The Toledo Rockets (+8) are flying west to battle the Fresno State Bulldogs at Bulldog Stadium. ESPNU is scheduled to broadcast the action and the matchup kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Toledo Rockets at Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, Fresno State has been projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 8 points. The Rockets are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Bulldogs are -330. Should one side can get out in front early on, it will probably generate a nice in-game betting opportunity.
Early action has slanted in favor of the Rockets, as the opening line was -10.
The Rockets are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 2-0. The Bulldogs are down 0.1 units this season. The team is 2-1 ATS and owns an O/U record of 0-2.
The Rockets are 2-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bulldogs are also 2-1 SU.
The Rockets are trying to keep things going following a solid 63-44 win over Nevada last week. Their D allowed the Wolf Pack to pass for 320 yards while rushing for 262 yards and five scores. Toa Taua was on a different level for the Wolf Pack in that one with 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 15 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Mitchell Guadagni completed 15 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Guadagni (131 yards on 15 rush attempts, two TDs) also mounted the running attack and was complemented by Shakif Seymour (57 yards on 12 carries). Art Thompkins (five receptions, 51 yards) and Cody Thompson (four catches, 57 yards, three TDs) handled the receiving duties in the win.
The Fresno State Bulldogs take the field on Saturday following a lopsided 38-14 win over UCLA. The defense allowed the Bruins to rush for 119 yards on 31 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Theo Howard was a bright spot in the defeat for UCLA, posting 80 yards on four catches. For Fresno State, Marcus McMaryion completed 22-of-33 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown. Jordan Mims (85 yards on 21 rush attempts) and Josh Hokit (21 yards on 12 carries) mounted the running game as KeeSean Johnson (eight receptions, 85 yards) and Jamire Jordan (three catches, 53 yards) led the receiving corps in the win.
Toledo has run the ball on 61.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Fresno State has an overall rush percentage of 55.6 percent. The Rockets have run for 185 yards/game and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Bulldogs are putting up 159 rushing yards per game and have 11 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Bulldogs ought to hold an edge along both the offensive and defensive fronts. Their offensive line has yielded only two sacks while their D-line has registered three sacks. The Rockets offensive line has given up nine sacks and their defense has created only five sacks.
The Rockets offense has averaged 281 yards in the air overall and has 10 passing scores so far. The Bulldogs have recorded 243 pass yards per game and have four total pass TDs.
Defensively, Toledo has allowed 194 rush yards and 233 pass yards per game. The Fresno State D has allowed 177.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 117.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bulldogs are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 2.83 to opposing QBs, while the Rockets have allowed a 4.69 ANY/A.
Offensively, Guadagni is up to 476 passing yards on the year, and has completed 26-of-40 attempts with seven scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. He’s got a sparkling 13.98 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.00 over the past two games.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Toledo in this one. As a group, Diontae Johnson, Mitchell Guadagni and Art Thompkins have combined for 491 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
In the other huddle, Marcus McMaryion has completed 41-of-59 passes for 477 yards, one TD and zero INTs. McMaryion’s ANY/A stands at 7.90 for the year and 7.29 across his last two games.
Similar to the Rockets, expect a balanced attack offensively from Fresno State this Saturday. Jordan Mims (121 rushing yards, three rush TDs, 58 receiving yards this season), KeeSean Johnson (203 receiving yards) and Jared Rice (101 receiving yards) have combined for 457 total yards and two touchdowns the last two games.
NCAA Prediction: Toledo Rockets vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
SU Winner – Fresno State, ATS Winner – Fresno State
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Toledo D has sacked opposing QBs five times this year. Fresno State has produced three sacks.
The Fresno State offense has lost two fumbles this season while Toledo has lost one.
The Rockets offense has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Bulldogs have put up three such plays.
Both defenses have allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Toledo defense has given up nine pass plays of 30+ yards while Fresno State has yielded two such plays.
Both defenses have produced three rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Toledo offense has recorded 25 running plays of 10+ yards while Fresno State has accounted for 11 such plays.
The Rockets defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Bulldogs have given up zero such runs.
Fresno State was getting 3 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 52.5. The under cashed and Fresno State covered in the team’s 38-14 victory over UCLA.
Toledo was favored by 12 points in its previous game and the O/U was set at 67.5. The over cashed and Toledo covered in the 63-44 victory over Nevada.
As a team, Toledo has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last two outings.
Fresno State has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its last two.
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