There is still a loaded slate of college football as usual on Saturday, but the action is getting started early with a few midweek matchups. Tonight, the New Mexico Aggies will face the FIU Panthers in a Conference USA matchup.
Looking at the odds, FIU is favored by 6.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, and holds -250 odds of winning outright. The New Mexico State Aggies hold +205 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 46.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond backing a side or total. Here are my favorite player prop bets for the Wednesday night CFB matchup.
Anthony Carrie to Record 50+ Rushing Yards (-109)
The Florida International Panthers lean on multiple running backs in the backfield, but Anthony Carrie headlines the production. Through the opening four weeks, Carrie has tallied 56 carries for 195 yards on the ground. He has tallied 10+ carries in all four games, and generated rushing totals of 31, 49, 44, and 71 yards.
He is coming off his season-high 71 rushing yards in the previous victory over Long Island University, and has a great opportunity to build on this against New Mexico State. Through their first five games, the Aggies are allowing an average of 34.0 rushing attempts per game for 130.6 rushing yards per game and 2.4 scores on the ground.
New Mexico State allowed just 46 yards to Western Kentucky last week, but this number is a bit distorted by the -25 yards due to sacks from Rodney Tisdale Jr. The week before, New Mexico University gashed the Aggies for 253 rushing yards while having three rushers eclipse 50 yards on the ground. Before this, Hawaii was limited to 67 total rushing yards, with their leading rusher recording 59 yards and two touchdowns. In their second matchup, New Mexico State cruised to a 51-14 victory over Mercyhurst but still allowed 70 yards on the ground and 59 rushing yards to the top running back. During the season-opener, Florida State gashed the Aggies for 217 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
This is a vulnerable matchup, and one that Carrie is built to exploit. Standing 6-feet tall and listed at 205 pounds, Carries has some real wiggle with the football in his hands and the ability to run through opponents when he needs. He has been limited to 3.5 rushing yards per carry this season, but recorded 4.6 yards per carry last year at FIU and averaged 4.8 rushing yards per carry his freshman year at Georgia Tech. Carrie still has not fully hit his stride on the season, and this is a great chance to build toward that. Expect the Aggies to feed him 10+ carries again this matchup and eclipse 50 yards on the ground for the second straight week.
JJ Kohl to Record 270+ Passing Yards (+104)
Standing in at quarterback for the Florida International Panthers, J.J. Kohl is also in a place to exploit this New Mexico State defense. It has not been an ideal start to the season for the Appalachian State transfer. Kohl has completed 80 of his 140 pass attempts for 1,065 passing yards, five touchdowns, and a Conference USA-worst six interceptions. He has also added 70 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Through his opening four games, he has finished with passing totals of 301, 367, 262, and 135 yards.
Kohl suffered a minor knee sprain in the previous victory over LIU. This is not expected to linger, and he should be available tonight. This injury limited him to just 11 pass attempts for 135 passing yards in the previous game. If anything, there is a chance that he is more prone to remaining in the pocket and leaning on his arm talent in this matchup. This will especially be the case against a vulnerable New Mexico State defense that is allowing 242.8 passing yards per game. They have allowed 202, 167, 353, 177, and 315 passing yards through their first five games.
There were high hopes for Kohl coming into the season after some success at Appalachian State, which included limiting turnovers at a high rate. This has not proven true thus far, but it is too early to give up on him for the season. He threw 50 pass attempts in the opener, 36 and 43 attempts in the two games following this, before being limited to 11 due to the injury in the previous game. Expect FIU to return to giving him free rein to air it out at a high rate, and for this to be a pivotal matchup for Kohl to get back on track.
Looking at just the matchups he has started and finished, Kohl is averaging 310.0 passing yards per game and has tallied 270+ in two of the three games. In the lone game he fell short, he finished at 262 passing yards. This is a matchup where Florida International has a chance to move the ball well, and expect them to take full advantage of it. This is an important contest for FIU to take advantage of a winnable matchup and get fully back on track for the season. Expect them to shine with their top two offensive weapons leading the charge and for Kohl to record 270+ yards through the air in the process, and the 300+ line at +190 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook may also be worth a sprinkle.
