The nation’s fifth-leading passer, Jeff Driskel (945 yards, 7 TDs), and fifth-leading rusher, Kenneth Dixon (355 yards, 3 TDs), will be on display when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs play the Florida International Golden Panthers. The Bulldogs are 1-2, while the Golden Panthers have a 2-1 record this season. The game will begin Saturday, Sep 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on FCS.
Louisiana Tech was defeated by Kansas State 39-33 last week. Trent Taylor had a big game in the loss, totaling 12 receptions for 149 yards and one TD. Jeff Driskel also had a big game with 314 yards and a TD through the air. FIU is hoping for a similar result to last week’s performance when they routed North Carolina Central 39-14 in its matchup. Alex McGough had an outstanding performance passing the ball for the Golden Panthers, completing 22 of 36 passes for 242 yards, three TDs and one interception. He added 77 yards on eight attempts.
Louisiana Tech is a 14-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 57 points.
Heading into Week 4 of the college football season, the Bulldogs are 1-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They come into the game with the 16th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 44.3 points per game. Louisiana Tech have America’s 11th-ranked passing attack, averaging 350.3 yards per game. Louisiana Tech’s scoring defense, which allows 31.7 points per game, will have a chance to build upon its numbers against the Golden Panthers. One of the keys to the game will be if the Golden Panthers can protect the ball against Louisiana Tech’s aggressive defense. They’re 22nd in the nation in fumbles recovered with one per game. FIU might put Louisiana Tech away early because the Bulldogs are one of the top teams in scoring offense during the fourth quarter. So far this year, they’ve averaged 12.3 fourth-quarter points. On special teams, Louisiana Tech has some playmakers. They average 142 return yards per game, 12th in Division I.
On the other side, the Golden Panthers have a record of 2-1 both ATS and SU. The Bulldogs have not found a lot of success stopping their opponents’ passing game. The Golden Panthers will look to exploit a pass defense that ranks 108th in Division I with 274.3 passing yards allowed per game. Switching gears to the FIU defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The FIU defense has allowed just 96.3 yards per game this season, 20th in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Louisiana Tech, ATS Winner – Florida International, O/U – Under
Notes
Louisiana Tech is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana Tech’s last 6 games.
Louisiana Tech is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Both teams are 1-1 SU when leading after two quarters this season.
Dating back to last year, Louisiana Tech is 5-3 SU against CUSA opponents, while FIU is just 1-3 SU against conference foes.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, Louisiana Tech appears to have the overall advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing attack (ranked second in the CUSA) will face the fifth-ranked pass defense of FIU, while its second-ranked pass defense will look to limit the fifth-ranked passing game of the Golden Panthers.
When analyzing just conference ratings, Louisiana Tech has the advantage in the run game. Its fourth-ranked rushing attack will face the eighth-ranked rush defense of FIU, while its fourth-ranked run defense will look to contain the eighth-ranked run game of the Golden Panthers.
