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Went just 2-3 last week and not happy about it. Let's bounce back with 4 solid plays today. Good Luck Everyone.
Auburn vs Mississippi State
The Auburn Tigers come into this game off a very easy 58-7 win over UL Monroe and will now look to build on their 3-2 record when they invade Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi to rumble with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are 2-2 on the year and off a wild 47-35 over Massachusetts two weeks ago. This game was played in Auburn last year and the Bulldogs won 17-9. Auburn leads the all-time series 58-27-3.
This could have very well been a flat spot for the Auburn Tigers as they were just off a huge 18-13 win over LS at home and had this game on deck, but they had no look-ahead at all in their 58-7 rout of UL Monroe this past weekend. The Tigers rolled up 688 yards of total offense in the game, including 410 yards on the ground. That ground attack was led by Kerryon Johnson, who had 146 yards rushing and two TDs. He leads the team overall with 517 yards on the ground and 6 TDs. Also having a solid game was QB Sean White, who hit 14 of 17 passes for 249 yards and two TDs. He has been solid all season, throwing for 983 yards with 5 TDs and just 1 INT on 68.4% passing.
Overall this has been a solid offensive team as they are 28th in total offense, putting up 488.6 ypg and 61st in scoring, at 31.2 ppg. The Tigers are all about their ground attack, which ranks 10th in the nation, putting up 269.8 ypg on the ground so far. This has not been all about offense for the Tigers as they have been very solid on the defensive side of the ball as well. Last year the Tigers allowed 26.0 ppg and 405 ypg, but with 6 starters back they have improved to allowing just 16.4 ppg (15th) and 358.4 ypg (40th). Part of that is the fact that they have really held the ball on offense with ball control drives, which limits the amount of exposure the defense faces, but still this is a very good defense.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs thought they might be on cruise control vs an outmanned Minutemen squad on Saturday, but it just didn’t play out that well. UMass actually took a 21-20 lead midway through the 3rd quarter before the Bulldogs rattled off the next 21 points to take a 41-21 lead into the 4th. At that point, they felt they finally had complete control of the game, but the Minutemen then score the next 14 points to pull to within 6, before a late TD made the game 47-25 in favor of Mississippi State. It was a wild game but the Bulldogs survived. Miss State rolled up 599 yards in the game overall and with very good balance as the ran for 299 yards and threw for 299 yards. Every team in America would love balance like that.
Leading the charge for Mississippi State was Nick Fitzgerald, who hit 25 of 38 his passes for 299 yards and 3 TDs, while also rushing for 110 yards on just 15 attempts. Fitzgerald is just another solid dual threat QB that the Bulldogs have found. He didn’t play much in the opener, but has started the last three games and has 597 yards passing and 329 yards rushing in those games. Nick has 5 TDs and just 1 INT so far. The Bulldogs are 61st in total offense, 84th in passing, 30th in rushing and 73rd in scoring, putting up just 28.5 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball, they are 37th in total yards allowed, 81st vs the pass, 20th vs the run and 48th in points allowed, giving up just 23.2 ppg.
I like the Tigers in this one. I like their defense and feel that they have more weapons on offense than the Bulldogs do. Take away Nick Fitzgerald and you can shutdown the Bulldog offense. The Tigers are tough to defense and they are fully focused on putting together a strong season. They could have played flat vs the Warhawks in a horrible scheduling spot for them, but won that game 58-7 and now they have a bye week on deck, which should keep them fully focused here as well. Auburn has played the far tougher schedule so far and will be ready to keep their momentum going as they head into their break.
Play Auburn -2.5
Florida State vs Miami
Longtime Sunshine State rivals will battle it out tonight at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Florida State Seminoles will look to bounce back from a very tough home loss to North Carolina when they tangle with the Miami Hurricanes, who are off a solid 35-21 road win over Georgia Tech. Last year, the teams met at FSU and the Noles won the game by a score of 29-24. The all-time series is tied at 29 games apiece.
