LA Tech vs. Mississippi State Total Pick
A pair of Bulldogs will meet in Starkville on Saturday night when Mississippi State hosts Louisiana Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET. Will the defenses be the focal point in this underrated non-conference matchup?
Game Snapshot
393 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at 394 Mississippi State Bulldogs
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, November 3, 2018
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Bulldogs are 24-point favorites to beat LA Tech. The total, meanwhile, sits at 48 points. As of this writing, 57% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on Mississippi State.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech redshirt junior QB J’Mar Smith completed 17-of-29 passes for 156 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Saturday’s 31-24 victory against UTEP, and he had the game-winning 43-yard touchdown to close the scoring. It was Smith’s first scoring scamper of the season against an FBS opponent, and his first since he found the end zone with his feet against Southern back on Sept. 8. After a hot start he has been a little erratic through the air, averaging 214.7 yards per game with a total of two touchdowns and two interceptions after posting nine passing TDs over his first four outings. He’ll look to get things going in the right direction on Friday night in a road game at FAU.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State redshirt senior QB Nick Fitzgerald completed 14-of-22 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 88 yards and two scores in a 28-13 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. What a great time for the Bulldogs for Fitzgerald (6’5/235) to have his best passing game of the season, and one of his best as a member of the Bulldogs. He’s certainly had better and bigger totals running and throwing the football, but considering the situation, this was huge, and a nice reminder of how productive he’s been over his career. He punctuated this victory with a 76-yard scamper to make it 28-13 late in the fourth quarter. If Fitzgerald plays like this the rest of the year, Mississippi State will be tough to beat. They get a break from conference play next Saturday against Louisiana Tech.
Betting Trends
Louisiana Tech
The over is 13-6 in the Bulldogs’ last 19 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
Mississippi State
The under is 4-0 in the Bulldogs’ last four games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
Prediction
The under is 4-1 in Louisiana Tech’s last five games overall, is 7-3 in its last 10 games coming off a win, and is 6-1 in its last seven road games versus a team with a winning home record. On the other side, the under is 16-5 in Mississippi State’s last 21 games overall, is 5-1 in its last six home games, and is 5-0 in its last five games when facing a team with a winning record.
College Football Prediction: Louisiana Tech/Mississippi State under 48