The Scarlet Knights (+7.5) are gearing up to welcome the Liberty Flames (-7.5) to Rutgers. Fans can catch the action live on BTN and kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Liberty Flames
In this Saturday matchup, Liberty is tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 7.5 points. The Flames are also receiving -330 moneyline odds while the Scarlet Knights are +250. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 45.5 points, and if one team catches a lucky break early on, it will likely result in a worthy in-game betting scenario.
Square bettors are hammering the Flames, as the line opened at 6.5. The game’s total has not changed after it was set initially at 45.5.
The Flames are 3-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.9 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-5.
The Scarlet Knights are down 2.0 units this season. The team is 1-6 ATS and owns an even O/U record of 3-3-1.
The Flames are 5-2 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Scarlet Knights are 1-6 SU.
Liberty enters this contest on a zero-game winless streak while Rutgers has won zero in a row. The Flames are coming off a resounding 59-44 victory over Maine last week where Stephen Calvert completed 23-of-35 passes for 351 yards and five touchdowns. Joshua Mack (45 yards on 11 rush attempts, one TD) and Frankie Hickson (98 yards on nine carries) led the ground attack while Antonio Gandy-Golden (nine receptions, 149 yards) and Mack (three catches, 30 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Rutgers may already be looking forward to the offseason following a 35-point defeat to Minnesota. The defensive unit allowed the Golden Gophers to eat up the clock by rushing for 198 yards on 45 attempts, including three rush TDs. Rodney Smith had a solid showing in the win for Minnesota, recording 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts. For Rutgers, Johnny Langan completed nine-of-19 passes for 48 yards and three interceptions. Isaih Pacheco (50 rushing yards on 15 attempts) and the signal-caller Langan (19 yards on 13 carries) led the running game as Eddie Lewis (three receptions, 18 yards) and Isaiah Washington (two catches, 17 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Liberty has run the ball on 49.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Rutgers has an overall rush percentage of 58 percent. The Flames have rushed for 132.4 yards/game and have 11 scores on the ground this year. The Scarlet Knights are logging 110.3 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
The Flames offensive scheme has tallied 275.9 yards per game through the air overall and has 15 passing scores so far. The Scarlet Knights have put up 145.3 pass yards per outing and have three total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Liberty has allowed 198.3 rush yards and 240.1 pass yards per game. The Rutgers D has allowed 241.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 208.0 yards per game on the ground. The Flames are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 6.08 to opposing QBs, while the Scarlet Knights have allowed a 7.67 ANY/A.
Calvert has been more efficient than Langan of late, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 8.68for the season (and 8.62 over the last two outings). Langan’s ANY/A is -0.70 for the season and -3.55 across his past two games.
Liberty Flames at Rutgers Scarlet Knights Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Liberty, ATS Winner: Liberty, O/U: Over
Betting Trends
- The Liberty defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 21 times this year. Rutgers has registered just six sacks.
- Both offenses have lost four fumbles this year.
- The Flames offense has registered nine pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Scarlet Knights have put up three such plays.
- The Liberty defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Rutgers has given up seven such plays.
- The Liberty offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Rutgers has created eight such runs.
- The Flames defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Scarlet Knights have given up 13 such runs.
- As a team, Liberty has produced 4.7 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.5 over its last two.
- Rutgers has averaged 3.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 2.9 over its last two.
