Fresno State Bulldogs vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Fresno State Bulldogs vs Purdue Boilermakers

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Boilermakers (-6)

Total/Over-Under: 48.5

Ross-Ade Stadium is the site where the Purdue Boilermakers (8-6 last year) will take on the Fresno State Bulldogs (10-4 last season) on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Purdue opens this matchup as 6-point favorites. The over/under is set at 48.5.

The Fresno State Bulldogs finished the season having a 10-4 record. In their last game, the Bulldogs went up against the Washington State Cougars and earned the victory with a final of 29-6. Jake Haener went 24/36 with 280 yds through the air and 2 TDs. He had a QB rate of 150.3 and finished the game with no picks. Jordan Mims led the offense in rushing for the Bulldogs with 18 attempts for 209 yards (11.6 yards per attempt). The Fresno State Bulldogs ended up running the ball 32 different times and had 221 yards, which came out to an average of 6.9 yds per carry. Once the final whistle blew, they had 68 plays which totaled 501 yds. Fresno State conceded 22 completions on 32 tries for 138 yds, and a completion rate of 68.8%. On the ground, the Bulldogs gave up 45 yards on 28 tries, which averages out to 1.6 yds per rush allowed.

The Bulldogs earned 5,639 total yards for last season. Fresno State compiled 22 passing touchdowns and 28 touchdowns via the ground. They gave the ball to the opposition 14 times. Fresno State totaled 309 1st downs offensively, and they were called for 63 penalties for 561 yds. As a team they had an average of 132.2 yards rushing, which ranked them 92nd in the nation. Regarding putting points on the board, the Fresno State Bulldogs averaged 30.6 points per contest.

When talking about yards through the air, the Bulldogs gave up 2,652 yards which ranked them 40th in college football. In their 14 games played last year, they relinquished 189.4 yards per game through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 53.5%. They surrendered 338.9 yards/game ranking them 31st in D-1. They gave up 14 touchdowns through the air and 17 rushing touchdowns. They allowed an average of 4.3 yards per rush and 149.6 yards on the ground per contest last year. Over the course of last year, they conceded 2,094 yards via the running game in 14 games. The Bulldogs ranked 14th in college football regarding their opponents scoring, allowing 19.4 PPG.

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The Boilermakers ended the season holding a 8-6 record. When they last played, the Boilermakers took a loss by a score of 63-7 against the LSU Tigers. Austin Burton finished the game with 74 yds on 12/24 passing while his QB rating was 67.6. He threw 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 3.1. Devin Mockobee carried the football 13 times for 48 yards, walking away from the game with 3.7 yards per attempt for Purdue. The Boilermakers ended up finishing with 263 yds and they ran 78 plays (3.4 yards per play). Purdue rushed the football for 2.6 yards per tote, totaling 94 yards on 36 attempts. Purdue allowed 31 running attempts for 220 yds (7.1 yards per rush). The Boilermakers pass defense allowed a completion rate of 71.1%, surrendering 369 yds on 27 for 38 through the air.

Regarding putting points on the board, the Boilermakers sat 75th in the country by scoring 26.6 points per outing. Last season, the Boilermakers compiled 3,903 yards through the air as well as an average of 278.8 passing yards per game, which ranked 22nd in the country. The Purdue Boilermakers averaged 399.8 yards per game, which had them ranked 56th in college football. The Purdue offense had 750 penalty yards on 76 violations, which had them ranked 64th in D-1 in terms of making mistakes.

The Boilermakers surrendered 27.4 PPG, ranking them 74th in the nation. Purdue surrendered a total of 1,988 yards rushing (142.0 yards per contest) in addition to 20 touchdowns via the rush last year. Last season, they allowed 384 points in total. They allowed 28 touchdowns through the air in addition to 224.9 yards per game, ranking them 67th in college football. The Boilermakers defense took part in 890 plays, which was 77th in Division 1.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Boilermakers -6

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