Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Miami Hurricanes Pick, Odds, Independence Bowl Prediction 12/26/2019

Game: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs Miami Hurricanes

Date: Thursday, December 26, 2019

Independence Bowl

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Miami -10.5

Total/Over-Under: 49

J'Mar Smith and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs travel to Independence Stadium on Thursday, December 26, 2019 where they'll take on the Miami Hurricanes in the Independence Bowl. Louisiana Tech opens this game as 10.5-point underdogs. The Bulldogs are 7-5-0 ATS and 6-6-0 when betting on the total. The Hurricanes are 6-5-1 when wagering on the over/under and 6-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs played the UTSA Roadrunners and won 41-27. Justin Henderson paced the team in rushing for that game. He tore off a long run of 66 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He scurried for 105 yards via 20 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Griffin Hebert was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 92 yards on 3 receptions. He earned an average of 30.7 yards per catch for that game. Leading the way at QB for the Bulldogs was J'Mar Smith who went 25/35 with 331 yards passing and threw 3 TD's. He ended the game with no interceptions. The Bulldogs ran the ball 38 times and earned a total of 168 yards earning them an average of 4.4 yards per carry. On the day, the Bulldogs racked up 24 1st downs and they had 6 penalties for 47 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In all, they ran 73 plays for 499 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Louisiana Tech gave up 26 completions on 44 attempts totaling 280 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.1%. For this contest, they conceded a total of 408 yards and earned 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Bulldogs gave up 128 yards on 31 attempts which means they had an average of 4.1 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

The Bulldogs head into this game 9-3 for 2019. For total yards, they sit in 2nd in C-USA and 36th in college football with 5,342 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 34 points per game, which has them at 27th in college football. As a unit, they are averaging 167.9 yards on the ground per contest which is 4th in C-USA. The Bulldogs have one of the middle tier defenses in the country, giving up 23.7 points per contest putting them 5th in the conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Bulldogs have allowed 3,328 yards. Teams are completing 61.3% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. In regard to yards on the ground, Louisiana Tech is giving up 145.7 yards per game putting them 7th in C-USA and 54th in D-1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.9 yards per rush putting them 7th in Conference USA and 49th in the nation overall. In total, they have allowed 1,748 rushing yards through 12 games.

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In their last contest, the Miami Hurricanes faced the Duke Blue Devils and were beaten 27-17. Robert Burns paced the team on the ground in the game. He had a long run of 5 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for a total of 48 yards on 18 carries which means he ran for an average of 2.7 yards per run. Will Mallory was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 93 yards on 4 catches. He notched an average of 23.3 yards per catch in the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Hurricanes was Jarren Williams who went 11/26 with 142 yards passing and tossed 1 touchdown. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Hurricanes ended up running the ball 41 times and earned a total of 98 yards earning them an average of 2.4 yards per attempt. On the day, the Hurricanes earned a total of 15 1st downs and they totaled 6 penalties for 45 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. Overall, they ran 76 plays which added up to 259 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Miami conceded 10 completions on 25 attempts totaling 156 yards, and a completion percentage of 40.0%. Against the run, the Hurricanes conceded 131 yards on 48 runs which gave them an average of 2.7 yards per rushing attempt allowed. Overall, they conceded 287 yards and earned 1 takeaway.

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The Hurricanes come into this matchup with a record of 6-6. Miami needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 122.5 yards on the ground per game, ranking them 121st in the country. As a unit, they have a total of 1,470 yards rushing through 12 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Hurricanes average 379.7 yards per game overall which has them at 89th in D-1 and 11th in the conference. The Hurricanes are allowing 20.8 points per game ranking them 2nd in the ACC and 25th in D-1. Their passing defense is one of the elite groups in the nation. They are giving up 197.9 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Hurricanes are currently ranked 3rd in the conference. In regard to points given up, they have given up 250 total points. When talking about rushing yards, they are conceding 109.8 yards per contest which puts them at 16th in the country and 3rd in the conference. For this year, they have given up a total of 1,318 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Bulldogs/Hurricanes college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Hurricanes -10.5

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