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Miami - FL Hurricanes vs. Florida International Golden Panthers
Where and when: Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, Florida, Saturday, 7 pm EST
The Golden Panthers of Florida International University will attempt to get a momentum-building win over their cross-town foe in the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday night at 7 pm EST at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. In three career meetings versus Miami, the Golden Panthers have not been able to come within two touchdowns of a win. In fact, last season, the Hurricanes took care of the Golden Panthers at home by a 31-17 score, yet Florida International won the spread which appointed them as 26.5 underdogs. The Hurricanes are 20.5-point favorites for this contest, according to PointsBet, while the total has been set at 49 points.
Miami has gained some serious momentum heading into this contest in winning four of their last five, overall, along with three straight after taking care of the Louisville Cardinals in blowout fashion at home two weeks ago. Miami is 4-1 ATS in their last five, including going 3-1 versus the number away from Coral Gables.
After a 1-3 start to the season, the Golden Panthers were able to reel off three straight victories before falling in two of their last three games, overall. Florida Atlantic, who sits in first place within the Conference USA East division, had their way with Florida International last weekend in racking up close to 600 yards of total offense, thus dropping the Golden Panthers to fifth in the division with a 3-4 record. The Golden Panthers are 2-4 ATS at home this year (2-8 overall) while failing to cover in their last two home games which saw them favored heavily (-25 vs. UTEP/-17.5 vs Old Dominion).
Miami now on a roll to end the season
Freshman Jarren Williams has been a huge part of the recent success for the Hurricanes. In three prior starts, he has thrown for nine touchdown passes alongside no picks. In Miami's win over the Cardinals two weeks ago, Williams threw for 6 TD's in addition to 253 yards. Also, star Deejay Dallas scored a rushing touchdown (15 rushes, 93 yds) while also racking up 116 passing yards while scoring twice in the air. And while Dallas may be a bit more bottled up by a defense for the Golden Panthers that are ranked 13th in defending the pass, the multi-purpose back may certainly be able to make an impact on the ground with FIU giving up 210 yards per outing. Important to note that Miami's leading receiver in Brevin Jordan has been dealing with a foot injury, however, is probable for this contest.Blake Baker Press Conference https://t.co/SxjbgacYmb
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) November 18, 2019
Defensively, the Hurricanes prepare to face-off versus James Morgan . The Golden Panthers' passing attack that is putting up over 200 yards per game in the air. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are 38th in defending the pass (206 yards per), 16th in total yards allowed per game (311), while also allowing just 19 points per game, as stated earlier. The Hurricanes are already bowl eligible with their final two games of the year coming on the road. Winning on the road should not be much of a problem as they are 2-0 SU (2-0 ATS) in their last two games away from Coral Gables, with the defense allowing just a total of 22 points in wins versus the Pitt Panthers and the Florida State Seminoles.
Golden Panthers offense needs a solid outing versus Canes
Morgan and the Golden Panthers passing game has recorded solid numbers on the season. The senior has almost 1900 yards along with 10 TD passes and 2 picks in 2019; However, the QB has not thrown for a touchdown in two straight games. Running back Anthony Jones (638 yards, 9 TD's) has not only followed up three straight games of rushing for 100+ yards with a combined 118 yards in this last two starts, but has also not scored a touchdown in two games. Finally, junior receiver Shemar Thornton (497 yards, 4 TD's) has also been quiet as of late as he has not reached paydirt in three straight outings.#BeatMIAMI
— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) November 20, 2019
🎟️➡️ https://t.co/TyfaEuHLPC#PawsUp 🐾 | #PantherPride pic.twitter.com/OOxYNXMb3S
Former Miami coach and current Golden Panthers coach Butch Davis statedafter their most recent loss to Florida Atlantic, “Here’s the summary for the 2019 season. The self-inflicted wounds are every week. We have a chance to cut the lead to three and the (field goal) holder bobbles the snap and throws an interception. The punter can’t hang on to the snap because it’s over his head, those things are impossible to overcome against a good football team,”. A good football team is certainly what they will be facing in the Hurricanes on Saturday as their cross-city foe has one of the quickest and opportunistic units in the nation. Simply put, if Morgan is not able to move the football for the Golden Panthers versus Miami, the home team may well be looking at another huge loss.
Notable Trends
- Golden Panthers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
- Hurricanes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in November.
The Bottom Line What to bet on this game.
Full-Game Side Bet
Miami will roll in this contest as they are motivated to end their regular season on a high note while also possessing a huge amount of confidence after picking up some big ACC wins most recently. The Golden Panthers looked horrible in their loss to Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic Owls in their last time out. It is for this reason that the home team will come out with some fight. However, the Hurricanes have the more talented roster on both sides of the ball and should wear down Jones and his squad throughout the duration of the contest to pick up yet another victory while covering the large spread as well.
Prediction: Miami Hurricanes -20.5
Full-Game Total Pick
The under has been the play in the last three matchups amongst these two teams. The under has also been the result in four of the last six home games for the Golden Panthers in addition to being the play in three of four road games in 2019 for Miami. One should look for the Hurricanes to put a fair amount of points on the scoreboard. On the other hand, their defense will prove to be too much to handle for an FIU offense that has continued to struggle as the season winds down.
Prediction: Over 49
