The Massachusetts Minutemen have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they must head out on the road. Their week off comes to an end as they meet up with the Florida State Seminoles at noon ET at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous games.
The Minutemen were able to grind out a solid victory over the Connecticut Huskies two weeks ago, winning 27-13. UMass' RB Ellis Merriweather looked sharp as he rushed for two TDs and 171 yards on 39 carries.
Meanwhile, FSU bagged a 35-25 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels two weeks ago. QB Jordan Travis went supernova for the Seminoles as he passed for three TDs and 145 yards on 13 attempts in addition to rushing for two TDs and 121 yards. Travis put himself on the highlight reel with a 53-yard TD scramble in the second quarter. Travis' sharp performance set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
UMass have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 35.50 point spread they are up against. Those who got lucky with them against the spread two weeks ago might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the team has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
UMass is now 1-5 while FSU sits at 2-4. A couple defensive stats to keep an eye on: The Minutemen are stumbling into the contest with the 247th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 21 on the season. The Seminoles have experienced some struggles of their own as they are 216th worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with 13 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.