Rice at Southern Miss

Southern Miss will be at home tonight for the first time against a D-1A opponent. Rice will enter having allowed 53 points per game in their three D-1 games. With just six returning starters on defense, this team has gotten worse compared to last years' squad that allowed 33 ppg. Rice had a winning record last year even though they were outgained. Southern Miss has a veteran QB and WR and should be able to put up a ton of points vs. a defense that is allowing nearly 500 yards per game. Under head coach Jeff Bower, S. Miss is 10-1 ATS at home vs. poor defensive teams (those allowing 425+ yards per game). The Eagles return the most players they have in a long time on defense with 8. The last time they did that, they allowed under 15 ppg. This is the first real home game, so they will certainly play with energy after three straight on the road. They should be able to name their score here, as they dominate both sides of the ball. The Eagles are 21-12 ATS in their last 33 as a favorite while the Owls are just 5-9 ATS the past three years as a road underdog. Southern Miss is coming off a pasting at the hands of Boise State. But that's a good thing here as the Eagles are 12-4 ATS under Bower following a blowout loss of 17+ points.