Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction, 10/5/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023

Location: Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, LA

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: Bulldogs (+7)

Total/Over-Under: 60.5

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-3) host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (3-2) at Joe Aillet Stadium on Thursday, October 5, 2023. Western Kentucky opens this game as 7-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under has been set at 60.5.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head into this matchup 3-2 this season. In their last contest, the Hilltoppers played against the MTSU Blue Raiders and walked away with a win by a score of 31-10. Austin Reed went 30/52 with 297 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. He had a quarterback rate of 114.5 and walked away from the contest with 1 pick. L.T. Sanders was the rushing leader for the Hilltoppers with 7 attempts for 83 yards (11.9 yards per carry). When all was said and done, they tallied 80 plays which totaled 444 yds. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers ran the rock 28 times and had 147 yards, which is an average of 5.3 yds per carry. When it came to stopping the run, the Hilltoppers conceded 121 yards on 28 attempts, which is an average of 4.3 yards per run surrendered. Western Kentucky conceded 27 completions on 45 tries for a total of 252 yards, and a completion rate of 60.0%.

Concerning scoring, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have an average of 31.6 PPG. As a team they are averaging 96.8 yards rushing which ranks them 121st in college football. The Hilltoppers have tallied 1,914 total yards for the year. In terms of getting in the endzone, Western Kentucky has totaled 12 touchdowns via the pass and 6 rushing touchdowns. Western Kentucky has 101 1st downs offensively, and they have been hurt by 27 infractions for 218 yds. They have turned the football over 7 times.

Concerning passing yardage, the Hilltoppers are giving up 1,338 yds which ranks them 115th in D-1. They have surrendered 267.6 yards per outing via the pass in addition to giving up a completion percentage of 60.9%. In total, they are conceding 472.8 yards/game which puts them 130th in Division 1. They have allowed 8 touchdowns by air and 9 touchdowns via the ground game. Opposing teams are running for an average of 5.0 yards per rushing attempt and 205.2 rushing yards per game this year. For the year, they have conceded 1,026 yards via the ground game in 5 games. The Hilltoppers are sitting in 98th in Division 1 when it comes to their opponents scoring, conceding 29.2 PPG.

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The Bulldogs come into this matchup with a record of 3-3 this season. For their last game, the Bulldogs got the victory with a final of 24-10 against the UTEP Miners. Jack Turner (1 TD) ended the contest with 152 yds on 9/20 passing while his QB rate was 125.3. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 7.6. Tyre Shelton carried the rock 16 times for 104 yards, walking away from the game with 6.5 yards per carry for Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech rushed the football for 4.6 yards per tote, finishing the game with 142 yds on 31 attempts. The Bulldogs finished the game with a total of 294 yds and they ran 51 plays (5.8 yds per play). The Bulldogs secondary gave up a completion percentage of 33.3%, relinquishing 101 yards on 9 for 27 passing. Louisiana Tech conceded 46 rushing attempts for 224 yds (4.9 yds per rush).

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs hold an average of 374.7 yards per game, which ranks them 81st in college football. The Louisiana Tech offense has 455 yds of penalties on 50 infractions, which ranks them 3rd in the country in terms of making mistakes. They average 150.3 yards per game via the rush and have rushed for 902 yards for this year. They have given away 4 picks while letting opponents recover 3 fumbles and they have been able to obtain 113 first downs. Regarding this team's ability to score points, the Bulldogs currently rank 81st in D-1 with 27.0 PPG. During this campaign thus far, the Bulldogs have racked up 1,346 yards through the air along with holding an average of 224.3 passing yards per game, ranking them 79th in the nation.

The Bulldogs are allowing 25.7 points per contest, which has them 76th in college football. Louisiana Tech has given up a total of 1,357 yards via the ground game (226.2 yards per outing) and 11 touchdowns on the ground so far this year. This season, they have given up 154 points in total. They have conceded 7 touchdowns through the air and 152.0 yards/outing, which has them ranked 6th in Division 1. The Bulldogs defense has taken the field for 428 plays, ranking them 133rd in the country. Their defense has tallied 2 fumbles recovered and 4 interceptions on the campaign.

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

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Bulldogs +7 and under 60.5 total points

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