The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders and the New Mexico State Aggies meet Saturday in college football action from Aggie Memorial Stadium. Middle Tennessee is currently 2-6 on the year so far and coming off a bye week. The Blue Raiders last appeared in a loss to Liberty. As for New Mexico State, they’re 6-3 on the season following a road victory over Louisiana Tech back on October 24. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
The Raiders have a couple of solid wins over Murray State 35-14 and Louisiana Tech 31-23 so far this year, but otherwise it’s been a futile season. Middle Tennessee has managed 25 total touchdowns in their first eight games, averaging 23.8 points per game. Those scores came from 15 passing touchdowns (eight interceptions) and 10 rushing TDs with a 3.7-yard average per rush attempt.
In their last outing versus Liberty way back on October 17, the Raiders traded punches the whole way and had the score tied 35-35 going into the fourth. Middle Tennessee couldn’t hold on though, and lost 42-35. QB Nicholas Vattiato posted 332 yards with four scores and two interceptions, while Zack Dobson led the receivers on his 82 yards and a TD off two catches.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Team Facts
- Middle Tennessee has lost each of its last four road games.
- Middle Tennessee has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four November road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Five of Middle Tennessee’s last six games against conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
New Mexico State Aggies
Over on the Aggies’ side, they’ve fared much better over their nine-game run this season. New Mexico State has losses to only UMass 41-30, Liberty 33-17 and Hawaii 20-17 so far. The Aggies are scoring quite well also, mustering 29.4 points per game with 33 total touchdowns. The pass (18 touchdowns; five interceptions) and run (15 touchdowns; 6.1 yards per attempt) have been equally effective.
In their most recent appearance versus Louisiana Tech, the Aggies had to scramble after a 16-10 first-half deficit but still managed the comeback win 27-24. Diego Pavia had just 95 yards with one score on 10-of-19 passing and also had a rush TD. Star Thomas ran for 88 yards on 10 carries and Jonathan Brady topped the receivers with 33 yards on two grabs.
New Mexico State Aggies Team Facts
- New Mexico State has won seven of its last eight games against conference opponents.
- New Mexico State has covered the spread in each of its last six games.
- New Mexico State has won the first half in six of its last eight home games against conference opponents.
- Eight of New Mexico State’s last nine November games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m leaning toward New Mexico State. The Aggies didn’t look spectacular in their last game however, so it’s probably a good thing that they had the extra time to work things out ahead of this matchup. In their win over LA Tech, New Mexico State did great on the ground with 232 yards and no turnovers, however they weren’t particularly effective on third downs (5-of-13) and only had 16 first downs in the game. That said, the Aggies have scored 27 or more points in four straight games and should hang a nice total here.
As for Middle Tennessee, they’re going to need to stop the run in this one. The Blue Raiders had all kinds of issues doing that in their last outing versus Liberty, giving up a whopping 401 yards on the ground. Normally Middle Tennessee’s rush defense isn’t too bad, but against a solid running team like New Mexico State I’m not sure the Raiders can get their defense off the field consistently.