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The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. ET at Johnny (Red) Floyd Stadium. Middle Tennessee is limping into the match on a three-game losing streak.
The point spread favored Middle Tennessee last Wednesday, but luck did not. They lost to Jacksonville State at home by a decisive 45-30 margin. Middle Tennessee was up 17 in the second but still couldn't manage to seal the deal.
Despite the loss, Middle Tennessee had strong showings from Elijah Metcalf, who picked up 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Terry Wilkins, who rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. Wilkins' longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards. Justin Olson also helped out as he racked up 124 receiving yards.
Even though they lost, the Blue Raiders were moving up and down the field and finished the game with 563 total yards. That's a new trend for Middle Tennessee: they were averaging 211 total yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've averaged 431.8.
Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Western Kentucky. They took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hilltoppers on Thursday.
The losing side was boosted by Tyre Shelton, who rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jack Turner was in the mix as well, providing Louisiana Tech with two touchdowns.
The losses dropped Middle Tennessee to 1-5 and Louisiana Tech to 3-4.
In addition to losing their last games, the two teams failed to cover the spread. Looking ahead, Middle Tennessee is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by three points. For those looking to play the spread, keep Middle Tennessee's opponent in mind: they have a subpar 1-5 record against the spread vs Louisiana Tech over their last six matchups.
Middle Tennessee ended up a good deal behind Louisiana Tech in their previous meeting last November, losing 40-24. Will Middle Tennessee have more luck at home instead of on the road? Watch the matchup or check back on CBS Sports to find out.
