The Fresno State Bulldogs head to compete against the Bringham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium this week. Winners of four of its last five, BYU (7-3) will look to continue its recent success this week. The game starts at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 21 and will be available on ESP3.
In last week’s matchup, BYU fell to Missouri 20-16. Tanner Mangum had a solid outing throwing the ball in the loss, completing 23 of 41 pass attempts for 244 yards and one TD. Fresno State is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it easily got past Hawaii 42-14. Zack Greenlee had a big game through the air for the Bulldogs, connecting on 20 of 35 passes for 285 yards and six TDs. Chad Olsen had a great game as well, adding 76 receiving yards and a TD on four catches.
A close score is not projected this week when the Bulldogs, a considerable 24-point underdog, take on BYU.
Sitting at 7-3 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4 Against The Spread (ATS), the Cougars will look to improve heading into Week 12. In their five most recent matchups, the Cougars went 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. BYU has seen an increase in scoring in recent weeks compared to its 30.7 points per game average. Over the past five games, they’ve averaged 37 points per game. They passed the ball well over those five games, averaging 308.2 passing yards per contest. Turning to the Cougars defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Bulldogs are not likely to run the ball very often at BYU. They are one of the least-effective running teams in the nation, averaging 134.1 rushing yards per game. A crucial part of the game will be whether the Bulldogs can protect their quarterback from BYU’s hungry defense. It averages the ninth-most sacks in the nation with three per game. BYU usually finishes games strong, averaging 10 points in the fourth quarter.
In the other locker room, the Bulldogs have a record of 3-7 for both ATS and SU. Over their last five games, the Bulldogs have a SU and ATS record of 2-3 for those betting with them. Over the last five games, the Bulldogs turned it up on defense, only allowing an average of 194.2 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs have been embarrassing their opponents’ offensive lines this year. Fresno State’s defense ranks 19th in the country with an average of 2.7 sacks per game. Fresno State fans don’t normally have much to complain about when it comes to the refs. The Bulldogs record very few penalties, ranking 18th with only five per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bringham Young, ATS Winner – Bringham Young
Notes
BYU is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of BYU’s last 8 games.
BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of BYU’s last 10 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Fresno State’s last 5 games on the road.
Fresno State is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. BYU is 3-2 SU when leading after three quarters.
Fresno State is only 1-3 SU this season when allowing at least three sacks in a game. The BYU defense is currently averaging 3.0 sacks over the last five games.
The BYU run defense is ranked 42nd in the nation this year, and will look to contain the 109th-ranked rushing attack of Fresno State.
