Fresno State Bulldogs vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/02/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 2, 2023

Venue:  Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Fresno +4, Purdue -4; Over/Under:  50.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Fresno +4, Purdue -4; Over/Under:  50.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Fresno +4.5, Purdue -4.5; Over/Under:  50.5 points

Fresno State Bulldogs:  0-0 (MWC)

Purdue Boilermakers:  0-0 (Big Ten West)

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Fresno State Bulldogs:  N/A

Purdue Boilermakers:  N/A

Fresno State finished last season with a 10-4 record overall and they had a 7-1 record in their conference games too.  They were 5-1 in their home games, 4-3 in their road games, and they were also 1-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 30.6 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 19.4 points per game. Their offense also averaged 402.8 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 338.9 yards per game. Jake Haener led the team in passing yards with 2896, Jordan Mims led the team in rushing yards with 1372, and Jalen Cropper led the team in receiving yards with 1086.

 

 

 

Purdue finished last season with an 8-6 record overall and they had a 6-3 record in their conference games too.  They were 4-2 in their home games, 4-2 in their road games, and they were also 0-2 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 26.6 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 27.4 points per game. Their offense also averaged 399.8 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 366.9 yards per game. Aidan O'Connell led the team in passing yards with 3490, Devin Mockobee led the team in rushing yards with 968, and Charlie Jones led the team in receiving yards with 1361.

The current betting odds have Purdue listed as a 4 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Purdue finished last season with an 8-6 record overall and they were also 6-3 in their conference games as they were one of the best teams in their division of the Big Ten. They were 4-2 in their home games too but they did lose a lot of talent on their offense like their starting QB from last season. Luckily for them, they are taking on Fresno State here who finished last season with a 10-4 record overall, going 7-1 in their conference games, but they also played in a weaker Mountain West Conference while also losing a lot of talent on their offense too. All of their top scorers from last season are gone including their starting QB too so this is going to be a really different Fresno State offense than what they had last season. They are always a strong force in the MWC and will continue to be this season too but this is going to be a really tough 1st game of the season for them with some new players at key positions and they also have to travel quite a bit for this game, playing against a team from a stronger conference too. Purdue may have lost some talent on their offense but they still have a really good defense which saved them in a few of their games last year and they will be able to lean on that good defense here at home to win this game as it will be tough for Fresno State to put everything together with their new players in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Purdue to cover the spread in this game.

Fresno State Purdue Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 2, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Purdue 28 Fresno State 20.

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Fresno State Bulldogs: 7-2 ATS when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 36-28 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 7-1 UNDER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 6-3 UNDER in non-conference games.

Purdue Boilermakers: 3-6 ATS as a home favorite. 4-8 ATS in home games. 34-18 UNDER as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 9-3 UNDER as a favorite.

Fresno State Bulldogs:  None.

Purdue Boilermakers:  None.

“I am more excited to coach than I ever have been. I think having those two years off gives you a chance to reflect and I'm so grateful that every day I go with gratification of being able to see these guys and be around the kids and be around the staff. I have a different approach to it now. I really do enjoy everything that I do … Taking the two years off really did have an effect on the attitude and how to pursue the things we do on a daily basis.” - Jeff Tedford on coaching his team this season.

“I think we’ve got the makings to be really good. We’re big up front, we’ve got great pass rushers, we’ve got a middle linebacker that can go sideline to sideline, we’ve got experienced safety’s that have brains, that are physical in the run game, we went out and got corners that can cover and that will show up in the run game as well. So we’ve got the makings, I think we’ve got the scheme, and we’ve got the attitude to go do something special and play good defense.” - Ryan Walters on his team’s defense coming into this new college football season.

WR Dalena, Mac 

WR Gill, Jaelen 

WR Brooks, Erik 

TE Watson, Tre 

QB Keene, Mikey 

RB Sherrod, Malik 

WR Rice, Mershawn 

WR Edrine, Jahmal 

WR Sheffield, TJ 

TE Miller, Garrett 

QB Card, Hudson 

RB Mockobee, Devin 

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Fresno State Bulldogs: Jeff Tedford (5th season)

Purdue Boilermakers: Ryan Walters (1st season)