Liberty vs EMU Odds and Predictions – 2021 LendingTree Bowl

• Liberty faces EMU in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl on Saturday, December 18th
• Flames’ quarterback Malik Willis will suit up in his final college game
• Read below for Liberty vs Eastern Michigan odds and predictions

Quarterback Malik Willis will have another chance to raise his draft stock when the Liberty Flames face the Eastern Michigan Eagles in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl on Saturday, December 18th (5:45 PM EST).

The Flames are being listed as 8.5-point favorites over the Eagles at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Both programs are 7-5 and aiming to end the year on a winning note.

Let’s take a look at the Liberty vs EMU odds and offer you our prediction.

Liberty vs Eastern Michigan Odds

Odds as of December 16th at DraftKings

Willis’ Swan Song at Liberty

Liberty quarterback Malik Willis will suit up in the final college game of his career against Eastern Michigan in the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday. The junior is a projected first-round NFL Draft pick after throwing for over 4,800 yards and rushing for almost 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Malik Willis: 86 missed tackles forced this season

Most by a QB since 2014🔥 pic.twitter.com/2alRWyoyr8

— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 13, 2021

Willis is the primary reason the Eagles are favored by over a TD in the Liberty vs EMU odds. The dual-threat is a game-changing QB who can single handedly takeover a game. Willis has a couple talented receivers at his disposal in Demario Douglas and CJ Daniels, who have both topped 500 yards.

Liberty has a fairly balanced offense, averaging over 400 yards and 32 points per game. Defensively, the Flames are only allowing 21.7 points and 315 yards per contest. Hugh Freeze’s team is 6-6 ATS, but they’ve lost outright as small favorites in their last two outings against Army and ULL.

Eagles Looking to Bounce Back

The Eastern Michigan Eagles are also aiming for a rebound performance in the Lending Tree Bowl against Liberty. Chris Creighton’s team was dominated 31-10 by Central Michigan the last time they took the field in Week 13. The Eagles failed to cover the spread as 7.5-point underdogs.

Clearly that one hurt for the Eagles 😉

Another trophy comes home for the Chippewas.#FireUpChips 🔥⬆️🏈 pic.twitter.com/FlMR4C9MyH

— CMU Football (@CMU_Football) November 26, 2021

The Eagles are led on offense by senior quarterback Ben Bryant, who has thrown for 2,921 yards and 14 TDs with six interceptions. His favorite target is Hassan Beydoun, who has hauled in 86 receptions for 932 yards. EMU relies heavily on its passing attack, averaging 264 yards per game through the air.

The Eagles have a below-average defense, allowing 27.8 points and 430 yards per game. Their rushing defense in particular has really struggled, allowing close to 200 yards per contest on the ground. EMU’s inability to stop the run is a key reason the team is only 5-7 against the spread this season.

Liberty vs EMU Pick & Prediction

Liberty’s Malik Willis is the headliner of the 2021 LendingTree Bowl, but which version of him are we going to get? There’s no denying Willis’ skill-set, but the second-year-starter has a turnover problem. WIllis has thrown six picks in his last three games to give him 12 interceptions on the year.

This appear to be a solid bounce-back opportunity for Willis given EMU’s defensive issues. The Eagles have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks and rank bottom-five in the MAC when it comes to sacks. When Willis is able to carve up defenses with his legs, Liberty tends to win big.

This is a pretty accurate College Football Bowl Game betting line when you consider the talent on the two rosters. The Flames have the superior QB, but it could be a defensive matchup that ends up being the difference.  Liberty’s secondary is only allowing 174 yards through the air and should shutdown this pass-heavy EMU offense.

Looking at Bowl history for Liberty and Eastern Michigan, the Flames are 2-0 in bowl game under Hugh Freeze while EMU is 1-4 all-time in bowl matchups. December tends to be a great month for the Flames, as they’ve covered the spread in each of their last five December contests.

Liberty isn’t going to want to throw the ball much given their turnover issues, so look for Willis and running back Joshua Mack to shine against this leaky EMU rush defense. Back the Flames to cover the spread in the LendingTree Bowl as Willis runs rampant in his final college game.

• Pick: Liberty -8.5 (-110)