The Florida State Seminoles have been known for their defense over the years and came off a year that they allowed just 17 ppg and 337 ypg. This year they had six starters back on that side of the ball and came into the year with the 9th rated DL, 12th rated LB corps and 21st rated secondaries in the nation, but all that talent has not shown itself on the field, especially in their last three games. They started a three-game stretch vs Louisville and lost that game 63-20. They then beat South Florida 55-35, before falling 37-25 at home to North Carolina last week. During that stretch of games, the Noles allowed 506 ypg and 45 ppg. Wow. That is not good and let’s also remember that they allowed 34 points in their opening win over Ole Miss and 38 points in their bowl game last year vs Houston. They clearly have defensive issues right now.
On the offensive side of the ball they have no such issues as they come into this game ranked 17th in the nation in total offense at 508.8 ypg and 22nd in scoring at 41.4 ypg. Their ground attack is 20th in the nation, putting up 240.4 ypg and is led by Dalvin Cook, who got off to a slow start but now has 635 yards on the year, including 407 the last two week. He has seven TDs total and has also chipped in with 286 yards receiving. At QB is freshman Deondre Francois, who has thrown for 1323 yards and seven TDs thus far. This is a very good offense, but they will be facing a very good defense.
The Miami Hurricanes are off to a strong 4-0 start in Mark Richt’s first year at the helm and while the offense has been very good, it has been their defense which has led them so far, but we also note that they have not really been tested in the early going, having faced just Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Georgia Tech. The toughest offense they faced was the last one and the allowed 21 points and 361 yards in that game. For the year now, the ‘Canes are ranked 7th in total defense, 3rd vs the pass, 27th vs the run and 2nd in points allowed, giving up just 11 ppg. This is the best offense they will have faced so far this year and how well they do on that side of the ball will be the key to who wins this game.
The reason that the key to this game is the Hurricanes defense is because their offense has been very solid as well and they will be facing a Florida State defense that has been shredded the last three weeks. Miami enters this game ranked 36th in total offense and 24th in rushing offense, while scoring a healthy 47 ppg, which is 4th in the lead. They have been led by Mark Walton at RB and he has rumbled for 445 yards and eight TDs on 7.1 ypc. Brad Kaaya has had a solid year at QB so far as he has hit 66.3% of his passes for 935 yards, with eight Tds and just three INTs so far. This is a good offense that should have success vs the ‘Noles leaky defense.
I like the Canes here as they have the far better defense, while the offenses are pretty even. Both teams have scored a ton this year and both teams run the ball very well. I give the ‘Canes a slight edge at QB as Kaaya has experience in big games, while the pressure has seemed to get the Francois in the big games. He was totally outplayed in the loss to Louisville and had some breakdowns late in their loss to North Carolina last week. Miami is home where they are tough to beat and this will be a statement game for them within the state of Florida. It won’t be easy, but still it all points to a Miami win here, despite the fact that the road team and Underdog have dominated this series of late.
Play Miami -3
Vanderbilt vs Kentucky
The 2-3 Vanderbilt Commodores enter this game off a very tough 13-6 loss to the Florida Gators and will look to bounce back in this one as they rumble with the 2-3 Kentucky Wildcats, who are off a 34-6 loss at Alabama. This SEC clash will take place at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. The Commodores won last year’s meeting at home by a score of 21-17, but Kentucky still leads the all-time series 42-36-4.
The Vanderbilt Commodores came into this year having gone just 7-17 their last two years and this season is not off to a great start as they are just 2-3 so far. Last week they took on a very good Florida squad and played well in the games, but not well enough as they fell 13-6. The defense has not been the problem of the Commodores this year as they have allowed just 23.6 ppg so far, which is 50th in the nation. They have allowed 409.2 ypg, which is 73rd in the lead, but vs the gators they gave up just 236 yards in the game. Vandy allowed just 92 yards on the ground and at 2.6 ypc. Solid run defense in that game and stopping the run is key to stopping the Wildcat offense.
The Commodores have been solid on defense this year, but the offense has been poor and is really the reason why they are 2-3 on the year. In the loss to Florida, they put up just 265 yards of total offense and are now ranked 123rd in the nation in total offense, 119th in passing, 91st in rushing and 116th in scoring, putting up just 20.2 ppg. The offense has been led by RB Ralph Webb, who has run for 582 yards on the year, including 110 vs Florida. He also had 211 yards in a win over MTSU earlier in the year. He can’t do it alone they and they will need more offense from the rest of the offense is they want to make it to a bowl game. Kyle Shurmur is the QB and has hit just 51.5% of hs passes for 696 yards, with three TDs and three INTs.
