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WKU Hilltoppers (2-2) at UTEP Miners (0-5)
College Football: Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 8:00 pm (Sun Bowl)
The Line: UTEP Miners +17.5 -- Over/Under: Click to Get Latest Betting Odds
We have some Conference USA action on the gridiron on Saturday, as the Western Kentucky HIlltoppers face off against the UTEP Miners in week 6 college football action.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will look for their first conference win and to get back above .500 after a 33-21 win over Ball State in their last outing evened up their record at 2-2 this season. Mike White completed 28 of his 44 pass attempts for 319 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Jakairi Moses led the Hilltoppers with 56 yards and a rushing TD on 12 carries, while Marquez Trigg added a TD of his own, turning his 10 carries into 27 yards and a score. Xavier Lane led WKU with 86 receiving yards, while Lucky Jackson added a team-high 7 receptions and Deon Yelder chipped in the team’s lone receiving TD in the win. Defensively, Western Kentucky combined for a sack, a fumble recovery and a pair of interceptions, including a 34-yard pick-six from Joe Brown late in the 4th to seal the victory for Western Kentucky.
The UTEP Miners will be searching for their first win of the season after a 35-21 loss to Rice dropped their record to 0-5 this season. Zack Greenlee completed 7 of 13 pass attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Quardraiz Wadley led the Miners with 28 carries for 156 rushing yards and a touchdown. Tyler Batson hauled in a team-high 5 balls for 80 yards, while David Lucero chipped in 3 catches and the team’s lone receiving TD in the losing effort. Kahani Smith’s 52-yard pick-six late in the 4th was the lone defensive highlight for UTEP, as Army racked up 433 yards of total offense, including 353 yards on the ground.
Western Kentucky is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall and 5-2 ATS in their last 5 conference games while the over is 12-5 in their last 17 games against a team with a losing record. UTEP is 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall while the under is 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
Western Kentucky is the better team here, and UTEP has lost each game this season by at least 14 points. However, this is a lot of points to lay with a Hilltoppers squad that has yet to cover a spread this season, going 0-4 ATS. UTEP may not be winning but they at least have a cover under their belt this season. I’m not saying the Miners win this game, but they can at least keep it within a couple of touchdowns, so I’ll take the points with UTEP here.
Chris’s Pick UTEP +17.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
