Wyoming vs Utah State NCAA Football Game Picks 11/16/2019

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium

Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium is the site where Jordan Love and the Utah State Aggies will play the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday. Wyoming opens this contest as 6-point dogs. The Cowboys are 6-3-0 ATS and 3-6-0 when betting on the total. The Aggies are 4-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-4-0 against the spread.

In their last outing, the Wyoming Cowboys faced the Boise State Broncos and lost 20-17. Leading the way at QB for the Cowboys was Tyler Vander Waal who went 15/23 with 160 yards through the air but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Xazavian Valladay paced the team in rushing for that game. He had a long run of 21 yards and he added 1 TD in the game. He scurried for 124 yards via 37 carries which meant he was running for 3.4 yards per carry. Josh Harshman was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 48 yards on 6 receptions. He earned an average of 8.0 yards per reception for that game. The Cowboys ran the ball a total of 44 times and earned 123 yards which had them averaging 2.8 yards per run. Overall, they finished with a total of 67 plays for 283 yards. For the contest, the Cowboys got 15 first downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, Wyoming allowed 20 completions on 31 attempts totaling 194 yards, and a completion percentage of 64.5%. Against the run, the Cowboys allowed 91 yards on 28 attempts which is an average of 3.3 yards per carry allowed. In the game, they allowed 285 yards and earned 2 takeaways.

The Cowboys come into this matchup with a record of 6-3 for this year. For total yards, they sit in 11th in the MWC and 117th in Division 1 with 2,914 yards. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the nation averaging 27.6 points per game, ranking them 77th in Division 1. As a unit, they have an average of 212.8 rushing yards per contest which is 2nd in the MWC. The Cowboys have one of the top tier defenses in D-1, allowing 17.9 points per contest ranking them 2nd in the MWC. When it comes to yards through the air, the Cowboys have allowed 999 yards. Opponents are completing 56.4% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.9 yards per try. In discussing yards rushing, Wyoming is giving up 87.4 yards per contest ranking them 2nd in the Mountain West and 8th in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2.8 yards per carry putting them 2nd in the MWC and 7th in the nation overall. In total, they have conceded 787 yards rushing through 9 contests.

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The last time they took the field, the Utah State Aggies played the Fresno State Bulldogs and won 37-35. Gerold Bright paced the team on the ground during the game. He had a long run of 21 yards and he ran for 1 touchdown during the game. He ran for a total of 79 yards on 14 carries which had him averaging 5.6 yards per tote. Siaosi Mariner was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 103 yards on 11 catches. He averaged 9.4 yards per catch during the game. Leading the way at QB for the Aggies was Jordan Love who went 30/39 with 388 yards passing and threw 2 TD's. He walked away with no picks. The Aggies ended up running the ball 34 times and racked up 137 yards earning them an average of 4.0 yards per rush. For the game, the Aggies racked up 26 first downs and they totaled 8 penalties for 53 yards which shows us that this team didn't have their heads in this game. Overall, they totaled 73 plays for a total of 525 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Utah State allowed 16 completions on 20 attempts for a total of 263 yards, and a completion percentage of 80.0%. For this contest, they allowed 419 yards but weren't able to add any takeaways. In the running game, the Aggies allowed 156 yards on 36 carries which gave them an average of 4.3 yards per run allowed.

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The Aggies head into this game 5-4. In discussing the offensive production, the Aggies have one of the middle tier offenses in the country. Utah State needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 153.2 rushing yards per game, putting them 81st in the country. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,379 yards rushing through 9 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Aggies average 432.7 yards per contest overall which has them at 45th in Division 1 and 3rd in the conference. The Aggies are allowing 27.3 points per game which puts them at 5th in the MWC and 67th in Division 1. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in college football. They are giving up 258.3 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Aggies currently sit at 10th in the conference. In discussing points given up, they have given up 246 points in total. In terms of rushing yards, they are giving up 182.9 yards per contest which puts them at 89th in D-1 and 8th in the MWC. For this season, they have allowed 1,646 yards rushing and 18.9 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Cowboys/Aggies college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Aggies -6

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