The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs got a big win last week for their hopes of winning the Conference USA title. Louisiana Tech held on to knock off Western Kentucky in a shootout and the win moved them to 2-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs will get a bit of a reprieve this week when they take a break from conference action and travel to take on the Massachusetts Minutemen in a Week 7 College Football showdown.
Kickoff for this Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 15, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium. This game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Massachusetts +14.5
Louisiana Tech -14.5
Over/Under 62
Odds Analysis
The Minutemen have played a pretty tough schedule for an independent and are just 1-5 with a win against Florida International on the year. However, UMass has done a decent job at covering the number and is 3-3 ATS. The under has hit in four of six games as well.
Louisiana Tech is 3-3 SU and 3-3 ATS, but has failed to win a game on the road thus far. Although the Bulldogs were double-digit underdogs in two of those, a loss to Middle Tennessee State hurt them in conference. Over has cashed in four of six games for the Bulldogs.
Matchup to Watch
Louisiana Tech has one of the best offenses in the country and Skip Holtz has this unit humming. The Bulldogs are averaging almost 40 points per game and 7.35 yards per play, both numbers that would be the envy of most teams in college football, and can beat you through the air or on the ground. Holtz is known as an offensive guru and while he ended up flaming out at South Florida, he has gained that reputation back in Ruston.
The Minutemen defense is going to have a hard time stopping this offensive attack. UMass doesn’t have an awful defense, limiting both Florida and Boston College early on in the season, but is still giving up 5.68 yards per play. If they have any hope of pulling off the upset at home, that defense needs to hold Louisiana Tech under 30.
Player to Watch
Trent Taylor has been one of the top wide receivers in the country this season and is currently second nationally with 66 receptions for 861 yards and eight touchdowns. Although he is mostly used as a possession receiver, catching quick outs and passes over the middle, he has also shown his speed.
Taylor burned Texas Tech’s secondary for a 76-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Louisiana Tech a little bit of life in a loss earlier in the season. Even though he is short at 5’8, he is difficult to cover and uses a flash of quickness to get open.
Free ATS Pick
Massachusetts doesn’t have much of anything offensively and may have trouble exploiting the weaknesses present in this Louisiana Tech team. RB Marquis Young has only cracked the 100-yard mark twice this season and QB Andrew Ford has been adequate at best. This offense is awful on third down, converting just 25.64 percent of its opportunities and can’t rely on field goals in the red zone either.
That’s not good for a team that will need to score points to beat a Bulldogs team that is great at lighting up the scoreboard. QB Ryan Higgins has been fantastic thus far this season, completing 65 percent of his passes with a 17-2 touchdown to interception ratio and although Taylor is the star, he does spread it around a little as well.
It’s hard to lay a lot of points on the road, but UMass has no real home-field advantage and won’t be able to keep up. Louisiana Tech is going to light this team up and cover the lofty spread.
College Football Odds: Bulldogs 41, Minutemen 14
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