In a battle featuring two schools that prefer to run the football, Head Coach Tony Sanchez and the UNLV Rebels (-24.5) are gearing up to take the field against the No. 20 Fresno State Bulldogs at Sam Boyd Stadium. This MWC matchup gets underway at 10:30 p.m. ET and CBS Sports Network is scheduled to televise the action. When these two teams faced one another a year ago, UNLV got the victory 26-16.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. UNLV Rebels Betting Preview
Fresno State is the heavy road favorite and is currently giving up 24.5 points to UNLV. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 63 points. Should one squad can find paydirt in the early stages, it’ll likely produce a reasonable live betting opportunity.
The surprising Bulldogs are 7-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.9 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-5. The disappointing Rebels have lost 6.8 units this season. The team is 4-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 6-1.
The Bulldogs are 7-1 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against MWC opponents. The Rebels are 2-6 SU overall and 0-4 SU in conference play.
UNLV enters this contest on a zero-game winning streak while Fresno State has lost zero straight. The Bulldogs are coming off a resounding 50-20 victory over Hawaii last week. the Bulldogs completed 26-of-38 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Marcus McMaryion went 21-for-31 for 284 yards and four touchdowns while Jorge Reyna completed five-of-seven for 64 yards. Ronnie Rivers (125 yards on 11 rushes, one TD) led the ground attack while KeeSean Johnson (eight receptions, 102 yards) and Jared Rice (six catches, 70 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
One week ago, San Jose State knocked off this UNLV crew by a score of 50-37. The Rebels defense allowed the Spartans to pass for 349 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 157 yards. Tre Walker put up a solid showing in the win for San Jose State, recording 104 yards on five catches. For UNLV, Max Gilliam completed 28-of-50 passes for 387 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Lexington Thomas (61 rushing yards on 19 attempts) and the signal-caller Gilliam (56 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the running game as Tyleek Collins (nine receptions, 170 yards, four TDs) and Brandon Presley (six catches, 95 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Fresno State has run the ball on 53.3 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 51.1 percent across possessions in conference play. UNLV has an overall rush percentage of 59.6 percent, and has kept it on the ground 47.7 percent of the time against MWC opponents. The Bulldogs have produced 145 rush yards per game (including 125 per game against Mountain West opponents) and have 19 scores on the ground this year. The Rebels are averaging 231 rush yards per game (126 in conference) and have 17 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then it seems like the Bulldogs could hold an edge when it comes to applying pressure, since their offensive line has allowed only 10 sacks while the D-line logged 34 sacks. The Rebels O-line has given up 24 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 11 times.
The Bulldogs offense has logged 282 yards/game through the air overall (289 per game against conference opposition) and has 19 passing scores so far. The Rebels have put up 174 pass yards per contest (255.3 in the MWC) and have 18 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Fresno State seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 120 yards and pass for 187 yards per game. The UNLV D has allowed 254.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 213.3 yards per game on the ground. The Bulldogs are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.48 to opposing QBs, while the Rebels have allowed a staggering 9.34 ANY/A.
Offensively, McMaryion is up to 1,862 passing yards on the year, and has completed 71 percent of his 213 attempts with 15 scores through the air and only two interceptions. He has a sparkling 9.42 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 11.29 over the last two games.
Max Gilliam has completed 62-of-122 passes for 760 yards, nine TDs and five INTs for UNLV. His ANY/A stands at a less-than-spectacular 4.59 for the season and 6.43 across his past two games.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Fresno State Bulldogs vs. UNLV Rebels
SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – UNLV, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Fresno State’s last game was set at 59.5. The over cashed in the team’s 50-20 victory over Hawaii.
Fresno State has averaged 4.3 yards per rush attempt over its last three games and 4.8 over its last two.
UNLV has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.4 over its past two.
UNLV has lost five fumbles this season while Fresno State has lost three.
Over its last three matches, Fresno State is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for UNLV’s last game was set at 56.5. The over cashed in the team’s 50-37 defeat to San Jose State.
In its last three matchups, UNLV is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The Bulldogs offense has created seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Rebels have put up five such plays.
The Fresno State defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while UNLV has given up seven such plays.
The Fresno State offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while UNLV has created 20 such runs.
The Bulldogs defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Rebels have given up 24 such runs.
The Fresno State D has sacked opposing QBs 15 times this year. UNLV has registered 14 sacks.
*****
