The Liberty Flames will look to continue their success this weekend when they travel to take on the New Mexico State Aggies. After an opening weekend loss to James Madison, the Flames have rattled off seven straight victories after they defeated FIU 49-10 last weekend. It was their sixth straight win by double digits. New Mexico State will have a tough test in front of them trying to end this dominant stretch for Liberty. The Aggies are below .500 this season but 2-2 in conference games. They are coming off a 24-0 home loss to Jacksonville State in their previous game.
Liberty enters this matchup as one of the most balanced teams in the Conference USA. Liberty's defense has been strong and opportunistic, only allowing 282 yards per game and 105 rushing yards per game, both top 20 in the nation. The Flames only allow opponents to score 13.5 points per game, the seventh-lowest number in college football. Their offense is led by their running game. Liberty averages 212 rushing yards per game, and most of these yards are gained by Kam Davis, who has 603 yards and seven touchdowns. The combination of their defense and their efficient offense has resulted in a +5 turnover differential for the Flames.
New Mexico State's offense has been inconsistent, especially in their previous game when they were shut out, but the Aggies do have similar strengths compared to Liberty. They have a solid defense and an offense that is engineered by their running game. Unfortunately, I'm not backing an Aggies offense that ranks 113th in scoring to put a big number on the board against Liberty, but the Aggies defense could slow down Liberty's running game to keep this as a low scoring game. New Mexico State only allows 135 rushing yards per game, which ranks around 60th in the country. The Aggies will aim to keep this a low-scoring game on their home field by containing the run and controlling possession on offense.
Liberty vs New Mexico State prediction: Under 46.5(-110) is available at the time of publishing. Playable at 45(+110).
