SMU Mustangs vs Nevada Wolf Pack Prediction, 8/24/2024 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Nevada Wolf Pack

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024

Location: Mackay Stadium in Reno, NV

TV: CBSSN

Odds/Point Spread: Wolf Pack (+28)

Total/Over-Under: 57.5

Mackay Stadium is where the Nevada Wolf Pack (2-10 last season) will try to beat the SMU Mustangs (11-3 last year) on Saturday, August 24, 2024. SMU opens this game as 27.5-point favorites. The over/under is 57.5.

The SMU Mustangs ended the season having earned a 11-3 record. In their last game, the Mustangs took the field against the Boston College Eagles and took a loss by a final of 23-14. Kevin Jennings finished 24/48 with 191 yards passing and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 90.3 and walked away from the contest without throwing a pick. Kevin Jennings led the offense in rushing for the Mustangs with 10 attempts for 51 yards (5.1 yards per attempt). The SMU Mustangs ran the rock 31 different times and accumulated 118 yards, which came out to an average of 3.8 yards per carry. In the game, they had 79 plays for 309 yards. SMU relinquished 11 completions on 18 tries for 102 yds, and a completion percentage of 61.1%. When it came to stopping the run, the Mustangs gave up 262 yards on 41 tries, which averages out to 6.4 yards per run allowed.

Regarding scoring points, the SMU Mustangs held an average of 38.7 points per game. As a team they held an average of 175.9 yards in the run game, which was 41st in D-1. The Mustangs earned 6,360 total yards for last year. SMU earned 34 touchdowns through the air and 29 rushing touchdowns. SMU amassed 335 1st downs offensively, and they were flagged for 64 penalties for 577 yds. They gave the ball to the opposition 14 times.

The Mustangs were ranked 11th in the nation regarding the opposition scoring, allowing 17.8 PPG. Opposing teams ran for an average of 3.4 yards per run and 121.9 rushing yards per contest last season. Overall, they gave up 1,707 rushing yards through 14 games. In terms of passing yardage, the Mustangs gave up 2,551 yds which had them sitting in 28th in college football. In their 14 games played, they yielded 182.2 yards per outing via the pass as well as surrendering a completion percentage of 57.5%. They relinquished 304.1 yards/game ranking them 12th in D-1. They gave up 17 touchdowns through the air as well as 14 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Wolf Pack ended the season having earned a 2-10 mark. The last time they took the field, the Wolf Pack walked away with a loss by a score of 42-6 when they played the Wyoming Cowboys. Shane Illingworth walked away from the game with 175 yards on 15/27 passing while his QB rating was 102.6. He tossed 1 interception and his average yards per attempt was 6.5. Sean Dollars carried the ball 8 times for 31 yards, ending the contest with 3.9 yds per carry for Nevada. The Wolf Pack finished the game with 201 yards and they ran 55 plays (3.7 yards per play). Nevada ran the ball for 0.7 yds per carry, finishing the contest with 18 yds on 25 carries. Nevada allowed 43 rush attempts for 244 yds (5.7 yards per carry). The Wolf Pack pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 66.7%, relinquishing 165 yards on 12 out of 18 through the air.

When discussing their scoring prowess, the Wolf Pack earned a ranking of 129th in the nation scoring 17.3 points per game. The Nevada Wolf Pack maintained an average of 300.0 yards per contest, which ranked them 127th in the country. The Nevada offense accrued 702 yards of penalties on 82 violations, which was good for 41st in the nation in terms of giving up free yards. They gave away 12 picks while conceding 8 fumbles and they tallied 200 first downs. Last season, the Wolf Pack racked up 2,102 passing yards along with an average of 175.2 throwing yards per game, giving them a rank of 113th in college football. They averaged 124.8 run yards per game and ran for 1,498 yards for last season.

The Wolf Pack surrendered 33.4 points per contest, ranking them 118th in D-1. Nevada yielded a total of 2,254 rushing yards (187.8 yards/game) in addition to 23 touchdowns via the rush last season. Last year, they relinquished 401 points in total. They gave up 24 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 254.1 yards per game, which had them in 115th in D-1. The Wolf Pack defense was on the field for 769 plays, which was good for 17th in the country. Their defense tallied 7 fumbles and 10 picks for the previous season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Wolf Pack +27.5

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