The Wildcats actually covered the spread in the game vs the Tide, but they still lost 34-6. The Cats were outgained 488-161 and out first downed 25-12 in the game. It could have easily been a bigger margin of victory for the Tide. Kentucky is now just 2-3 on the year and this is really a huge game for them as they will most likely need to win the game if they home for a bowl game. They will really need to get much more offense than they have if they hope to win this game and it will not be easy to do vs this tough Vanderbilt defense. As it stands now the Wildcats are ranked 100th in the nation in total offense, 105th in passing offense and 92nd in scoring, putting up just 25.4 ypg. The Cats are 58th in rushing at 178.6 ypg and they will need that ground game here to loosen up a tough Vanderbilt defense.
Running back Stanley Boom Williams is really the leader of the offense and has rushed for 486 yards and at 7.3 ypc. Last year he ran for 855 yards and at 7.1 ypg. He is a big play just waiting to happen, but still, they need more offense, especially since they have been very poor on the defensive side of the ball. So far Kentucky ranks 111th in yards allowed, 102nd vs the pass, 101st vs the run, while allowing 35 ppg, which is 35th in the land. They will not be facing a good offense in this one, but still, can they find enough defense to win the game?
Both of these offenses are very poor and that should keep the scoring down in this one. Yes, the Cats have a very weak defense, but Vanderbilt just doesn’t have the offense to take advantage of that. They are mainly a ground-based team and so are the Cats, which should really keep the clock moving. The Commodores do have a strong defense and should really keep the Cats under wraps here. The last four games in this series have averaged just 32.5 ppg, with no more than 40 points being scored in any of those games and this one may not reach 41 points either.
Play Vanderbilt/ Kentucky Under 49.5
One Other Play I Like:
Wyoming +11.5 over Air Force
Good Luck Today Everyone
Auburn vs Mississippi State
The Auburn Tigers come into this game off a very easy 58-7 win over UL Monroe and will now look to build on their 3-2 record when they invade Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi to rumble with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are 2-2 on the year and off a wild 47-35 over Massachusetts two weeks ago. This game was played in Auburn last year and the Bulldogs won 17-9. Auburn leads the all-time series 58-27-3.
This could have very well been a flat spot for the Auburn Tigers as they were just off a huge 18-13 win over LS at home and had this game on deck, but they had no look-ahead at all in their 58-7 rout of UL Monroe this past weekend. The Tigers rolled up 688 yards of total offense in the game, including 410 yards on the ground. That ground attack was led by Kerryon Johnson, who had 146 yards rushing and two TDs. He leads the team overall with 517 yards on the ground and 6 TDs. Also having a solid game was QB Sean White, who hit 14 of 17 passes for 249 yards and two TDs. He has been solid all season, throwing for 983 yards with 5 TDs and just 1 INT on 68.4% passing.
Overall this has been a solid offensive team as they are 28th in total offense, putting up 488.6 ypg and 61st in scoring, at 31.2 ppg. The Tigers are all about their ground attack, which ranks 10th in the nation, putting up 269.8 ypg on the ground so far. This has not been all about offense for the Tigers as they have been very solid on the defensive side of the ball as well. Last year the Tigers allowed 26.0 ppg and 405 ypg, but with 6 starters back they have improved to allowing just 16.4 ppg (15th) and 358.4 ypg (40th). Part of that is the fact that they have really held the ball on offense with ball control drives, which limits the amount of exposure the defense faces, but still this is a very good defense.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs thought they might be on cruise control vs an outmanned Minutemen squad on Saturday, but it just didn’t play out that well. UMass actually took a 21-20 lead midway through the 3rd quarter before the Bulldogs rattled off the next 21 points to take a 41-21 lead into the 4th. At that point, they felt they finally had complete control of the game, but the Minutemen then score the next 14 points to pull to within 6, before a late TD made the game 47-25 in favor of Mississippi State. It was a wild game but the Bulldogs survived. Miss State rolled up 599 yards in the game overall and with very good balance as the ran for 299 yards and threw for 299 yards. Every team in America would love balance like that.
