The Buffalo Bulls (-4) and Liberty Flames are ready to face off on the turf at Williams Stadium. ESPN+ has the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Liberty Flames vs. Buffalo Bulls
Liberty is a live dog and is currently getting 4 points in this game. The Bulls are also receiving -185 moneyline odds while the Flames are +165. There should be some good in-game betting scenarios in this contest, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 58. With the Flames currently getting 4 points, oddsmakers are speculating that this could be a 27-31 win for the Bulls.
The game’s total has shifted downward after opening at 58.5. The original line has remained consistent.
The Bulls are 0-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 1-1.
The Flames have lost 2.0 units this season. The team is 0-2 ATS and has an O/U record of 0-2.
The Bulls are 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Flames are 0-2 SU.
The Bulls fell to Penn State 45-13 in a blowout where their secondary allowed the Nittany Lions to throw for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Jahan Dotson had a productive day for the opposition in that one with 109 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Matt Myers completed only 16 passes on 31 attempts for 245 yards, as well as one TD and an interception. Jaret Patterson (only 71 yards on 23 rush attempts) and Kevin Marks (64 yards on 17 carries) led the ground attack in the loss while Antonio Nunn (five receptions, 113 yards) and Dominic Johnson (three catches, 27 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Liberty most recently fell 35-14 to Louisiana. The defensive unit let the Ragin’ Cajuns kill the clock by running for 407 yards on 46 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. Trey Ragas had a productive outing, recording 129 rushing yards and a score on nine attempts for Louisiana. For Liberty, Stephen Calvert completed 21-of-37 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Frankie Hickson (133 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) led the ground game in the defeat as Antonio Gandy-Golden (six receptions, 70 yards) and DJ Stubbs (five catches, 52 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Buffalo has run the ball on 71.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Liberty has a rush percentage of 43.4 percent. The Bulls have run for 234.5 yards/game and have three touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Flames are putting up 69 rush yards per game and have just one rushing TD.
If 2019 numbers are any indication, then it seems like the Bulls may own an edge in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has generated 4.5 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 3.3 to opponents. The Flames have registered 2.2 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 6.7 to opponents.
The Bulls offense has logged 157 yards/contest through the air overall and has three passing scores so far. The Flames have recorded 228.5 pass yards per outing and have just one pass TD.
Defensively, Buffalo has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 113 yards and pass for 185.5 yards per game. The Liberty defense has allowed 181 yards per game to opposing passers and 299.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Flames are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.83 to opponents, while the Bulls have given up a whopping 11.97 ANY/A.
Myers probably has the advantage over Calvert in this one, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.59for the season (and 7.62 over the past two games). Calvert’s ANY/A is 4.03 for the year and 3.09 over his past two outings.
Buffalo Bulls at Liberty Flames Betting Prediction
SU Winner: Liberty, ATS Winner: Liberty, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The Buffalo defense has sacked opposing QBs five times this season. Liberty has registered four sacks.
- Both offenses have lost two fumbles this year.
- The Bulls offense has produced three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Flames have put up one such play.
- The Buffalo defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Liberty has given up one such play.
- The Buffalo offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Liberty has created one such runs.
- The Bulls defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Flames have given up seven such runs.
