Sometimes, the season doesn’t go how you planned, but the prediction for Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP gives us a glimpse of how teams can turn a season around. The Bulldogs and the Miners square off in a Friday night battle of two Conference USA teams.
Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP Betting and DFS Preview
- Spread
UTEP -1 - Moneyline
Louisiana Tech -105, UTEP -115 - Over/Under
53 total points - Game time
9 p.m. ET - Location
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX - Predicted Weather at Kick
94 degrees, clear, 9mph winds - How to Watch
CBSSN
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Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
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Louisiana Tech Depth Chart | UTEP Depth Chart
While there aren’t any DFS picks at the time of writing, there are multiple players to keep an eye on for fantasy purposes.
- QB Jack Turner, Louisiana Tech
- RB Charvis Thornton, Louisiana Tech
- WR Cyrus Allen, Louisiana Tech
- WR Smoke Harris, Louisiana Tech
- WR Kyle Maxwell, Louisiana Tech
- QB Gavin Hardison, UTEP
- RB Deion Hankins, UTEP
- RB Torrance Burgess Jr., UTEP
- WR Kelly Akharaivi, UTEP
- WR Jeremiah Ballard, UTEP
If you’re a fan of running the football, then we have a game for you in Week 5. Both teams allow more than 200 yards per game on the ground, leaving the door open for huge fantasy potential this week.
Hankins and Burgess both average over five yards per carry for UTEP, which has been one of the few consistent pieces in the offense. Louisiana Tech wishes they had RB Keith Willis Jr. and RB Marquis Crosby, but RB Tyre Shelton and Thornton (both questionable) give them formidable options.
Louisiana Tech’s passing attack appears to be explosive, no matter who’s throwing the ball, and Allen is always a big play threat. UTEP is solid against the pass, but guarding Allen and Harris present unique challenges.
Prediction for Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP
The last time UTEP was a 1-point favorite this year, they lost by 31. So Louisiana Tech by 31? All jokes aside, the line indicates what we should expect: a battle between two teams looking to get back on track.
The Bulldogs kept things close for a while against Nebraska last week, but they couldn’t pull off the upset. A 2-3 start isn’t far off from what was expected from them in the preseason, but it’s disappointing.
Injuries continue to hamper their offense. Running back Crosby is out for the foreseeable future, and three other backs are either out or questionable for the game on Friday. QB Hank Bachmeier is also questionable.
In his place last week, Turner showed that he can be a solid replacement at the position. He’ll play a big role for a team whose goals remain in place for the rest of the year, and he got a few key players more involved last week.
Louisiana Tech’s Allen broke out last week after a quiet start to the year, and UTEP will have their hands full trying to slow him down. Harris continues to be a reliable player for the Bulldogs offense, and they’ll need him to be if the defense continues to struggle.
A 1-4 start is concerning for a Miners team that returned a good chunk of key players. In their last 3 games, they’ve been outscored 114-45. This is a team that’s only scored more than 14 points once this year and isn’t doing enough to keep them in games.
Turnovers plagued the Miners so far, with Hardison throwing seven interceptions to just five touchdowns. Hankins and Burgess give the offense bright spots, as both average over five yards per carry. It just comes down to the passing attack getting things going.
Tyrice Knight is doing his best. The senior linebacker already has 66 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, but he’s only one man. The rest of the front seven need to get up to speed if UTEP wants to stop the Bulldogs’ offense. Allowing over 200 yards per game on the ground won’t cut it.
Prediction: Louisiana Tech 28, UTEP 27