Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-4) vs. UTEP Miners (4-4)
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders square off against the UTEP Miners on Saturday, October 29, as Week 9 of the 2022 college football season brings the Conference USA showdown from Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Middle Tennessee meets UTEP for the first time since 2018, and the Blue Raiders have won their last two encounters with the Miners. UTEP is listed as a small 1.5-point home fave, while the totals sit at 52.0 points.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-4; 3-4 ATS; 0-3 conf.) are coming off a bye, hoping to put an end to their three-game losing streak. Since a 45-31 road victory over then-No. 25 Miami (FL) Hurricanes, the Blue Raiders have dropped three games in a row to UTSA 45-30, UAB 41-14, and Western Kentucky 35-17.
Back in Week 7, Middle Tennessee racked up just 291 total yards against the Hilltoppers in the rivalry known as “100 Miles of Hate”. The Blue Raiders rushed 26 times for a paltry 63 yards, while Chase Cunningham went 32-of-51 for 228 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Senior signal-caller also had nine carries for 29 yards and a TD, while senior wideout Izaiah Gathings posted three catches for 42 yards and his first TD of the season.
“You got to gi ve them credit,” Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill said. “They were better than us today. I’m disappointed we never formed an identity offensively. It was sporadic at best. We’d get something going and then shoot ourselves in the foot. We weren’t very good on third down. We weren’t consistent enough to stay on the field.
After a long of 72 (!!!) yards and four punts inside the 20 vs. WKU, @kyle_ulbrich has been named the @RayGuyAward Punter of the Week! ??
?? https://t.co/XtojAw25ZY pic.twitter.com/4jj99032vp
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) October 18, 2022
After scoring just 31 points over their last two outings, the Blue Raiders are now tallying 28.0 points per game (tied-72nd in the nation). Chase Cunningham has thrown for 1,792 yards, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions, while sophomore RB Frank Peasant has accounted for 365 yards and six scores on 82 rushing attempts. On the other side of the ball, Middle Tennessee is yielding 31.6 points per contest (tied-108th) on 282.6 passing yards (122nd) and 143.9 rushing yards (67th).