Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Boise State Broncos
Tuesday, 10/26/2010, 8:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Boise State -37.5
Current Betting Line: Boise State -37.5
Opening Total: 63
Current Total: 63
Louisiana Tech will play on the national stage Tuesday night when the Bulldogs head to the blue turf of Bronco Stadium for a primetime match-up with No. 2 Boise State. First-year head coach Sonny Dykes is just hoping a nationally televised game against the nation’s second-ranked team doesn’t derail the momentum his team has strung together in the past two games. “You watch the film and you can’t tell who anybody is,” Dykes stated. “You can’t see numbers.” This week’s contest will mark the fifth time Louisiana Tech has faced a team ranked No. 2 in the country, posting a 0-4 all-time mark and last playing such a team in 2007, a 58-10 loss to LSU. Following its 41-21 loss at Hawaii, the Bulldogs have lost nine consecutive road games. The team is 3-3 ATS in all games this season and 4-10 against the college football point spread on the road the past three years.
The Bulldogs have dropped eight in a row to the Broncos, including a 45-35 defeat last season. Louisiana Tech has dropped its last four road games in the series by a 184-41 margin and must overcome the fact that Boise State has outscored conference opponents by a combined 107-0 in its first two contests. “Louisiana Tech-Boise State isn’t going to go head-to-head against Alabama-Florida. It gives us a chance to get on television. It’s good for the league,” Dykes stated. His defensive unit has gotten little reprieve from facing top passing attacks, as it will be facing a top 15 passing offense for the third time this season and the fourth team ranked in the top 25 in that category. The defense as a whole gave up 533 yards to Idaho in its last game but gained 683 as they held on for a 48-35 victory.
Boise State returns home after enjoying a bye week and the team looks to move its record to a perfect 7-0. The Broncos lead the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 8-4, including eight straight victories. The team brings in the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games and has posted a dominating 32-6 record in non-Saturday games. “I think the first part of the season just sets the stage for the second part and that’s what it’s all about. How do you finish?,” said head coach Chris Petersen. His defense has finished off opponents with regularity this season, forcing 31 three-and-outs through the first six games, averaging 5.17 per game and is the third-best mark in the nation. Overall, Boise State leads the nation in total defense in allowing just 210.17 yards per game. The squad is 5-1 ATS this year and 22-7 ATS over the past three campaigns.
The Broncos are normally fast starters and have scored first in all six games this season, building double-digit leads five times before allowing a score. Boise State’s offense ranks fourth in both points (47.5) and total yards (523.8) per game with junior quarterback Kellen Moore leading the attack. He has topped 300 yards passing in each of his two matchups with the Bulldogs and leads the nation with a 190.3 passer rating. All of this makes Boise State the only team in the country ranked in the top five in both total offense and defense categories.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven conference games, while the Broncos are 9-3 ATS in the same situation. Maddux Sports is still looking at this game at the time of publish so be sure to visit our free college football picks where you can get complimentary winners via our newsletter as well as view the winning premium college football picks we do offer to visitors of the website.
