Louisiana Tech at Rice NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 9/28/2019

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Rice Stadium

Rice Stadium is the site where Wiley Green and the Rice Owls will play the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday. Rice opens this matchup as 13-point underdogs. The Bulldogs are 2-2-0 ATS and 2-2-0 when betting on the total. The Owls are 2-2-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-1-1 against the spread.

Key Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Injuries

09/22/19 RB Israel Tucker Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Rice

Key Rice Owls Injuries

No key injuries to report

The last time they took the field, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs played the FIU Golden Panthers and won 43-31. Justin Henderson led the team in rushing for that game. His longest run of the day went for 29 yards and he notched 3 touchdowns for the contest. He rushed for 141 yards on 15 carries which meant he averaged 9.4 yards per carry. Griffin Hebert led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 78 yards on 5 catches. He earned an average of 15.6 yards per catch for that game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Bulldogs was J'Mar Smith who went 27/41 with 290 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He tossed 1 interception on the day. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs ran the ball 43 times and earned a total of 275 yards which had them averaging 6.4 yards per rush. Overall, they ran 84 plays for a total of 565 yards. For the game, the Bulldogs had a total of 31 1st downs and they had 5 penalties for 38 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. In terms of defense, Louisiana Tech allowed 29 catches on 41 tries for a total of 394 yards, and a completion percentage of 70.7%. In the game, they gave up 526 yards and earned 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Bulldogs allowed 132 yards on 26 attempts giving the other team an average of 5.1 yards per run allowed.

The Bulldogs head into this game 3-1 for this year. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the nation averaging 28 points per contest, which has them at 81st in the country. As a unit, they are averaging 161.8 rushing yards per game which is 6th in Conference USA. For total yards, they currently sit at 1st in the conference and 22nd in the country with 1,821 yards. The Bulldogs have one of the average defenses in college football, giving up 24.3 points per game putting them 3rd in C-USA. In discussing yards rushing, Louisiana Tech is allowing 155 yards per contest which has them at 7th in C-USA and 81st in Division 1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4 yards per rush ranking them 5th in Conference USA and 68th in D-1 overall. In total, they have conceded 620 yards rushing through 4 games. When it comes to passing yards, the Bulldogs have allowed 1,174 yards. Teams are completing 64.2% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 6.8 yards per attempt.

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The last time they played, the Rice Owls faced the Baylor Bears and ended up taking the loss by a score of 21-13. Running the show from under center for the Owls was Wiley Green who went 13/23 with 128 yards passing but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. Charlie Booker paced the team in rushing during the game. His longest run of the day went for 6 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for 29 yards by way of 12 carries which means he ran for an average of 2.4 yards per carry. Brad Rozner was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 100 yards on 7 catches. He earned an average of 14.3 yards per catch during the game. The Rice Owls ran the ball 35 times and generated 64 yards which gave them an average of 1.8 yards per rush. In the game, the Owls racked up 17 first downs and they had a total of 1 infraction for 5 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. Overall, they totaled 66 plays which added up to 242 yards. In terms of defense, Rice allowed 20 catches on 28 throws totaling 303 yards, and a completion percentage of 71.4%. For the game, they conceded a total of 427 yards and earned 2 turnovers. Against the run, the Owls allowed 124 yards on 35 attempts giving the other team an average of 3.5 yards per carry allowed.

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The Owls come into this matchup with a record of 0-4. In discussing the offensive production, the Owls leave a lot to be desired in terms of scoring in the nation. Rice hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 99.8 yards on the ground per game, putting them 117th in Division 1. As a team, they have a total of 399 yards rushing through 4 games, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Owls average 268 yards per game overall which has them at 125th in the country and 14th in C-USA. The Owls are conceding 31 points per game which puts them at 8th in the conference and 98th in Division 1. When it comes to points allowed, they have allowed 124 points in total. When talking about rushing yards, they are allowing 181.8 yards per contest ranking them 103rd in the nation and 10th in the conference. For this year, they have allowed 727 yards rushing and 7.2 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in the nation. They are allowing 251.5 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Owls sit in 10th in Conference USA.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Bulldogs -13

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