NCAA Football Betting -- Fresno State-SDSU: Who'll Control the Line of Scrimmage?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Sat, Nov 17th, 2018 5:34:52 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The San Diego State Aztecs have upset on their minds as they visit the Fresno State Bulldogs in a battle of great defenses on Saturday night.

Well, "disappointment" is the only way to describe what the San Diego State Aztecs feel after blowing a lead against an inferior opponent last week, and that might also describe the way their fans feel about them. They may not have put forth an entirely focused effort in that one, but they better not have the same problem as they take the field against the Fresno State Bulldogs, in a game that is slated to kick off at 10:30 PM ET at Bulldog Stadium. Remember that if you are a BetAnySports customer, you'll be able to place wagers even after the game begins, as you take advantage of what is available through Live Betting Ultra.

The Aztecs held an eleven-point lead against UNLV last week, but then collapsed, allowing the Rebels, who were playing without Armani Rogers, even though he was healthy, to beat them 27-24. Naturally, coach Rocky Long was not happy with the performance, as he said he felt like his team could not control the line of scrimmage. And that is a sore point, especially when you consider that SDSU is fifth in the nation against the run, and now has Juwan Washington back in the lineup. They were actually outrushed by UNLV, which had, since the fourth game of the season, been missing the nation's top running quarterback.

So now they go into the fire; i.e., the lair of Fresno State, which has gained a reputation for being one of the top defenses in the country. The numbers certainly bear that out - they are allowing just 13.5 points a game, which is fifth best in the nation. They have also been very profitable since veteran coach Jeff Tedford, a Fresno State alumnus, took over the program, as they are 18-4-2 against the spread.

In the NCAA football betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Bulldogs are favored:

Fresno State Bulldogs -13
San Diego State Aztecs +13

Over 42 points -110
Under 42 points -110

San Diego State had just 89 rushing yards last week, and you better believe a guy like Long is going to address that in a big way this week. Is there a chink in Fresno State's armour? They showed some vulnerability last week at Boise State, giving up 448 yards in a 24-17 loss that ended the brief stay of Marcus McMariyon & Co. in the nation's Top 25. Of course, they were facing more of a precision passer (Brett Rypien) than the Aztecs have. But keep one thing in mind - the Bulldogs had not given up 100 yards to any running back for twelve games in a row, dating back to last season, but they have now done that twice in a row.

It would seem to be a simple question for the Bulldogs - if they can stop the SDSU ground game, they can stifle their offense. But at least Long has a couple of options he can call on at quarterback. Christian Chapman, who has been hurt for most of the season, is up and down, while Ryan Agnew may not be terrifically accurate (52%), but averages 14.4 yards a completion - more than any SDSU quarterback has in the last 22 seasons.

Fresno State has allowed its opponents to score points on only 60% of red zone appearances, which is second best in the nation. But the Aztecs can push that a little, as they have perhaps the best placekicker in the country in John Baron, who is 86% accurate through his collegiate career. And SDSU's last eight games have been decided by eight points or less, and the only streak longer than that was Texas Tech in 1998. So we are inclined to grab the points in this one.

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(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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