Week 8 kicks off with a C-USA bout between the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Liberty Flames.
Middle Tennessee is 2-5 and earned its second win of the season last week against Louisiana Tech 31-23.
Liberty is undefeated this season at 6-0 after taking down Jacksonville State 31-13 last Tuesday. Liberty hopes to stay undefeated to make a bid for a New Year’s Six bowl at the end of the season.
What Channel Airs the Middle Tennessee-Liberty Game?
Middle Tennessee @ Liberty
- Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Channel: CBS Sports Network
- Odds: Liberty -13.5
- Over/Under Total: 55
This will be a matchup of strength versus strength through the air in this game. Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato is 19th in the country in passing yards. The Blue Raiders are about as Air Raid as it gets, as they use almost exclusively 10 personnel on every play, are pretty up-tempo, and use a ton of motion and RPO calls to move down the field.
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Vattiato has a productive trio of receivers to throw to that make his job easier. All three of Elijah Metcalf, Justin Olson, and Holden Willis are top 10 in receiving yards in the C-USA and have over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns between the three of them. Vattiato and his receivers have had to carry the offense this season, as MTSU is rushing for just 121 yards per game this season.
This passing offense will have to go against one of the best secondaries in college football this season. Led by safety Brylan Green and one of the best cornerback trios in college football, Liberty is allowing just 5.7 yards per attempt and is tied with Alabama, Georgia, and Iowa for passing touchdowns allowed with just eight. Liberty also leads the country in interceptions with 13 in six games this season.
With this talented secondary, Liberty’s scheme essentially revolves around forcing teams to beat them through the air and rushing just four rushers. Pass rushers CJ Bazile Jr. and Bryan Whitehead II are top-10 in the C-USA in pressures this season and harass opposing quarterbacks all game long.
Middle Tennessee’s defense will have its hands full with Liberty’s offense. The Flames are second in the country in rushing yards per game while also featuring a talented passer in quarterback Kaidon Salter. Salter has over 1,300 yards passing with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions this season. Liberty averages over 10 yards per attempt this season, far and away the best in the Group of Five, and ranks just behind LSU and Washington.
Running back Quinton Cooley is one of the best in the country at producing yards after contact with his size and contact balance. He is second in the C-USA in missed tackles forced, and 356 of his 592 rushing yards have come after contact this season.
Liberty’s receiving group is also talented. CJ Daniels has been Liberty’s big-play threat this season, getting open virtually at will with his speed and route-running ability, but Treon Sibley has stepped up in big spots as well. The two of them have six touchdowns and 823 receiving yards between them.
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Middle Tennessee will have to find its pass rush in this one, a task that is easier said than done. Behind talented guards X’Zauvea Gadlin and Jonathan Graham, Liberty has kept Salter clean all season and gashed teams up front repeatedly.
While Middle Tennessee’s passing game will keep this game interesting, Liberty is a double-digit favorite at home for a reason. The Flames are one of the most talented teams in the Group of Five, and it’s evident why they believe they can contend for a New Year’s Six bowl in the postseason.