Appalachian State Mountaineers at Miami (FL) Hurricanes Betting Preview
The Hurricanes had the unfortunate opportunity to open the season with a neutral site matchup with #1 Alabama. Like most of the Tide’s opponents in openers, Miami took a beating and needs to recalibrate and regain their confidence.
The Mountaineers are a reprieve from playing Alabama, but in no way are they a team to take lightly. Appalachian State made its mark on College Football, taking down Michigan in the Big House, and has been a program to take notice of ever since.
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Appalachian State Mountaineers Team Preview
The Mountaineers opened the season against East Carolina and covered as 9-point favorites, winning the game 33-19. The game was played last Thursday night, giving Appalachian State a few extra days to prepare for their trip to Miami.
Quarterback Chase Brice has plenty of familiarity with the Hurricanes as the graduate transfer has spent time at ACC schools, Clemson and Duke. Brice was an efficient 20/25 against the ‘Canes but threw for less than 100 yards, and the Blue Devils lost the game 48-0. Brice was similarly efficient in the win over East Carolina, connecting on 20/27 passes but was able to find the end zone twice in the win.
The Mountaineers found great success in the run game, with both of their feature backs eclipsing 100 yards and going over 7 yards per carry. Wide receiver Thomas Hennigan provided multiple explosive plays hauling in catches of 68 yards and 34 yards, the latter for a score. Defensively Appalachian State racked up four sacks and caused two turnovers while limiting the Pirates to just 3.6 yards per carry on the ground.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes Team Preview
As mentioned, the Hurricanes took the annual Alabama week one beating by 31 points. The positive news for Miami was quarterback D’Eriq King didn’t show any signs of being hampered by his ACL injury that ended his season just over eight months ago.
While King didn’t show any signs of a lingering injury, the sixth-year quarterback struggled to find any sort of consistency on offense. Alabama forced three turnovers and two tipped passes that led to interceptions and a big strip sack from Tide linebacker Chris Allen. The running game never gained any traction as Alabama held the ‘Canes to less than three yards per carry.
Defensively the situation may have been even worse. Star safety Bubba Bolden was ejected on a targeting call early in the game, and the Miami secondary struggled to slow down Bryce Young the rest of the afternoon. In his first college start, Young racked up 350+ yards and four touchdowns and had Miami in a 27-0 deficit early in the first half. If there’s a bright side to the performance, the Hurricane defense held Alabama’s rushing attack to less than four yards per carry on the day.
The Bet:
Oddsmakers on the major sportsbooks are all in agreement as BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada all have the Hurricanes as 9-point favorites and the over/under betting line set at 54 total points. The big question for this bet will be whether or not Miami can find their confidence again after the week one blowout loss. The nine points at home seems like a reasonable line for the Hurricanes to cover, but teams in the past have typically suffered a hangover following a game against Alabama.
Look for Miami to find more of a rhythm offensively and for King to make some plays with his feet in the passing game. The danger for Miami could come on the defensive side of the ball if they’re not able to slow down Appalachian State’s rushing attack. The play here looks like the Mountaineers and the points.
