The Duke Blue Devils (-6) and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will square off on the turf at Johnny (Red) Floyd Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to FCBK.
Betting Preview: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Duke Blue Devils
In this Saturday matchup, Duke is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 6 points. The Blue Devils are also receiving -240 moneyline odds while the Blue Raiders are +190. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 52.5 points. If the favorite gives up points early, it’ll likely create a nice betting scenario in-game.
The game’s total has yet to move after being set initially at 52.5. Having said that, the line opened at 7 so square bettors are hammering the Blue Raiders.
The Blue Devils have gained 0.0 units so far and are 1-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 1-1.
The Blue Raiders have gained 0.0 units this season. The team is 1-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-0.
The Blue Devils are 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Blue Raiders are also 1-1 SU.
The Blue Devils hope to make it two in a row 45-13 win over North Carolina A&T last weekTheir defense allowed the Aggies to rush for 138 yards on 29 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Jah-Maine Martin had a good day for the Aggies in that one with 82 rushing yards and a score on 10 attempts. On the offensive side, Quentin Harris completed 30 passes on 42 attempts for 345 yards and four touchdowns. Deon Jackson (71 yards on 16 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Harris (83 yards on 13 carries, one TD) led the ground attack in the win. Jalon Calhoun (eight receptions, 105 yards, two TDs) and Noah Gray (six catches, 44 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Middle Tennessee just picked up a lopsided 45-26 win over Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders defense allowed the Tigers to run for 207 yards on 42 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Chris Rowland torched the defense, putting up 202 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches for Tennessee State. For Middle Tennessee, Asher O’Hara completed 22-of-30 passes for 367 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. O’Hara (103 rushing yards on 11 attempts) and Chaton Mobley (104 yards on nine carries, two TDs) handled the ground game in the win while Ty Lee (five receptions, 64 yards, one TD) and Jarrin Pierce (five catches, 74 yards, one TD) led the Middle Tennessee pass-catchers.
Duke has run the ball on 54.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Middle Tennessee has a rush percentage of 44.1 percent. The Blue Devils have rushed for 158.5 yards/game and have two scores via handoffs this year. The Blue Raiders are totaling 152 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Blue Devils ought to hold an advantage when it comes to applying pressure. Their offensive line has yielded just 30 sacks while the D-line logged 24 sacks. The Blue Raiders, on the other hand, have allowed 41 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs on just 35 occasions.
The Blue Devils offensive scheme has logged 230.5 yards per game through the air overall and has four passing scores so far. The Blue Raiders have put up 300.5 pass yards per contest and have six total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Duke has allowed 141.5 rush yards and 239 pass yards per game. The Middle Tennessee defense has allowed 239.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 220.0 yards per game on the ground. The Blue Raiders are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 6.91 to opposing QBs, while the Blue Devils have given up an 8.42 ANY/A.
O’Hara has been more effective than Harris of late. The Blue Raiders man under center has an adjusted net yards per pass attempt 12.74 for the season and 9.15 over his last two outings while Harris’ ANY/A is 10.12 and 6.52 over his last two.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders NCAA Prediction
SU Winner: Duke, ATS Winner: Duke, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- Both teams have lost two fumbles this season.
- The Blue Devils offense has produced zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Blue Raiders have put up three such plays.
- The Duke defense has yet to allow a passing play of 40 yards or more, while Middle Tennessee has given up two such plays.
- The Duke offense has created two rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Middle Tennessee has created one such runs.
- The Blue Devils defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Blue Raiders have given up three such runs.
- The Duke D has three sacks on the year while Middle Tennessee has two.
