Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas Prediction, Game Preview
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins between the Bulldogs and Mean Green on Saturday in Denton, TX.
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins between the Bulldogs and Mean Green on Saturday in Denton, TX.
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas Game Preview
When: Saturday, Nov. 5 – 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX
TV Broadcast: ESPN3
The Bulldogs (6-3, 4-1 Conference USA) are coming off of a 61-16 dismantling of Rice at home, as quarterback Ryan Higgins threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Trent Taylor became the school’s career leader in receptions to help Skip Holtz’s team reach bowl eligibility. Taylor had seven catches for 131 yards and now has 284 career receptions.
Meanwhile, the Mean Green (4-4, 2-2) had a 31-17 road setback against UTSA last Saturday night, and turnovers were a big factor. Quarterback Mason Fine, who had an 80-yard run and helped the offense outgain UTSA 409-318, had two interceptions and lost a fumble. For the game, he passed for 257 yards and ran for 91 more but lost 19 yards on two sacks on the final possession.
In last year’s meeting in Ruston, Kenneth Dixon ran for a career-best six touchdowns in a 56-13 blowout. Dixon rushed for 195 yards on 22 carries, while Jeff Driskel threw for 296 yards as Louisiana Tech went up 28-0 by halftime. North Texas went on the board in the fourth quarter on a pair of touchdown passes by DaMarcus Smith, who finished with 234 passing yards and two touchdowns.
What To Know About Louisiana Tech
In last week’s win over Rice, Boston Scott rushed for 132 yards and three scores and Higgins completed 18 of 25 passes for 292 yards and added 106 yards on the ground—including a 71-yard scoring run. The Bulldogs have won five straight after dropping three of their first four contests, although there were close setbacks to Arkansas and Middle Tennessee in that stretch. Higgins has four games of 400 yards passing or more this season to go along with 26 touchdowns and just three interceptions, and he is clearly one of the best Group of Five signal-callers in the country.
What to Know About North Texas
The Mean Green were certainly disappointed to drop last week’s game against UTSA because they were coming off of the biggest win of the young Seth Littrell era. UNT defeated Army for the first time in five tries, as Jeffrey Wilson rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-18 win at Michie Stadium. But ups and downs are very common for a young team with a new head coach. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, so the focus remains on development even though Littrell would obviously like to win as many games as possible and get the 15 extra practices that come with a bowl invite.
Advantages
Offense: Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are averaging 44.0 points per game.
Defense: Even. The Bulldogs give up a lot of yards through the air, while the Mean Green allow a lot of yards on the ground.
Special Teams: Louisiana Tech. Bulldogs kicker Jonathan Barnes has made all seven of his field goal attempts from 40 to 49 yards, and he also has a 54-yarder to his credit. The Bulldogs also have Carlos Henderson, who had a 92-yard kickoff return for a score a few weeks ago against FIU.
Coaching: Even. Holtz is a veteran that his this program heading in the right direction, but Littrell already has four wins with a team that finished last year 1-11.
Intangibles: Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have won five in a row after a 1-3 start. They are primed to continue their winning ways.
Matchup To Watch
Fine vs. Louisiana Tech secondary
The Mean Green freshman signal-caller has been a bright spot for Littrell, and they are only going to grow together in this offense. Fine has had an up-and-down season, which is understandable for a young signal-caller. But he’s going up against a pass defense this week that is very porous. Fine had been taking care of the football for the most part, but turnovers were costly in the loss last week. North Texas is a heavy underdog against the Bulldogs, but a big game through the air—mixed in with some big gains on the ground on broken plays—can give Fine and this offense a chance to be competitive.
Betting Odds
Spread: Louisiana Tech -21
Over/Under: 67.5
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas Prediction
Littrell has this team very much headed in the right direction, but the Bulldogs are currently one of the hottest Group of Five teams. Higgins and Taylor continue their magic through the air, and the Bulldogs pull away in the second half.
Louisiana Tech vs. North Texas Score Prediction: Louisiana Tech 45, North Texas 24
