New Mexico at Notre Dame NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 9/14/2019

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Notre Dame Stadium

Brandt Hughes and the New Mexico Lobos are headed to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday where they'll meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame opens this game as 35.5-point favorites. The total opens at 63. The Lobos are 1-0-0 ATS and 1-0-0 when betting on the total. The Fighting Irish are 0-1-0 when wagering on the over/under and 0-1-0 against the spread.

Key New Mexico Lobos Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Notre Dame Fighting Irish Injuries

09/08/19 WR Chase Claypool Shoulder is questionable Saturday vs New Mexico
09/05/19 WR Jafar Armstrong Groin is OUT 4-6 weeks
08/28/19 WR Kevin Austin Suspension is out indefinitely
08/19/19 WR Michael Young Collarbone is out indefinitely
08/12/19 TE Cole Kmet Collarbone is out indefinitely

In the last game they played, the New Mexico Lobos went up against the Sam Houston State Bearkats and went home with the win by a score of 39-31. Ahmari Davis paced the team in rushing for that game. His longest run of the day went for 53 yards and he notched 2 TD's for the contest. He rushed for a total of 107 yards by way of 16 carries which means he ran for an average of 6.7 yards per tote. Anu Somoye led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 62 yards on 3 receptions. He earned an average of 20.7 yards per reception for that game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Lobos was Brandt Hughes who went 12/29 with 218 yards through the air but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. The New Mexico Lobos ran the ball a total of 32 times and racked up a total of 145 yards which had them averaging 4.5 yards per run. For the game, the Lobos racked up 20 1st downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 90 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. For the game, they totaled 72 plays for a total of 485 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, New Mexico allowed 35 catches on 60 tries totaling 443 yards, and a completion percentage of 58.3%. For this contest, they gave up 558 yards and forced 1 turnover. Against the run, the Lobos allowed 115 yards on 35 attempts allowing their opponent an average of 3.3 yards per run allowed.

The Lobos head into this game 1-0 this season. For total yardage, they sit in 11th in the conference and 121st in college football with 485 yards. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country with an average of 39 points per game, which has them at 37th in college football. As a unit, they are averaging 145 rushing yards per game which is 7th in the MWC. The Lobos have one of the most lackluster defenses in D-1, allowing 31 points per contest ranking them 7th in the MWC. When it comes to passing yards, the Lobos have conceded 340 yards. Teams are completing 58.3% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.4 yards per attempt. In discussing yards on the ground, New Mexico is giving up 115 yards per contest putting them 5th in the conference and 47th in D-1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.3 yards per rush putting them 6th in the MWC and 45th in the nation overall. In total, they have allowed 115 yards rushing through 1 contest.

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In their last game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the Louisville Cardinals and left there with a win by a score of 35-17. Tony Jones Jr. led the team on the ground for that game. He tore off a long run of 35 yards and he notched 1 touchdown in the game. He ran for 110 yards via 15 carries which meant he averaged 7.3 yards per tote. Chase Claypool led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 94 yards on 5 catches. He earned an average of 18.8 yards per reception for that game. Running the show from under center for the Fighting Irish was Ian Book who went 14/23 with 193 yards through the air and tossed 1 TD. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ran the ball a total of 42 times and added 230 yards which gave them an average of 5.5 yards per rushing attempt. For the game, the Fighting Irish racked up a total of 18 first downs and they had a total of 4 penalties for 20 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In the game, they ran 65 plays for 423 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame allowed 12 catches on 28 attempts totaling 134 yards, and a completion percentage of 42.9%. In the running game, the Fighting Irish allowed 258 yards on 46 runs giving the other team an average of 5.6 yards per rushing attempt allowed. Overall, they gave up a total of 392 yards and forced 3 takeaways.

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The Fighting Irish come into this game with a record of 1-0. Notre Dame is making teams fear their ground game this season by averaging 230 yards on the ground per contest, putting them 32nd in D-1. As a unit, they have a total of 230 rushing yards through 1 game, so they'll look to continue their dominance on the ground to grind out wins. The Fighting Irish average 423 yards per game overall ranking them 62nd in Division 1 and 1st among Independent teams. The Fighting Irish are giving up 17 points per game ranking them 2nd among Independent teams and 40th in D-1. When talking about points allowed, they have given up 17 points in total. In discussing rushing yards, they are conceding 258 yards per contest which puts them at 129th in D-1 and 5th among Independent teams. In 2019, they have given up 258 yards on the ground and 2 rushing touchdowns. Their pass defense is one of the top groups in Division 1. They are conceding 134 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Fighting Irish are currently ranked 1st among Independent teams.

Who will win tonight's Lobos/Fighting Irish college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Lobos +35.5

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