Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs North Carolina State Wolfpack Game Preview and Prediction - 10/02/2021

Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 2, 2021

Venue:  Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +18.5, NC State -18.5; Over/Under:  55 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +18.5, NC State -18.5; Over/Under:  55 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +19, NC State -19; Over/Under:  54.5 points

 

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  2-2 (3rd place, C-USA West)

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  3-1 (3rd place, ACC Atlantic)

 

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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  won at home on Sep. 25 against the North Texas Mean Green 24-17.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  won at home on Sep. 25 against the Clemson Tigers in OT 27-21.

 

 

 

LA Tech is coming into this game with a 2-2 record overall and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are 1-0 in conference games this season but this will be their last non-conference game of the year. Their 2 losses came against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the SMU Mustangs while their 2 wins came against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions and against UNT in their last game. LA Tech had 2 different quarterbacks play in their last game but neither of them really stood out. Aaron Allen completed 14/18 passes for 137 yards while JD Head completed 5/10 passes for 70 yards and 1 touchdown. Marcus Williams Jr. led the team in rushing with 73 yards and 2 touchdowns but, other than him no one else did much on the ground. Samuel Emilus led the team in receiving with 69 yards and 1 touchdown on 2 receptions but other than him it was a pretty quiet day for the receiving corps. Jaiden Cole led the defense with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. Ben Bell and Kershawn Fisher both had 1 sack each in that game but no one on the defense came away with an interception in that one. They have scored 140 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 133 points against them. Their offense is averaging 397 YPG while their defense is allowing 485.3 YPG.

 

 

The NC State Wolf Pack is coming into this game with a 3-1 record overall and they are 3-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are 1-0 in their conference games this season but this will actually be their final non-conference matchup of the regular season on the schedule. Their 1 loss on the year came against the Mississippi State Bulldogs but they managed to collect wins against the South Florida Bulls, the Furman Paladins, and against Clemson in their last game. Devin Leary played a great game in that one as he completed 32/44 passes for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ricky Person Jr. led the team in rushing with 91 yards on 21 carries while Zonovan Knight was right behind him with 79 yards on 23 carries. Emeka Emezie had a great day in receiving as he led the team with 116 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 receptions. Derrek Pitts Jr. led the defense with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Cory Durden led the defense with 1.5 sacks while Davin Vann had the other 0.5. Drake Thomas came up big in that game with the only interception for his team in it. They have scored 127 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 52 points against them. Their offense is averaging 438.3 YPG while their defense is allowing 249.5 YPG. 

 

NC State is coming into this game as a large 20 point favorite with the current betting odds. They are coming off of a huge win against Clemson which must have been exhausting for them, both mentally and physically. This could be a let down spot for them and even though they will likely still win the game, 21 points is a lot of points to cover and this one could end up being a closer game. Despite LA Tech's 2-2 record, their losses came in very close games that could have easily gone the other way. They lost by 1 point to MS State in their season opener and lost by 2 points against SMU. Those are not bad teams at all so if LA Tech can hold their own against them, then they should be fine here. The best bet to place in this game is on LA Tech to cover the spread as it will be a closer game.

 

Louisiana Tech North Carolina State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 2, 2021 (6:00 pm ET start time) is NC State 31 LA Tech 27.

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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: 145-136 ATS in all games. 86-77 ATS after playing a conference game.

North Carolina State Wolfpack: 162-170 ATS in all games. 79-94 ATS as a favorite. 102-118 ATS after playing a conference game.

 

 

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  A. Kendall (QB) Prob Sat - Undisclosed injury. J. Head (QB) Doub Sat - Undisclosed injury. L. Anthony (QB) Ques Sat - Ankle injury.

North Carolina State Wolfpack:  T. Williams (DB) Out indefinitely - Knee injury. E. Cooks (WR) out for season - Foot injury.

 

 

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: Austin Kendall is one player to watch in this one. He leads his team in passing yards and in touchdowns scored. He is the leader of this offense and will have a lot of work to do against the high-flying NC State team that is coming off of a big upset win. Look for him to make the plays in this game to give his team a chance at the upset here.

 

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Devin Leary is one player to watch here. He is coming off of a big performance where he threw for 4 touchdowns, including the game winning OT touchdown that sunk Clemson in that game. He will have a lot of confidence coming into this game along with his whole team so look for that tpo translate on the field.

 

"This was a must. We had to find a way to win the first conference game, and having the opportunity to play it at home, huge" - Skip Holtz after their win against UNT in their last game.

 

 

"The curse is broken, N.C. State fans, finally. I've been here nine years and seen a lot of crazy stuff. And people have talked about it and didn't believe it. But I've got to tell you: I think it was real, and it's not there anymore. So we can move on now and be happy about that." - Dave Doeren after upsetting Clemson in what was a huge win for them in their last game.

 

 

 

WR Emilus, Samuel 

WR Means, Bub 

WR Harris, Smoke 

WR Hebert, Griffin 

QB Kendall, Austin 

RB Williams Jr., Marcus 

 

WR Carter, Devin 

WR Emezie, Emeka 

WR Thomas, Thayer 

TE Parham, Dylan 

HB Pennix, Trent 

QB Leary, Devin 

RB Knight, Zonovan 

 

Passing: A. Kendall (837)

Rushing: M. Williams Jr. (258)

Receiving: T. Harris (215)

Touchdowns: A. Kendall (3)

Sacks: B. Bell (3)

Tackles: B. Buchanan (17)

 

Passing: D. Leary (1032)

Rushing: Z. Knight (377)

Receiving: E. Emezie (302)

Touchdowns: R. Person Jr. (3)

Sacks: P. Wilson (1)

Tackles: D. Thomas (11)

 

Coaches:

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: Skip Holtz (9th season)

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Dave Doeren (9th season)

 

83 degrees F partly cloudy, 65% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 6 mph wind speeds S.