Massachusetts Minutemen (1-6) vs. Liberty Flames (6-2)
October 30, 2021 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Liberty Flames -36.5 / Massachusetts Minutemen +36.5; Over/Under: +60
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The UMass Minutemen meet the Liberty Flames Saturday in week 9 college football action at Williams Stadium. The UMass Minutemen need a win to rebound from a rough 1-6 record. The Liberty Flames look for a win after winning three of their last four games.
The UMass Minutemen haven’t won a road game since October 2018. Brady Olson is completing 50.3 percent of his passes for 958 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. Rico Arnold and Eric Collins have combined for 395 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Ellis Merriweather has 12 receptions. The Umass Minutemen ground game is averaging 112.3 yards per contest, and Merriweather leads the way with 416 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Umass is allowing 44 points and 497.9 yards per game. Da’Shon Ross leads the Umass Minutemen with 58 tackles, Xavier Gonsalves has one sack and Bryce Watts has one interception.
The Liberty Flames haven’t lost a home game since August 2019. Malik Willis is completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions. Demario Douglas and CJ Daniels have combined for 959 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, while Kevin Shaa has 12 receptions. The Liberty Flames ground game is averaging 184 yards per contest, and Willis leads the way with 647 yards and nine touchdowns. Defensively, Liberty is allowing 17.9 points and 302 yards per game. Storey Jackson leads the Liberty Flames with 60 tackles, Kendy Charles has 4.5 sacks and Carl Poole has one interception.
The Minutemen are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on fieldturf. The Flames are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 home games and 38-18-1 ATS in their last 57 games overall. The under is 5-2 in Minutemen last 7 road games. The under is 3-1-1 in Flames last 5 games overall.
The Massachusetts Minutemen are possibly the worst team in the country when you consider they’re ranked in the 100s in every major statistical category on both sides of the ball. Outside a win over UConn, UMass has looked lifeless all season long. The Liberty Flames are a fairly balanced team led by one of the best quarterbacks in CFB, and they should have little trouble lighting it up in this contest. Massive number, but it’s Liberty or pass for me. UMass is just that bad.
