Texas Tech Red Raiders vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 9/23/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023

Location: Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Mountaineers (+2)

Total/Over-Under: 55.5

The West Virginia Mountaineers (2-1) will compete against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-2) at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, September 23, 2023. West Virginia is 2-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 55.5.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders head into this matchup 1-2 this year. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Red Raiders faced the Tarleton State Texans and earned the victory with a final of 41-3. Tahj Brooks was the leader on the ground for the Red Raiders with 19 carries for 158 yards (8.3 yds per carry). Tyler Shough went 10/20 with 123 yards through the air and 1 touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 118.2 and ended the contest without throwing an interception. When it came to stopping the run, the Red Raiders gave up 145 yards on 36 tries, which calculates to 4.0 yds per run allowed. Texas Tech surrendered 24 completions on 44 attempts for a total of 197 yds, and a completion percentage of 54.5%. Overall, they tallied 72 plays which totaled 416 yards. The Texas Tech Red Raiders ran the football 39 times and tallied 221 yards, which had them averaging 5.7 yards per tote.

In terms of getting in the endzone, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are sitting at 34.7 PPG. As a team they average 162.7 yards rushing which ranks them 66th in D-1. The Red Raiders have earned 1,303 total yards for the season. In terms of distribution of touchdowns, Texas Tech has compiled 9 touchdowns via the pass and 3 rushing touchdowns. Texas Tech has 79 first downs offensively, and they have been flagged for 15 infractions for 158 yards. They have given the ball to the opposition 6 different times.

The Red Raiders sit in 84th in the nation regarding team defense, conceding 25.3 PPG. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.9 yards per run and 143.0 yards on the ground per contest on the season. Overall, they have given up 429 yards via the ground game in 3 games. When talking about yards through the air, the Red Raiders have allowed 705 yards which puts them in 86th in the nation. They have allowed 235.0 yards per contest via the pass in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 60.7%. Over the course of this season, they are conceding 378.0 yards per game putting them 88th in the country. They have yielded 4 touchdowns via the pass as well as 3 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Mountaineers head into this matchup 2-1 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Mountaineers got the victory with a final of 17-6 against the Pittsburgh Panthers. CJ Donaldson carried the football 18 times for 102 yards, ending the contest with 5.7 yds per attempt for West Virginia. Nicco Marchiol (1 touchdown) walked away from the game with 60 yds on 6/9 passing while his quarterback rate was 159.3. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.7. West Virginia allowed 36 attempts on the ground for 130 yards (3.6 yds per carry). The Mountaineers passing defense conceded a completion rate of 40.0%, relinquishing 81 yards on 8 out of 20 passing. The Mountaineers finished the game with a total of 211 yds while running 62 plays (3.4 yds per play). West Virginia rushed the football for 3.0 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 151 yards on 51 carries.

The West Virginia Mountaineers have an average of 379.3 yards per game, which has them sitting 77th in the country. The West Virginia offense has racked up 137 yards of penalties on 13 infractions, ranking them 109th in college football in terms of making mistakes. They are averaging 200.3 run yards per game and have toted the ball for 601 yards overall. They have given away 0 picks while allowing opponents to recover 3 fumbles and they have been able to tally 61 1st downs. Regarding the points being put on the board, the Mountaineers rank 73rd in the nation holding an average of 29.3 points per outing. For the season thus far, the Mountaineers have earned 537 yards via the pass as well as an average of 179.0 throwing yards per contest, ranking them 110th in the country.

The Mountaineers are conceding 20.3 points per game, which puts them 56th in college football. West Virginia has conceded a total of 279 rushing yards (93.0 yards per contest) and 2 touchdowns via the rush on the season. In total, they have conceded 61 points. They have given up 5 touchdowns via the pass as well as 214.7 yards per outing, ranking them 76th in D-1. The Mountaineers defense has been on the field for 181 plays, which is good for 28th in the nation. Their defense has tallied 0 fumbles and 5 picks this year.

Who will win tonight's Red Raiders/Mountaineers college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Raiders -2

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