Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs UTEP Miners Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/29/2023

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Friday, September 29, 2023

Venue:  Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX

Where to Watch:  CBS Sports 

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +1, UTEP -1; Over/Under:  53 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +1, UTEP -1; Over/Under:  53 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  LA Tech +1.5, UTEP -1.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  2-3 (1-0) (3rd place, C-USA)

UTEP Miners:  1-4 (0-1) (8th place, C-USA)

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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  lost their last game on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-14.

UTEP Miners:  lost their last game at home against the UNLV Rebels 45-28.

LA Tech is entering this game with a 2-3 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Nebraska 28-14. Jack Turner was the starting QB and he completed 27/42 passes for 292 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Jacob Fields led the team in rushing yards with 28 and 1 TD. Cyrus Allen led the receivers with 102 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Zach Zimos led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Zach Zimos, Brevin Randle, and Jessie Evans each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception in that game.

 

 

 

UTEP is entering this game with a 1-4 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 0-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against UNLV 45-28. Gavin Hardison was the starting QB and he completed 14/31 passes for 225 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Torrance Burgess Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 99 and 1 TD. Kelly Akharaiyi led the receivers with 92 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Tyrice Knight led the defense in that game with 13 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack in that one. Praise Amaewhule came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have UTEP listed as a 1 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UTEP has been terrible in their games this season as they have already played in 5 games and have only won 1 of them. They have been better at home but just lost their last game at home to UNLV who isn't that great. They were also looking ahead to this conference game though as they are already 0-1 in the conference and badly need a win from this home game. LA Tech hasn't been any better this season as they are 2-3 overall but already have a conference win. They are also 0-2 in their road games and their QB is banged up now. UTEP is going to be a lot more focused in this home game and they are going to be throwing everything they have at LA Tech in this game to try and take advantage of their injuries and get a conference win. The best way to place a bet here is on UTEP to cover the spread in this game.

Louisiana Tech UTEP Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, September 29, 2023 (9:00 pm ET start time) is UTEP 21 LA Tech 13.

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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: 1-9 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 4-11 ATS in road games. 5-12 ATS against conference opponents. 19-9 OVER in all games. 10-4 OVER as an underdog. 9-3 OVER after a game where they committed 1 or less turnovers.

UTEP Miners: 6-1 ATS after a game where they committed 3 or more turnovers. 13-8 ATS in a home game where the total is between 52.5 and 56. 8-4 OVER after playing a game at home. 8-2 OVER after 5 consecutive games where they forced 1 or less turnovers.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs:  C. Thornton (RB) day-to-day - Undisclosed. T. Shelton (RB) Ques Fri - Undisclosed. H. Bachmeier (QB) Ques Fri - Shoulder. K. Duru (WR) Ques Fri - Undisclosed. M. Crosby (RB) Out indefinitely - Leg. K. Willis Jr. (RB) Out indefinitely - Ankle.

UTEP Miners:  M. Franklin (RB) day-to-day - Undisclosed. T. Smith (WR) day-to-day - Undisclosed. M. Bellon (WR) Out indefinitely - Leg. A. Dumas (RB) Out indefinitely - Eligibility.

“Offensively, it was a sloppy game to say the least. We had too many drops. We probably had more drops than we’ve had at any point during the season. Running the football, we knew it was going to be tough against one of the top run defenses in the country.” - Sonny Cumbie after his team’s loss against Nebraska in their last game. 

"The thing I didn't think were were doing a good job of was getting off blocks and making plays. If you're going stop option football that's what you have to do a good job of." - Dana Dimel after his team’s loss against UNLV in their last game. 

WR Edwards, Tru 

WR Allen, Cyrus 

WR Harris, Smoke 

TE Jones, Nate 

QB Bachmeier, Hank 

RB Thornton, Charvis 

WR Bellon, Marcus  

WR Akharaiyi, Kelly 

WR Smith, Tyrin 

TE Fryar, Zach 

QB Hardison, Gavin 

RB Hankins, Deion 

FB Lopez, Julian 

Passing: H. Bachmeier (756)

Rushing: K. Willis Jr. (240)

Receiving: S. Harris (361)

Touchdowns: S. Harris (3)

Passing: G. Hardison (947)

Rushing: T. Burgess Jr. (298)

Receiving: K. Akharaiyi (253)

Touchdowns: T. Burgess Jr. (2)

Coaches:

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: Sonny Cumbie (2nd season)

UTEP Miners: Dana Dimel (6th season)