In a battle featuring two schools that like running the football, Coach Skip Holtz and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (+21) will be taking on the No. 21 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. SEC Network is scheduled to televise the action and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. When the two schools faced each other last year, Mississippi State knocked off Louisiana Tech handily 57-21.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Betting Preview
Louisiana Tech is the noticeable underdog here and is currently receiving three touchdowns by oddsmakers. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 42.5 points, and should one team catches a lucky break early, it would likely generate a decent in-game betting opportunity.
The over has gotten the bulk of the early sharp action, as this game’s total originally opened at 41.5.
Louisiana Tech has gained 2.0 units so far and is 5-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U mark of 4-4. Mississippi State has gone 5-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-6. The team is down 4.7 units this season.
Louisiana Tech has gone 6-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bulldogs are 5-3 SU.
Louisiana Tech is coming off a 21-13 victory over Florida Atlantic last weekTheir defense allowed the Owls to rush for 227 yards on 38 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Devin Singletary torched the defense in that one with 171 rushing yards and a score on 19 attempts. On the offense, J’mar Smith completed just 17-of-35 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown. Jaqwis Dancy (116 yards on 24 rush attempts, one TD) mounted the ground attack. Teddy Veal (nine receptions, 81 yards, one TD) and Adrian Hardy (four catches, 65 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Mississippi State is coming off of a 28-13 win over Texas A&M. The team’s defense held its ground in the victory, holding the Aggies to only 232 passing yards and 61 rushing yards. Trayveon Williams was a bright spot in the loss, recording 45 yards and a score on four catches for Texas A&M. For Mississippi State, Nick Fitzgerald completed 14-of-22 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzgerald (88 yards on 16 rush attempts, two TDs) handled the running game as Osirus Mitchell (six receptions, 96 yards, one TD) and Stephen Guidry (three catches, 130 yards, one TD) led the Mississippi State pass-catchers in the win.
Louisiana Tech has run the ball on 50.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Mississippi State has a rush percentage of 59.9 percent. The Bulldogs has rushed for 142 yards per game and has 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. Mississippi State is putting up 224 rushing yards per game and has 17 total rush TDs.
If 2018 results can translate to this game, then Mississippi State could hold an advantage in all aspects of the ground game, since its running backs has produced 5.8 yards per carry while its defense has allowed 3.2 yards per rush attempt to opponents. Louisiana Tech has ran for 4.0 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.0 to opponents.
The Louisiana Tech offense has averaged 248 yards in the air overall and has 13 passing TDs so far. Mississippi State has produced 180 pass yards per game and has 11 total pass scores.
Defensively, Louisiana Tech has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 156 yards and pass for 192 yards per game. The Mississippi State D has given up 175.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 107.9 yards per game to opposing runners. Mississippi State is giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.70 to opponents, while Louisiana Tech has allowed a 4.82 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Smith is up to 1,784 yards this year. He’s completed 57 percent of his 250 attempts with 11 passing scores and six interceptions. Smith’s got a 6.06 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.20 over the last two outings.
Nick Fitzgerald has completed 75-of-145 passes for 950 yards, six TDs and three INTs for Mississippi State. His ANY/A sits at 5.23 for the year and 2.52 across his last two outings.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Louisiana Tech’s last game was set at 58.5. The under cashed in the team’s 21-13 victory over Florida Atlantic.
Louisiana Tech has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.0 over its last two.
Mississippi State has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.1 over its last two.
Mississippi State has lost zero fumbles this season while Louisiana Tech has lost five.
Over its last three matchups, Louisiana Tech is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Mississippi State’s previous matchup going into it was 42.5. The under cashed in the 28-13 win over Texas A&M.
Over its last three games, Mississippi State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
The Louisiana Tech offense has registered six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Mississippi State has accounted for four such plays.
The Louisiana Tech defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Mississippi State has given up two such plays.
The Louisiana Tech offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Mississippi State has created 14 such runs.
The Louisiana Tech defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Mississippi State has given up six such runs.
The Louisiana Tech defense has 23 sacks on the year while Mississippi State has 22.
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