Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, 12/31/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020

Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Tulsa (-1.5)

Total/Over-Under: 49.5

Amon G. Carter Stadium is the venue where Will Rogers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-7) will play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-2) on Thursday, December 31 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Tulsa opens this matchup as 1.5-point favorites. The total is set at 49.5.

In their last game, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane took the field against the Cincinnati Bearcats and added a loss to their record by a score of 27-24. Corey Taylor II paced the team on the ground in this outing. His longest run of the day went for 13 yards and he notched 1 touchdown in this game. He scurried for 102 yards by way of 22 carries which had him averaging 4.6 yards per run. Sam Crawford Jr. led the team in receiving yardage by earning 79 yards on 3 catches. He averaged 26.3 yards per catch in this outing. Zach Smith went 13/30 with 166 yards by way of passing and added 1 TD. He tossed 2 interceptions for the contest.

Concerning putting points on the board, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have an average of 27.3 points per game. As a unit they're averaging 164.4 yards on the ground ranking them 64th in the country. The Golden Hurricane have earned 3,244 yards in total for the year. When it comes to getting the ball in the endzone, Tulsa has compiled 14 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns. When talking about yards through the air, the Golden Hurricane are giving up 1,553 yds which ranks them 53rd in the nation. In total, they have surrendered 339.9 yards/game putting them 37th in Division 1. The Golden Hurricane sit in 35th in the country regarding team defense, giving up 20.8 PPG. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.6 yards per attempt on the ground and 145.8 rushing yards per contest so far this season. In their 8 games played, they have allowed 194.1 yards per outing through the air in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 60.4%. During the season, they have given up 1,166 yards via the ground game in 8 contests.

For his college career, Smith has passed for a total of 7,877 yds with 52 touchdowns and 32 picks. Since he has been in college, he has attempted running the football 156 times totaling -264 yds. His QB rating is 130.1 with a touchdown rate of 5.0% and an interception rate of 3.1%. He is throwing for 202.0 yards per game. Zach Smith has connected on 588 of his career 1,043 throws for a completion percentage of 56.4%.

In their last outing, the Mississippi State Bulldogs took the field against the Missouri Tigers and ended up getting the win by a score of 51-32. Will Rogers went 21/36 with 295 yards via the pass and added 3 touchdowns. He walked away with 1 pick for the contest. Jo'Quavious Marks paced the team on the ground for the game. He had a long run of 16 yards and he added 1 touchdown for this game. He rushed for a total of 70 yards via 12 carries which meant he was running for 5.8 yards per run. Jaden Walley was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 129 yards on 5 catches. He had an average of 25.8 yards per reception for the game.

In relation to their ability to score points, the Bulldogs are 109th in Division 1 holding an average of 20.7 PPG. Over the course of the season thus far, the Bulldogs have earned 3,111 yards via the pass as well as an average of 311.1 passing yards per outing, which has them ranked 16th in Division 1. They have an average of 36.0 rushing yards per game and have rushed for 360 yards overall. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are averaging 347.1 yards per game which is good for 103rd in Division 1. Mississippi State has given up a total of 1,253 rushing yards (125.3 yards/game) and 9 touchdowns via the rush so far this year. The Bulldogs are conceding 28.3 points per game, which has them sitting 70th in Division 1. This season, they have relinquished 283 points in total. They have conceded 22 touchdowns through the air as well as 255.0 yards per contest, which has them ranked 106th in college football.

During the 8 games in his college career, Will Rogers has completed 220 of 316 attempts for a total of 1,828 yards. He is averaging 228.5 yds per contest through the air with a 124.2 quarterback rating. Rogers has thrown for 10 TD's while tossing 7 picks in his career. He has left the pocket and rushed for -32 yards on 25 attempts. His TD percentage on pass attempts is 3.2% and his interception rate is 2.2%.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Golden Hurricane -1.5

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