San Diego State vs San Jose State NCAA Football Picks

Saturday, October 19, 2019

CEFCU Stadium

Ryan Agnew and the San Diego State Aztecs are headed to CEFCU Stadium on Saturday where they'll meet the San Jose State Spartans. San Diego State opens this matchup as 7-point favorites. The Aztecs are 4-2-0 ATS and 1-5-0 when betting on the total. The Spartans are 2-4-0 when wagering on the over/under and 3-2-1 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the San Diego State Aztecs faced the Wyoming Cowboys and notched a win by a score of 26-22. Running the show from under center for the Aztecs was Ryan Agnew who went 21/32 with 209 yards passing and added 2 touchdowns. He walked away with no picks. Juwan Washington paced the team in rushing for that game. He broke a long run for 18 yards and he added 1 touchdown for the contest. He ran for a total of 84 yards on 23 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.7 yards per tote. Jesse Matthews was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 73 yards on 6 receptions. He notched an average of 12.2 yards per reception for that game. The Aztecs ran the ball a total of 35 times and earned a total of 122 yards giving them an average of 3.5 yards per rush. In the game, they ran 67 plays for 331 yards. In the game, the Aztecs earned 21 1st downs and they had 5 penalties for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, San Diego State conceded 5 completions on 14 attempts for a total of 109 yards, and a completion percentage of 35.7%. For the game, they gave up a total of 266 yards and forced 2 turnovers. Against the run, the Aztecs conceded 157 yards on 39 runs which gave them an average of 4.0 yards per run allowed.

The Aztecs head into this matchup 5-1 for the 2019 season. For total yardage, they currently sit at 11th in the MWC and 116th in the nation with 1,949 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the worst in the country with an average of 21.2 points per game, which has them at 108th in the nation. As a unit, they have an average of 134.2 yards on the ground per contest which is 10th in the conference. The Aztecs have one of the best defenses in the nation, giving up 13.2 points per game which has them at 1st in the Mountain West. In regard to yards on the ground, San Diego State is giving up 64 yards per game ranking them 1st in the Mountain West and 4th in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2.3 yards per rush putting them 1st in the MWC and 4th in college football overall. In total, they have conceded 384 yards rushing through 6 contests. When it comes to yards through the air, the Aztecs have conceded 1,144 yards. Teams are completing 62.2% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.1 yards per try.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

In their last outing, the San Jose State Spartans played the Nevada Wolf Pack and took the loss by a score of 41-38. Leading the way at QB for the Spartans was Josh Love who went 23/45 with 405 yards passing and tossed 3 touchdowns. He tossed 1 pick on the day. Nick Nash paced the team on the ground for the game. He broke a long run for 22 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He racked up a total of 23 yards by way of 3 carries which meant he averaged 7.7 yards per run. Bailey Gaither led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 131 yards on 5 receptions. He earned an average of 26.2 yards per reception for the game. The Spartans ran the ball 15 times and added 34 yards earning them an average of 2.3 yards per attempt. Overall, the Spartans had a total of 16 first downs and they had a total of 5 penalties for 21 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. Overall, they ran 60 plays for 439 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, San Jose State conceded 22 catches on 37 attempts totaling 352 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.5%. In the running game, the Spartans conceded 189 yards on 50 runs which is an average of 3.8 yards per run allowed. On the day, they allowed 541 yards and earned 3 turnovers.

Related: Get college football picks & tips on all of today's games

The Spartans head into this matchup 3-3. San Jose State needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 93.8 yards on the ground per game, which has them at 127th in Division 1. As a unit, they have a total of 563 yards rushing through 6 contests, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Spartans average 419.8 yards per contest overall putting them 61st in the nation and 7th in the MWC. The Spartans are allowing 29.8 points per contest which puts them at 7th in the Mountain West and 91st in D-1. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 179 points in total. In discussing rushing yards, they are allowing 217.7 yards per game which puts them at 117th in college football and 11th in the Mountain West. For this year, they have given up a total of 1,306 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the mediocre units in the country. They are giving up 243.3 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Spartans currently sit at 8th in the Mountain West.

Who will win tonight's Aztecs/Spartans college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Aztecs -7

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald