU against conference opponents. The 49ers are 3-4 SU overall and are also 2-2 SU in conference play.
The Golden Eagles just notched a 27-17 win over UTSA last week where Jack Abraham completed 28-of-33 passes for 269 yards, along with one score and a pick. Trivenskey Mosley (142 rushing yards on 26 attempts) and Steven Anderson (51 yards on nine carries, one TD) led the running attack in the win while Tim Jones (seven receptions, 107 yards) and Jordan Mitchell (six catches, 41 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
One week ago, Middle Tennessee took care of this Charlotte team by a score of 21-13. The Niners defensive unit did its job in the loss, limiting the Blue Raiders to only 111 passing yards and 33 yards on the ground. Ty Lee had a productive outing, recording 60 yards and two touchdowns on six catches for Middle Tennessee. For Charlotte, Evan Shirreffs completed 20-of-40 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Benny LeMay (129 yards on 19 rush attempts, one TD) handled the ground game in the defeat as Victor Tucker (six receptions, 48 yards) and Workpeh Kofa (four catches, 43 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Southern Miss has run the ball on 46.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Charlotte has a rush percentage of 59.3 percent. The Golden Eagles have rushed for 118.5 yards/game (including 135.3 per game against Conference USA opponents) and have four scores via handoffs this year. The Niners are logging 142.6 rush yards per game (150.3 in conference) and have 10 total rushing TDs.
The Golden Eagles offensive scheme has averaged 310.3 yards through the air overall (338.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has 13 passing scores so far. The Niners have put up 214.3 pass yards per outing (211 in the CUSA) and have eight total pass TDs.
Defensively, Southern Miss seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 119.2 rush yards and 178.7 pass yards per game. The Charlotte defense has allowed 219.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 83.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Golden Eagles are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.79 to opposing QBs, while the Niners have given up a 7.14 ANY/A.
Abraham has been more efficient than Shirreffs recently, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 7.33for the season and 6.22 over his last two outings. Shirreffs’ ANY/A is 2.68 for the season and 4.71 over his past two games.
When these two teams met last year, Southern Miss knocked Charlotte off soundly 66-21.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Charlotte 49ers Free Prediction
SU Winner: Charlotte, ATS Winner: Charlotte, O/U: Over
