{"id":1717,"date":"2021-12-17T21:32:26","date_gmt":"2021-12-18T02:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=1717"},"modified":"2021-12-17T21:32:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T02:32:29","slug":"lending-tree-bowl-predictions-and-odds-liberty-vs-eastern-michigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/college-football\/lending-tree-bowl-predictions-and-odds-liberty-vs-eastern-michigan\/","title":{"rendered":"Lending Tree Bowl Predictions and Odds | Liberty vs Eastern Michigan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lending Tree Bowl Betting Preview<\/h2>\n

WagerTalk college football handicapper Tony Finn offers his Liberty vs Eastern Michigan Lending Tree Bowl betting preview. At the time of posting, the Flames have climbed to a 9.5-point favorite over the Eagles from the MAC, with the total sitting at 59 points.<\/p>\n

Stay on top of the latest College Football<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Lending Tree Bowl<\/th>\nBetting Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Point Spread:<\/td>\nLiberty Flames -9.5 vs Eastern Michigan Eagles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total:<\/td>\n59 Points<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Game Time:<\/td>\n5:45pm ET \/ 2:45pm PT on Saturday, December 18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stadium:<\/td>\nLadd-Peeble Stadium in Mobile, Alabama<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TV:<\/td>\nESPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Lending Tree Bowl Analysis<\/h2>\n

Hugh Freeze and his Liberty Flames (7-5, FBS Independent) are in Mobile, Alabama, for a holiday bowl event against Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-5, MAC). Unfortunately, the 23rd annual LendingTree Bowl event doesn’t present itself as an evenly matched contest. Still, all bowl indicators point to this Saturday night football event played close from start to finish.<\/p>\n

Both programs are experienced in traveling during the holiday season. This year’s LendingTree is the third consecutive bowl for the Flames. The MAC attack of Eastern Michigan is taking part in their fourth-holiday affair in the last six seasons.<\/p>\n

These two programs won’t attempt to be creative, nor will they spin themselves as something they are not. Both offenses are pass-heavy with capable offensive lines that are adept at pass blocking instead of attempting a pancake attack on a running play.<\/p>\n

Freeze’s Liberty offense averages 176.4 yards rushing per game, which trumps Eastern Michigan’s and their 117.3 yards. The Flames average 251 yards through the air while the Eagles average 263.3. Pundits will attempt to tell you, and anyone that will listen the pair of LendingTree participants needs to run to create the pass. Do not listen to such gibberish.<\/p>\n

It will be a surprise if these two offenses rush for 100-plus yards unless one of the two garners a significant lead on the other before the fourth stanza.<\/p>\n

Liberty Flames<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • The Flames score 31.8 points per game, ranking them 42nd in the FBS. They pass for 252.1 yards (ranked 48th) and rush for 176.4 yards per game (ranked 53rd).<\/li>\n
  • Quarterback Malik Willis, a junior from nearby Atlanta, isn’t NFL-ready, but he is a lock to be playing at the next level with any success as a senior. In addition, his strong arm makes his current dual-threat ability a future prototypical pocket passer.<\/li>\n
  • Willis has 24 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns on the season.<\/li>\n
  • Demario Douglas leads the team with 49 catches for 679 yards and five touchdowns. CJ Daniels gives Douglas and the Flames’ passing attack offering qualified assistance that has resulted in 36 receptions for 590 yards and seven touchdowns.<\/li>\n
  • The Flame’s defense is a gambling unit. They create more turnovers than the offense surrenders, and it has and will be a large percentage of the winning or losing equation in this Saturday night holiday contest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Eastern Michigan Eagles<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Cincinnati-transfer Ben Bryant leads the Eagles at quarterback. The former Bearcat passed for 2,921 yards, 14 touchdowns, and six interceptions on 68.8 percent completion.<\/li>\n
    • The Eagles have five receivers with at least 200 yards receiving.<\/li>\n
    • Hassan Beydoun is the stud wideout that is Bryant’s No. 1 target. Dylan Drummond adds 58 receptions for 653 yards and six touchdowns as a secondary target.<\/li>\n
    • The offense has produced 31 points per game, which ranks in the FBS collective’s top half. In addition, the Eagles have a trio of running backs who have all contributed 250 yards or more to the offense’s success.<\/li>\n
    • Tailback Jawon Hamilton leads in rushing yards with 631 and four touchdowns.<\/li>\n
    • Darius Boone has rushed for 400 yards and six touchdowns on the season.<\/li>\n
    • Samson Evans is the thunder of the trio of backs. He is the running option when the offense is in the opposition’s red zone and has recorded 12 rushing touchdowns this season.<\/li>\n
    • The Eagles defense has surrendered 27.8 points per game and has been soft in the trenches allowing nearly 200 yards of ground and pound per game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Lending Tree Bowl Prediction<\/h2>\n

      Liberty earned a holiday bowl invite for the second straight season by grabbing and taking seven wins in the regular season. Of the Flames, seven wins, four have come against bowl-eligible teams; North Texas, Middle Tennessee, UAB, and Old Dominion.<\/p>\n

      Of the five losses that the Flames suffered this 2021 campaign, two came against bowl-eligible squads in Syracuse and Louisiana-Monroe.<\/p>\n

      Eastern Michigan defeated three bowl-eligible teams losing to Miami (OH), Toledo, and Western Michigan. Of the Eagles’ five losses, only one was not bowl eligible, that being Ohio.<\/p>\n

      You will hear that the Liberty offense, led by Willis, will be too much for the Eagles secondary to handle for four quarters. In addition, it has been said that Liberty is a four-star recruit group while Eastern Michigan is a group of blue-collar athletes that were birthed by hard work.<\/p>\n

      All things equal, Liberty has more talent in terms of depth, but the Eagles front-line are not just hard workers; they are smart, as well. So the pick to click is a play on the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the points.<\/p>\n

      \n

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