North Texas vs Louisiana Tech NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 11/9/2019

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Joe Aillet Stadium

Mason Fine and the North Texas Mean Green are headed to Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday where they'll meet the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech opens this contest as 4.5-point favorites. The Mean Green are 3-6-0 ATS and 7-2-0 when betting on the total. The Bulldogs are 5-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-3-0 against the spread.

In their last outing, the North Texas Mean Green went up against the UTEP Miners and notched a win by a score of 52-26. Tre Siggers paced the team on the ground for the game. He tore off a long run of 10 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for 82 yards by way of 22 carries which had him averaging 3.7 yards per run. Michael Lawrence was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 87 yards on 6 receptions. He had an average of 14.5 yards per reception for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Mean Green was Mason Fine who went 24/39 with 332 yards through the air and tossed 7 touchdowns. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. The Mean Green ran the ball a total of 34 times and added 149 yards earning them an average of 4.4 yards per carry. For the contest, the Mean Green got 25 first downs and they had a total of 1 penalty for 5 yards which tells us that they had a disciplined week in practice. In all, they finished with a total of 73 plays for 481 yards. When discussing the defense, North Texas allowed 17 completions on 29 tries for a total of 119 yards, and a completion percentage of 58.6%. In the running game, the Mean Green allowed 156 yards on 35 carries which gave them an average of 4.5 yards per attempt allowed. In the game, they gave up a total of 275 yards and earned 1 takeaway.

The Mean Green head into this matchup 4-5 for this season. For total yardage, they are currently ranked 1st in the conference and 15th in D-1 with 4,162 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation averaging 35 points per game, which has them at 28th in D-1. As a unit, they have an average of 161.8 yards on the ground per contest which is 7th in C-USA. The Mean Green have one of the worst defenses in the nation, allowing 32.4 points per contest putting them 11th in the conference. When talking about yards on the ground, North Texas is giving up 187.2 yards per game ranking them 10th in the conference and 96th in the nation. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 5 yards per rush putting them 10th in C-USA and 107th in Division 1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 1,685 yards rushing through 9 games. When it comes to yards through the air, the Mean Green have allowed 2,706 yards. Teams are completing 62.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 7.1 yards per try.

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In their last outing, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs went up against the UTEP Miners and ended up getting the victory by a score of 42-21. Justin Henderson paced the team on the ground for the game. He had a long run of 12 yards and he tallied 2 TD's for the game. He rushed for 65 yards via 17 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.8 yards per carry. Cee Jay Powell led the team in receiving yardage by earning 85 yards on 6 catches. He notched an average of 14.2 yards per catch for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Bulldogs was J'Mar Smith who went 29/35 with 338 yards passing and completed 3 touchdowns. He ended the game with no interceptions. The Bulldogs ran the ball a total of 34 times and added 152 yards giving them an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt. Overall, they ran 70 plays for 490 yards. On the day, the Bulldogs racked up 29 1st downs and they had a total of 6 penalties for 72 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. On the defensive side of the ball, Louisiana Tech gave up 17 catches on 30 throws for a total of 227 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.7%. Overall, they gave up a total of 355 yards and forced 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Bulldogs gave up 128 yards on 32 carries which is an average of 4.0 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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The Bulldogs come into this game with a record of 7-1. In discussing the offensive production, the Bulldogs have one of the most prolific offenses in D-1. Louisiana Tech is making teams consider moving more up into the box by averaging 177.4 rushing yards per game, ranking them 53rd in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,419 rushing yards through 8 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Bulldogs average 471.3 yards per game overall which has them at 21st in Division 1 and 1st in the conference. The Bulldogs are conceding 23.6 points per game which puts them at 3rd in C-USA and 44th in Division 1. In regard to points given up, they have given up 189 points in total. In discussing rushing yards, they are allowing 148.5 yards per game which puts them at 56th in D-1 and 7th in the conference. For this year, they have given up 1,188 yards rushing and 12.8 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the middling units in college football. They are giving up 253.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Bulldogs currently sit at 11th in C-USA.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Mean Green +4.5

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