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It is Tuesday night C-USA action as Louisiana Tech faces MTSU. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Louisiana Tech-MTSU prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Louisiana Tech entered the game at 3-4 on the season, with a 2-1 record in conference play. They opened the season with a conference win, taking out FIU 22-17. After losing three of the next four with the only win being over Northwestern State, LA Tech would return to conference play against UTEP. That would be victory before they faced Western Kentucky last week. Western Kentucky led 35-7 at the half, but Louisiana Tech would attempt a comeback. They would make it a one-score game, but fall 35-28.
MTSU was one of the pre-season favorites to win C-USA. They went the game 1-5 though. They opened with losses to Alabama and Missouri and then got a win over Murray State. Since then, they have struggled. It was a loss to Colorado State, then Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State last week. They are now 0-2 in conference play and in danger of falling out of contention in conference play.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Louisiana Tech-MTSU Odds
Louisana Tech: +3 (-105)
MTSU: -3 (-115)
Over: 54.5 (-110)
Under: 54.5 (-110)
How to Watch Louisiana Tech vs. MTSU Week 7
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Louisiana Tech Will Cover The Spread
There is a question at quarterback for Louisiana Tech. They have Hank Bachmiere, who has been solid this year. He is 72-109 passing with five touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He also has just two turnover-worthy posts this year. While Bachmier was solid, he left the game with North Texas due to injury and has not played since. In his stead, Jack Turner has played. Turner is 70-121 passing for 851 yards this year with four scores. He is not as careful with the ball though, with four interceptions this year and seven other turnover-worthy passes. turner is better in the run game, scoring twice with 87 yards this year, but he also has seven fumbles.
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In the running game, Tyre Shelton is the leader this year. He has 436 yards on the ground this year with five scores. Shelton is averaging over seven yards per carry, and getting great run blocking. He only has 3.79 this year after contact, meaning, he is getting almost four yards downfield this season before seeing contact. Keith Willis has 242 yards this year on 38 carries. He has scored three times and is also getting that great blocking, with almost three yards before first contact this year.
Meanwhile, Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen have been solid for Louisana Tech. They both have over 300 yards of this year's receivers. Harris has hauled in 50 of 60 targets this year for 491 yards and three scores this season. Further, Allen has 349 yards and two scores while bringing in 19 of 37 targets.
This year, Louisiana Tech is 84th in the nation in points per game allowed. The defense is led by Zach Zimos, who has been solid this year, but not great. He has a sack this year and four pressures. He has been very good in the running game though, with eight stops for offensive failures and Zimos also has a pass breakup. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech has struggled against the pass. They have allowed ten touchdowns this year, with over 1,200 yards passing. Still, the Bulldogs fo have five interceptions this year.
Why MTSU Will Cover The Spread
This year, the Blue Raiders of MTSU have a top-50 passing offense. The offense is led by Nicholas Vattiato at quarterback. He is 155-230 passing this year for 1,568 yards and nine touchdowns. He has made ten big-time throws this year according to PFF, and if it were not for drops, he could have a better completion percentage. This year Vattiato has an adjusted completion percentage of 77.7 percent due to 19 drops already. While that does show better accuracy, he has had some issues with turnovers this year. Vattiato has six interceptions this year, with two in each of the last two games. He also has ten other turnover-worthy passes. Part of the issue has been pressure this year.
Vattiato has been pressured 68 times this year and sacked 21. That is a 30.9 percent sack rate this year. Further, he has had to scramble for positive yards 21 times this year. Vattiato has 121 scramble yards this year, and a total of 258 yards this season rushing. He does have a touchdown, but also has three fumbles this year. Overall, the rushing offense has not been great. Vattiato is the leading rusher this year. Behind him is Jaiden Credle, who has 249 yards this year on 62 attempts. While he is running well, with 5.5 yards per carry, the attempts have not been there for him, as MTSU often finds themselves down early in the game. Still, MTSU is getting scores on the ground, with Credle and Vattiato each having one score on the ground, while Frank Peasant and Jekail Middlebrook have two.
The defense for Middle Tennessee has been an issue this year. They are averaging allowing 33.3 points per game this season. One of the major issues is missed tackles, as they have 65 already this season, good for over ten per game. Further, they are not getting pressure on the quarterback. In six games, the team has just 86 pressures, but just 11 sacks. Sam Brumfield and Drew Francis are the only two players with more than one sack this year. Middle Tennessee has also given up 13 touchdowns through the air while having just three interceptions.
Final Louisana Tech-MTSU Prediction & Pick
Middle Tennessee has imploded a lot this year. Against Western Kentucky it happened in the first half, falling. down 23-3 early. Against Jacksonville State, it happened in the second half. After leading 23-7, they would fall 45-30. The major issue has been the pass defense. The top coverage guys are not able to defend one-on-one and even more, the safety help has been leading to more touchdowns than stops. Both Hank Bachmeier and Jack Turner can hit the over-the-top pass and score quickly. Expect Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen to have huge games in this one. Taking Louisiana on the money line may be a solid play too at +130, but they do cover regardless.
Final Louisiana Tech-MTSU Prediction & Pick: Louisiana Tech +3 (-105)
