FIU vs. Sam Houston State Prediction: Can Keyone Jenkins, FIU Bounce Back with a Hot Start?
The Florida International Panthers are taking on the winless Sam Houston State Bearkats in a Wednesday night Conference USA matchup. Can FIU get off to a hot start after a blowout loss? Joey Ruiz breaks it down with his FIU vs. Sam Houston State pick.
Joey Ruiz - October 18, 2023, 4:38 PM EDT
5 minFIU vs. Sam Houston State Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds
FIU dropped their game last week to UTEP in a very pathetic performance as they were basically blown out by the Miners at home. Can they regroup tonight against a Sam Houston State squad still in search of their first FBS victory? Let's break it down.
FIU vs. Sam Houston State Date, Start Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: October 18, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBSSN
FIU vs. Sam Houston State Odds
- Spread: FIU +5 (-110), Sam Houston State -5 (-115)
- Total Odds: O 41.5 (+102), U 41.5 (-104)
- Moneyline Odds: FIU (+180), Sam Houston State (-210)
FIU vs. Sam Houston State Prediction
I was on FIU last week as I simply thought they were a better and more talented team than UTEP but they could not get it done at home as they lost to the Miners straight up as 3.5-point favorites. Now they travel to Sam Houston State where they are in a much more comfortable position as underdogs.
For whatever reason, the Panthers have played much better this season when as a betting underdog as we saw them in Week 0 go into Louisiana Tech and nearly win straight up as 12.5-point dogs. Then against UConn, went on the road as 7-point underdogs and won straight up. What is even more impressive is that they dominated the first half of these two games as well as they were leading Louisiana Tech 17-13 at the break and led the Huskies 24-3 in dominating fashion after the second quarter.
They did more of the same on the road against New Mexico State two weeks ago as they were tied at the half, covering their first half spread before getting blown out in the second half. In all three of their road games as an underdog, they have been outscored in the second half as they were outscored by Louisiana Tech 9-0, UConn 14-0, and New Mexico State 20-3 so they have only scored a total of three points in the second half of their road games this season... not very good at all.
While FIU has excelled in the first half of these road games, their opponent tonight has struggled in opening half. Sam Houston State was down at the break to New Mexico State 27-0, Liberty 21-10, Houston 24-7, BYU 7-0, and Air Force 3-0. They have only led at halftime in one game this season against Jacksonville State who is a team that has struggled a lot in the first half of games this season. Sam Houston State has been one of the worst first half teams in the country this season. They frequently come out flat and unprepared to play, before making second adjustments to get back into games.
Sam Houston State's defense was keeping them in games early in the year but their defensive unit is getting progressively worse. They are currently ranked 70th in yards allowed per game (392), 78th in yards allowed per play (5.8), 98th in yards allowed per rush (4.6), and 73rd in yards allowed per passing attempt (7.5). They are also ranked 119th in defensive sack percentage so they are not getting a ton of pressure on the quarterback or forcing turnovers either. The Bearkats are averaging 0.8 takeaways per game (109th), so their defense has not been picking up the slack from their anemic offense.
FIU vs. Sam Houston State Pick
The bottom line of this game for me is that FIU seems to play much better as an underdog and Sam Houston State has seemed to play down or up to the level of their opponents this season while also starting very slow in the first half of games to this point. With that being said, I am rolling with FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 1H +3 at -104 for 1.5U as one of my most confident College Football plays of the day for tonight's action as I think we see a great effort from the Panthers in the first half tonight.
Pick: Florida International 1H +3 -104 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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