Mississippi State vs. UL-Lafayette Pick
Another non-conference game, another massive point spread to consider when Mississippi State hosts UL-Lafayette at 7:30 p.m. ET. Will the Bulldogs roll or will the Ragin Cajuns make it a game tonight?
Game Snapshot
195 UL Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at 196 Mississippi State Bulldogs
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Bulldogs are 34-point favorites to beat the Ragin Cajuns The total, meanwhile, sits at 63 points. As of this writing, 73% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Bulldogs.
UL Lafayette Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana senior QB Andre Nunez completed 19 of 22 passes, throwing for 184 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 49-17 win over Grambling. Nunez didn’t see any playing time in the fourth quarter, as the Ragin’ Cajuns were comfortably ahead of the Tigers at the end of three quarters. Nunez also rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and the 2018 debut was an impressive one for a player who appeared in just four games last season. Named co-starter with Levi Lewis earlier this week, Nunez took a step towards claiming the job as his alone Saturday night.
New Mexico State Aggies
Mississippi State redshirt senior DE Montez Sweat was named Defensive Player Of The Week for his effort on Saturday against Kansas State. Sweat was outstanding against the Wildcats, recording two tackles for loss with a sack and holding the Kansas State rushing attack to 113 yards. As Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy notes, Sweat (6’6/241) beats people with his impressive length, and it was impressive to see him beat fellow draft prospect Daulton Risner with it. “Maybe the biggest takeaway from my trip to Starkville three weeks ago was how much Sweat appears to have grown up,” Nagy writes. “Coaches said the Michigan State transfer is doing all the right things on and off the field but seeing him work with the younger defensive linemen at practice showed me that he is maturing.” Sweat gets a “tweener” rep because of concerns about where he fits, but the versatility gives him a chance to be a relatively high pick come 2019.
Betting Trends
UL-Lafayette
The Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven road games and are 1-5 against the number in their last six non-conference games.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine home games.
Prediction
This is a brutal week, as there are a lot of huge spreads between non-conference foes. It’s always tough to tell whether or not a group of kids are going to be motivated for a non-conference game but I’m going to lay the points. Nick Fitzgerald had an opportunity to shake off the rust last week and should be sharper in his second game. This Miss State team is also more than Fitzgerald, as sophomore running back Kylin Hill exploded for a career-high 211 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries last week versus Kansas State. This is a lot of points but I’m going to lay it.
College Football Prediction: Mississippi State Bulldogs -34