Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Mustangs (-15)

Total/Over-Under: 65.5

Gerald J. Ford Stadium is the location where the SMU Mustangs (7-6 last year) will go up against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-9 last season) on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Louisiana Tech is 15-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The total is 65.5.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs finished the season holding a 3-9 mark. In their last game, the Bulldogs played against the UAB Blazers and took a loss by a final of 37-27. Jack Turner connected on 15/25 with 167 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 121.3 and finished the game with 1 pick. Charvis Thornton was the best rusher for the Bulldogs with 8 attempts for 132 yards (16.5 yds per carry). The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs ran the rock 33 different times and had 220 yards, which earned them an average of 6.7 yds per carry. For the game, they had 76 plays for 467 yards. Louisiana Tech surrendered 7 pass completions on 14 tries for a total of 91 yds, and a completion rate of 50.0%. Against the run, the Bulldogs gave up 406 yards on 43 attempts, which is an average of 9.4 yds per rush allowed.

The Bulldogs attained 4,704 total yards last season. Louisiana Tech totaled 25 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns. They turned the ball over 25 different times. Louisiana Tech accounted for 234 1st downs as an offense, and they committed 82 penalties for 772 yards. As a team they held an average of 124.8 yards on the ground, which had them sitting 99th in the country. Regarding getting in the endzone, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs had an average of 29.0 points per outing.

The Bulldogs were sitting in 128th in the nation regarding the opposition scoring, giving up 37.9 points per contest. The opposition ran for an average of 6.1 yards per run and 243.2 rushing yards per game over the course of last year. Overall, they gave up 2,918 rushing yards through 12 contests. When talking about yards through the air, the Bulldogs conceded 2,707 yards which had them ranked 47th in Division 1. Over the course of their 12 games played last season, they relinquished 225.6 yards per game via the pass and surrendering a completion percentage of 56.8%. They allowed 468.8 yards/outing which put them 126th in D-1. They allowed 20 touchdowns via the pass and 34 touchdowns via the ground game.

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The Mustangs wrapped up their season having a 7-6 mark. In their last game, the Mustangs took a loss by a score of 24-23 when they faced the BYU Cougars. Tanner Mordecai (2 touchdowns) ended the contest with 218 yards on 27/38 passing while his quarterback rate was 131.3. He tossed 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 5.7. Tyler Lavine ran the ball 23 times for 91 yds, finishing the game with 4.0 yds per attempt for SMU. SMU ran the ball for 3.4 yds per attempt, finishing with 171 yards on 50 attempts. The Mustangs ended up finishing with 389 yards on 88 plays (4.4 yds per play). The Mustangs secondary gave up a completion rate of 53.8%, surrendering 47 yds on 7 out of 13 passing. SMU gave up 42 attempts on the ground for 209 yards (5.0 yds per carry).

The SMU Mustangs averaged 472.8 yards per game, which had them ranked 14th in the country. The SMU offense compiled 550 yards of penalties on 56 violations, which was good for 119th in Division 1 in terms of hurting your team. Last year, the Mustangs had a total of 4,117 yards via the pass as well as an average of 316.7 passing yards per contest, giving them a rank of 7th in the country. When it comes to the points being put on the board, the Mustangs ranked 12th in college football holding an average of 37.2 points per outing.

The Mustangs surrendered 33.8 points per contest, ranking them 119th in D-1. SMU conceded a total of 2,647 yards on the ground (203.6 yards per outing) as well as 30 touchdowns via the rush last year. Overall, they allowed 439 total points. They yielded 25 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 227.5 yards/game, which had them in 73rd in the nation. The Mustangs defense took part in 933 plays, which had them ranked 107th in college football.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Bulldogs +15

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