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The Middle Tenn. Blue Raiders have had a week off and are no doubt ready to get back on the field. The Blue Raiders and the UTEP Miners will face off in a Conference USA battle at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sun Bowl. The point spread is more or less neutral, so fans should expect a close contest.
Middle Tenn. was first on the board but had to settle for second at the end of their game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers two weeks ago. Middle Tenn. took a hard 35-17 fall against WKU. A silver lining for Middle Tenn. was the play of QB Chase Cunningham, who passed for one TD and 229 yards on 50 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown. Cunningham had some trouble finding his footing against the UAB Blazers three weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the Florida Atlantic Owls typically have all the answers at home, but last week UTEP proved too difficult a challenge. The Miners came out on top in a nail-biter against the Owls, sneaking past 24-21. UTEP's RB Deion Hankins looked sharp as he picked up 138 yards on the ground on 17 carries. Hankins' longest run was for 72 yards in the third quarter.
Special teams collected ten points for UTEP. K Gavin Baechle delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
Middle Tenn. is now 3-4 while UTEP sits at 4-4. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Middle Tenn. enters the matchup with 19 sacks, good for 31st best in the nation. As for the Miners, they rank 29th in the nation when it comes to passing yards allowed per game, with only 195.1 on average.