Leading the charge for Mississippi State was Nick Fitzgerald, who hit 25 of 38 his passes for 299 yards and 3 TDs, while also rushing for 110 yards on just 15 attempts. Fitzgerald is just another solid dual threat QB that the Bulldogs have found. He didn’t play much in the opener, but has started the last three games and has 597 yards passing and 329 yards rushing in those games. Nick has 5 TDs and just 1 INT so far. The Bulldogs are 61st in total offense, 84th in passing, 30th in rushing and 73rd in scoring, putting up just 28.5 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball, they are 37th in total yards allowed, 81st vs the pass, 20th vs the run and 48th in points allowed, giving up just 23.2 ppg.
I like the Tigers in this one. I like their defense and feel that they have more weapons on offense than the Bulldogs do. Take away Nick Fitzgerald and you can shutdown the Bulldog offense. The Tigers are tough to defense and they are fully focused on putting together a strong season. They could have played flat vs the Warhawks in a horrible scheduling spot for them, but won that game 58-7 and now they have a bye week on deck, which should keep them fully focused here as well. Auburn has played the far tougher schedule so far and will be ready to keep their momentum going as they head into their break.
Play Auburn -2.5
Florida State vs Miami
Longtime Sunshine State rivals will battle it out tonight at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Florida State Seminoles will look to bounce back from a very tough home loss to North Carolina when they tangle with the Miami Hurricanes, who are off a solid 35-21 road win over Georgia Tech. Last year, the teams met at FSU and the Noles won the game by a score of 29-24. The all-time series is tied at 29 games apiece.
The Florida State Seminoles have been known for their defense over the years and came off a year that they allowed just 17 ppg and 337 ypg. This year they had six starters back on that side of the ball and came into the year with the 9th rated DL, 12th rated LB corps and 21st rated secondaries in the nation, but all that talent has not shown itself on the field, especially in their last three games. They started a three-game stretch vs Louisville and lost that game 63-20. They then beat South Florida 55-35, before falling 37-25 at home to North Carolina last week. During that stretch of games, the Noles allowed 506 ypg and 45 ppg. Wow. That is not good and let’s also remember that they allowed 34 points in their opening win over Ole Miss and 38 points in their bowl game last year vs Houston. They clearly have defensive issues right now.
On the offensive side of the ball they have no such issues as they come into this game ranked 17th in the nation in total offense at 508.8 ypg and 22nd in scoring at 41.4 ypg. Their ground attack is 20th in the nation, putting up 240.4 ypg and is led by Dalvin Cook, who got off to a slow start but now has 635 yards on the year, including 407 the last two week. He has seven TDs total and has also chipped in with 286 yards receiving. At QB is freshman Deondre Francois, who has thrown for 1323 yards and seven TDs thus far. This is a very good offense, but they will be facing a very good defense.
The Miami Hurricanes are off to a strong 4-0 start in Mark Richt’s first year at the helm and while the offense has been very good, it has been their defense which has led them so far, but we also note that they have not really been tested in the early going, having faced just Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State and Georgia Tech. The toughest offense they faced was the last one and the allowed 21 points and 361 yards in that game. For the year now, the ‘Canes are ranked 7th in total defense, 3rd vs the pass, 27th vs the run and 2nd in points allowed, giving up just 11 ppg. This is the best offense they will have faced so far this year and how well they do on that side of the ball will be the key to who wins this game.
The reason that the key to this game is the Hurricanes defense is because their offense has been very solid as well and they will be facing a Florida State defense that has been shredded the last three weeks. Miami enters this game ranked 36th in total offense and 24th in rushing offense, while scoring a healthy 47 ppg, which is 4th in the lead. They have been led by Mark Walton at RB and he has rumbled for 445 yards and eight TDs on 7.1 ypc. Brad Kaaya has had a solid year at QB so far as he has hit 66.3% of his passes for 935 yards, with eight Tds and just three INTs so far. This is a good offense that should have success vs the ‘Noles leaky defense.
