Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Tuesday the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will go on the road to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Sun Belt action. The Blue Raiders snapped a two game losing streak with a 38-10 win over Louisiana-Monroe in their last game. The Red Wolves also come into the game off a big win, as they crushed Florida Atlantic 37-16. Both teams have not played since Oct. 23, giving them plenty of time to prepare and get ready for this game. If you are thinking about betting on the game, the current odds have the Blue Raiders favored by 1.5-points over the Red Wolves on the road.
Middle Tennessee (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt): The Blue Raiders will have played just three games in the last 37 days before stepping on the field Tuesday night. The offense looked good for the first time under Dwight Dasher, who was forced to miss the first four games of the season. Dasher threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, plus he ran for 66 yards on 14 carries. A similar performance from Dasher is expected this week against an Arkansas State defense that comes in ranked 113th in the country, allowing right around 453 yards of total offense and 30.4 points per game.
Running back Phillip Tanner ran for 73 yards and a touchdown in the Blue Raiders last game, and he also figures to have a big day against the Red Wolves defense. Middle Tennessee has also struggled on defense this season, so it will be important that the offense get off to a good start.
Arkansas State (3-5, 3-2 Sun Belt): The Red Wolves come in really playing well on the offensive side of the football. They have scored at least 24 points in every game this season. Quarterback Ryan Aplin has really put together a pretty nice season, throwing for 2,079 yards and 13 touchdowns, but he has been prone to make some mistakes, with seven interceptions on the season and three in his last two games. It will be important for Aplin to come out hot against the Blue Raiders, or the Red Wolves could find themselves in a big hole early.
With the defense struggling to keep teams from moving down the football field, I believe the Red Wolves will have to win the turnover battle. Last week the Red Wolves forced Florida Atlantic into three turnovers, including an interception by Adrian Hills that was returned for a touchdown.
Looking at the Odds: I think your money has to be on the Blue Raiders to cover the 1.5 point spread. Middle Tennessee is 11-1 ATS when they score 28 or more points over the last 2 seasons, while Arkansas State is just 1-8 ATSÂ when they allow 29 to 35 points over the last 3 seasons. Middle Tennessee is 7-2 against the spread versus Arkansas State since 1992, and a perfect 8-0 ATSÂ in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. My final score prediction is Middle Tennessee 38, Arkansas State 34.
One Response to “Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State”
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I agree with your pick for this Tuesday Night Sun Belt match up. Take MTSU -1.5 with a final score of 35-33.