The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are looking to pull off a major upset when they face the 22nd-ranked BYU Cougars on Friday night. The Bulldogs, who went quarterback,and he runs an offense that averages 461.5 yards per game. Louisiana Tech comes in off a 66-38 victory against Houston Baptist, while the 2-0 Cougars crushed Troy 48-7 last week.

How To Watch Live Stream

Louisiana Tech (2-0) at No. 22 BYU (2-0)

Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m. MDT

Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium (63,725; no fans permitted)

Surface: Natural grass

TV: ESPN2

Livestream: WatchESPN

Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM

Series: First meeting

Weather: Partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s at kickoff.

THE STAKES

For Louisiana Tech … The unbeaten Bulldogs are looking to pull off an upset on national TV.

For BYU … The Cougars are putting their undefeated record and national ranking on the line in a prime time meeting.

THE TRENDS

For Louisiana Tech … The Bulldogs have forced at least one turnover in 19 straight games which is the longest active streak in the nation. While BYU is averaging 51.5 points per game, La Tech is averaging 48.5 points.

For BYU … The Cougars have outscored their opponents 103-10 and outgained their opponents in total yardage 1,244-330 through two games.

THE CRYSTAL BALL

Louisiana Tech will win if … The Bulldogs get off to a fast start and force turnovers.

BYU will win if … The Cougars are able to do what they’ve done in the first two games — control both lines of scrimmage and score points in bunches.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Luke Anthony, Louisiana Tech quarterback: The grad transfer from Abilene Christian has completed 30 of 51 passes for 463 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception this season.

KEY MATCHUP

BYU’s wide receivers vs. Louisiana Tech’s defensive secondary: The Cougars passed for more than 400 yards last weeks and two receivers went over 100 receiving yards. The Bulldogs are surrendering 335 passing yards per game.
QUOTABLE

“They’re putting up gaudy numbers right now. … One heck of a challenge for our defense because when you have an offense that is as multiple and can be successful on the ground as well as through the air, it makes them very difficult to stop when they have the balance BYU has right now.”

Kickoff for BYU vs. Louisiana Tech is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Cougars are a 24.5-point favorite in the latest Louisiana Tech vs. BYU odds at William Hill, while the over-under for total points scored is 58.5. Before making any BYU vs. Louisiana Tech picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $4,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is a sizzling 16-2 on top-rated picks through four weeks of the 2020 college football season, returning over $1,100 in profit already. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on BYU vs. Louisiana Tech. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Louisiana Tech vs. BYU:

Why BYU can cover

The Cougars are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games against Conference USA teams, and the offense should find plenty of holes in the Bulldogs defense. Louisiana Tech allowed more than 500 yards against Houston Baptist last week, and Wilson and Co. can light up the scoreboard. The junior has thrown for 624 yards and four touchdowns and is third in the nation with a 78.3 completion percentage. He has thrown one interception and been sacked twice.

BYU is 7-2 against the spread in its last nine games following an ATS win, and receiver Gunner Romney is a top target, ranking eighth in FBS with 272 yards, averaging 30.2 yards per catch. The Cougars also rank ninth in the nation in averaging 246.6 rushing yards per game, led by Tyler Allgeier with 182 yards and Lopini Katoa with 156. Both average more than seven yards per carry. BYU also ranks first in total defense (165 yards per game) and scoring (5.0 points).

Why Louisiana Tech can cover

The Bulldogs are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games following a straight-up win, and they have solid weapons on offense. Anthony threw for 314 yards and five touchdown passes against HBU, and the running game piled up 182 yards. Seniors Justin Henderson and Israel Tucker share the load for a running game that averages 172.5 yards per game. Louisiana Tech has turned the ball over just twice, with Anthony throwing one interception and Aaron Allen throwing the other.

The receiving corps also is in good hands, with Adrian Hardy (148 yards), Smoke Harris (team-high 10 catches) and Wayne Toussant (two TDs last week). The Bulldogs are also 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
How to make BYU vs. Louisiana Tech picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with projections showing Anthony falling well short of 200 passing yards and the Cougars running game being held in check. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

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