I like the Canes here as they have the far better defense, while the offenses are pretty even. Both teams have scored a ton this year and both teams run the ball very well. I give the ‘Canes a slight edge at QB as Kaaya has experience in big games, while the pressure has seemed to get the Francois in the big games. He was totally outplayed in the loss to Louisville and had some breakdowns late in their loss to North Carolina last week. Miami is home where they are tough to beat and this will be a statement game for them within the state of Florida. It won’t be easy, but still it all points to a Miami win here, despite the fact that the road team and Underdog have dominated this series of late.
Play Miami -3
Vanderbilt vs Kentucky
The 2-3 Vanderbilt Commodores enter this game off a very tough 13-6 loss to the Florida Gators and will look to bounce back in this one as they rumble with the 2-3 Kentucky Wildcats, who are off a 34-6 loss at Alabama. This SEC clash will take place at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. The Commodores won last year’s meeting at home by a score of 21-17, but Kentucky still leads the all-time series 42-36-4.
The Vanderbilt Commodores came into this year having gone just 7-17 their last two years and this season is not off to a great start as they are just 2-3 so far. Last week they took on a very good Florida squad and played well in the games, but not well enough as they fell 13-6. The defense has not been the problem of the Commodores this year as they have allowed just 23.6 ppg so far, which is 50th in the nation. They have allowed 409.2 ypg, which is 73rd in the lead, but vs the gators they gave up just 236 yards in the game. Vandy allowed just 92 yards on the ground and at 2.6 ypc. Solid run defense in that game and stopping the run is key to stopping the Wildcat offense.
The Commodores have been solid on defense this year, but the offense has been poor and is really the reason why they are 2-3 on the year. In the loss to Florida, they put up just 265 yards of total offense and are now ranked 123rd in the nation in total offense, 119th in passing, 91st in rushing and 116th in scoring, putting up just 20.2 ppg. The offense has been led by RB Ralph Webb, who has run for 582 yards on the year, including 110 vs Florida. He also had 211 yards in a win over MTSU earlier in the year. He can’t do it alone they and they will need more offense from the rest of the offense is they want to make it to a bowl game. Kyle Shurmur is the QB and has hit just 51.5% of hs passes for 696 yards, with three TDs and three INTs.
The Wildcats actually covered the spread in the game vs the Tide, but they still lost 34-6. The Cats were outgained 488-161 and out first downed 25-12 in the game. It could have easily been a bigger margin of victory for the Tide. Kentucky is now just 2-3 on the year and this is really a huge game for them as they will most likely need to win the game if they home for a bowl game. They will really need to get much more offense than they have if they hope to win this game and it will not be easy to do vs this tough Vanderbilt defense. As it stands now the Wildcats are ranked 100th in the nation in total offense, 105th in passing offense and 92nd in scoring, putting up just 25.4 ypg. The Cats are 58th in rushing at 178.6 ypg and they will need that ground game here to loosen up a tough Vanderbilt defense.
Running back Stanley Boom Williams is really the leader of the offense and has rushed for 486 yards and at 7.3 ypc. Last year he ran for 855 yards and at 7.1 ypg. He is a big play just waiting to happen, but still, they need more offense, especially since they have been very poor on the defensive side of the ball. So far Kentucky ranks 111th in yards allowed, 102nd vs the pass, 101st vs the run, while allowing 35 ppg, which is 35th in the land. They will not be facing a good offense in this one, but still, can they find enough defense to win the game?
Both of these offenses are very poor and that should keep the scoring down in this one. Yes, the Cats have a very weak defense, but Vanderbilt just doesn’t have the offense to take advantage of that. They are mainly a ground-based team and so are the Cats, which should really keep the clock moving. The Commodores do have a strong defense and should really keep the Cats under wraps here. The last four games in this series have averaged just 32.5 ppg, with no more than 40 points being scored in any of those games and this one may not reach 41 points either.
Play Vanderbilt/ Kentucky Under 49.5
One Other Play I Like:
Wyoming +11.5 over Air Force
Good Luck Today Everyone
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