The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders got all the confidence they needed ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Blue Raiders blew out hapless Jackson State, 70-14, in a dominant all-around performance on Saturday. They’ll need every bit of their mettle against perennial national contender Alabama, though. Can Middle Tennessee go for the monumental upset?
Don’t miss out on some explosive college football action. Check out the complete previews for Stephen F. Austin vs. TCU as well as Georgia vs. Vanderbilt.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Preview
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
When: Saturday, September 12, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Alabama Crimson Tide – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: SEC Network
Betting on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Quarterback Brent Stockstill was the star of the show in Middle Tennessee’s trashing of Jackson State, completing 23 of 29 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his scoring passes were caught by Ed’Marques Batties, who finished with 123 yards receiving.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Blue Raiders were also a force on the ground. Jeremiah Bryson finished with two rushing touchdowns, while Jordan Parker and Ruben Garnett each had one. Bryson was also excellent on kick returns, averaging 29 yards per attempt this past Saturday.
Getting into better field position should help the Blue Raiders get past Alabama’s tight defense. The Tide were defensively sound in their Week 1 game against No. 20 Wisconsin, allowing just 268 yards of total offense and 17 points against a ranked team.
Unlike its defense, Alabama doesn’t have the best receiving corps especially with Amari Cooper now in the NFL. No Tide receiver had more than 50 yards in the season opener, which should help Middle Tennessee’s experienced secondary to shine. Senior safety Kevin Byard should lead the way after registering a team-high six interceptions last season.
Middle Tennessee was 1-5 against the spread following a win last season.
Betting on the Alabama Crimson Tide
Amari Cooper and Blake Sims may be gone, but that doesn’t mean that the Alabama Crimson Tide will be slowing down on offense. Jake Coker takes over as the starting quarterback for the perennial national championship contenders, and he couldn’t have a slicker game than his Week 1 performance. Coker completed 71 percent of his passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.
Coker was solid, but running back Derrick Henry was spectacular. With Alabama not having a go-to receiver churning out yards, Henry went to work on the ground rushing for 147 yards and three scores to power the Tide to their 34-17 victory over Wisconsin. Henry scored pretty much from anywhere he wanted to on the field – he had 37-, 56- and two-yard touchdowns in the season opener.
Middle Tennessee will be in for a long afternoon against the Tide’s punishing defense. Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen had two sacks in the season opener against a very solid Wisconsin offensive line (ranked 10th in the nation in sacks allowed last season). Allen should be the Tide’s premier pass rusher this season, especially with last year’s sacks leader Xzavier Dickson now gone.
The Tide went 0-5 ATS in five non-conference games last season.
Writer’s Prediction
Alabama gets off to a fast start and ultimately wins, but the Blue Raiders fire back late in the game and cover the spread. Create a betting account now and cash in from the best that college football has to offer.
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