Liberty Flames vs UMass Minutemen Matchup

Check out our free Liberty Flames vs UMass Minutemen pick and preview for this CFB week 12 game in Amherst. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 12 CFB matchup.

ESPN+ will be covering the week 12 non-conference matchup between the Liberty Flames and UMass Minutemen, set to kick off at 12:00 ET on Saturday, November 16th, at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst. The Liberty Flames are 6-2 this season, while the Minutemen are 2-7. The Flames are favored by -13.5 points, and the over/under line is currently at 52.5 points.

Flames vs. Minutemen Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Liberty Flames at UMass Minutemen
Where: Amherst at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Date: Saturday, November 16th
Betting Odds LIBRTY -13.5, LIBRTY -557 | UMASS +402 O/U 52.5

Flames Preview:

Liberty enters Week 12 with a 6-2 record, ranked 98th in our power rankings. They are 100% bowl-eligible but have just a 3.6% chance of winning Conference USA. On the road, they are 2-0, while their home record stands at 2-1 this season.

The Flames have been favored in five of their eight games, going 4-1 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +8.2 points per game, and they are 2-3 against the spread this season.

This week’s over/under line is set at 52.5 points. Liberty’s games have averaged 53.5 points, with an average line of 56.8 points. Their over/under record is 1-3-1, with an average margin of -4.8 points.

Flames Offense Breakdown

Liberty’s offense is averaging 27.4 points per game, placing them 55th nationally, and they rank 81st in our offensive power rankings. Their run game is their strength, averaging 217.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 14th in the country. They also rank 27th in rushing attempts.

Quinton Cooley leads the team with 851 rushing yards, averaging 6 yards per carry, and has scored 8 touchdowns. Quarterback Kaidon Salter has thrown for 1,581 yards with 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 100.

Flames Team Defense

Liberty's defense has been solid this season, ranking 22nd nationally by allowing just 20.1 points per game. In their recent game against Middle Tennessee, they gave up 17 points and held the Blue Raiders to 88 rushing yards on 26 attempts, though they allowed 263 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Opponents have averaged 199 passing yards per game against Liberty, completing 61.3% of their throws. On the ground, Liberty has allowed 147.1 rushing yards per game this season.

Minutemen Preview:

The Flames have been favored in five of their eight games, going 4-1 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +8.2 points per game, and they are 2-3 against the spread this season.

Minutemen Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 12, UMass ranks 100th in our offensive power rankings, averaging 19.2 points per game. They are 27th in rushing attempts, with 39.1 per game, but only average 143.6 rushing yards, placing them 89th nationally.

Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh has thrown for 1,590 yards, with a passer rating of 78. He has eight touchdowns and six interceptions. UMass is 69th in passing attempts, averaging 187.4 yards per game. Jakobie Keeney-James leads the team with 595 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Minutemen Team Defense

UMass's defense allowed 45 points in their recent game against Mississippi State, giving up 179 rushing yards on 38 attempts but holding the Bulldogs to just 92 passing yards. They also forced one interception in the game.

On the season, UMass ranks 16th nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up just 164.7 yards per game through the air. However, they’ve struggled against the run, ranking 133rd, allowing 180.9 rushing yards per game.

Flames vs Minutemen Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last five road contests, the Liberty Flames offense has averaged 27 points per game while allowing an average of 28. Liberty posted an overall record of 3-2 while going 1-4 ATS.
In their last ten games at home, the UMass Minutemen have a straight up record of 1-9 while going 5-4-1 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 16 points per game in these contests.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, UMass has an ATS mark of 5-4-1 while going 1-9 straight up.
Going back to their previous three games as the favorite, Liberty has an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.