The Liberty Flames and the UMass Minutemen meet in week 12 college football action from McGuirk Stadium on Saturday afternoon. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Liberty vs. UMass prediction.
Liberty Recap
The Liberty Flames come into this one looking to build on their 37-17 win over Middle Tennessee last time out. After this game, Liberty will head home for a matchup with Western Kentucky.
Flames Looking To Get Back On Track
Kaidon Salter leads the Flames with 1,581 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 60.3% passing while Quinton Cooley has rushed for 851 yards and 8 touchdowns. Salter’s added 440 rushing yards with 3 scores and Billy Lucas has added 378 rushing yards with 4 TDs as well. Treon Sibley has a team-high 414 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns while Elijah Cannon has 308 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Tyson Mobley also has 237 receiving yards on the year for Liberty as well. On defense, Joseph Carter leads the Flames with 57 total tackles while TJ Bush Jr. has a team-high 5.5 sacks on the year. Dexter Ricks Jr. also has a pair of interceptions. As a unit, Liberty’s defense has combined for 17 sacks and 4 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Liberty Flames will win
- Massachusetts has lost 20 of its last 21 games in November.
- The favorite has won each of Massachusetts’ last eight games.
- Massachusetts has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight November home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- The favorite has covered the spread in each of Massachusetts’ last three games.
UMass Recap
The UMass Minutemen come into this one looking to bounce back from a 45-20 loss at the hands of Mississippi State last time out, prior to their bye week last week. After this game, UMass will square off against Georgia on the road.
Minutemen Looking For Home Upset
Taisun Phommachanh has thrown for 1,590 yards, 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 56.4% passing while also rushing for 317 yards and 3 scores. CJ Hester has 349 rushing yards and 2 TDs while Jalen John and Brandon Campbell each have 200+ rushing yards as well on the year. Jakobie Keeney-Kames has a team-high 36 receptions for 595 yards and 4 touchdowns while T.Y. Harding and Jacquon Gibson each have 200+ receiving yards with Harding logging 258 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Three more Minutemen have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Jalen Stewart has a team-high 59 total tackles while the UMass defense as a whole has combined for 11 sacks and 4 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win
- The home team has won seven of Massachusetts’ last eight games.
- Massachusetts has covered the spread in each of its last four games against opponents from the Conference USA.
Liberty vs. UMass Prediction
I’m leaning towards UMass, though there are much better games on the board. I’ve thought Liberty was slightly overrated since the start of the year and this is basically a sandwich nothing game for the Flames as they’re bowl eligible, and this game does not affect their standing or help them stay in the C-USA title race. UMass hasn’t had much to be excited about this year, but I think the Flames give out a maximum effort here and get the cover with a shot at the outright upset.