The Wyoming Cowboys (+21) are heading west to visit their conference nemesis Fresno State Bulldogs at Bulldog Stadium. ESPNU will broadcast the action and kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Wyoming Cowboys at Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State has been tabbed as heavily favored in this matchup and is currently giving up 21 points to Wyoming. It appears that there will likely be multiple good live betting possibilities for this game, and the over/under for this matchup hasn’t been released yet.
This game’s line initially opened at -20, but has recently shifted.
The disappointing Cowboys have lost 2.9 units so far and are 1-5 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-2.
The Bulldogs have gained 1.9 units this season. The team is 4-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-3.
The Cowboys are just 2-4 straight up (SU), including 0-2 SU against conference opponents. The Bulldogs are 4-1 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
Wyoming enters this matchup on a three-game winning streak while Fresno State has come up short in each of its last two. The Cowboys are trying to bounce back after a 17-13 defeat to Hawaii last weekTheir defense allowed the Rainbow Warriors to eat up the clock by running for 156 yards on 37 rush attempts. Dayton Furuta posted a good day for the Rainbow Warriors in that one with 101 rushing yards on 16 attempts. On the offense, Tyler Vander Waal completed just nine passes on 16 attempts for 87 yards. Nico Evans (192 yards on 24 rush attempts) led the running attack in the loss. James Price (three receptions, 38 yards) and Raghib Ismail Jr. (three catches, 19 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Fresno State enters this one after just earning a blowout 21-3 win over Nevada. The team’s defensive unit let the Wolf Pack rush for 132 yards on 43 attempts. Kaleb Fossum was a bright spot in the defeat, recording 97 yards on 12 catches for Nevada. For Fresno State, Marcus McMaryion completed 20-of-28 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Mims (11 yards on eight rush attempts) spearheaded the ground game in the win as KeeSean Johnson (seven receptions, 65 yards, one TD) and Jamire Jordan (three catches, 19 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Wyoming has run the ball on 57.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Fresno State has an overall rush percentage of 53.8 percent. The Cowboys have rushed for 144.3 yards per game (including 119.0 per game against Mountain West opponents) and have seven scores via handoffs this year. The Bulldogs are totaling 138.4 rush yards per game and have 14 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers can translate to this game, then the Bulldogs should have the advantage when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has allowed just four sacks while their D-line has registered 12 sacks. The Cowboys offensive line has given up 18 sacks and their defense has got to opposing signal-callerss on just 11 occasions.
The Cowboys offense has logged 148.2 yards per contest through the air overall (150.5 per game versus conference opposition) and has three passing TDs so far. The Bulldogs have produced 267.6 pass yards per outing and have 10 total pass scores.
Wyoming has allowed opponents to run for an average of 134.5 yards and pass for 237.8 yards per game. The Fresno State defense has allowed 192.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 124.4 yards per game on the ground. The Bulldogs are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 2.89 to opponents, while the Cowboys have given up a 6.06 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Vander Waal has amassed 675 yards on the year, and has connected on 54 percent of his 127 attempts with two scores through the air and two interceptions. He’s got a 3.64 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.45 over the last two games.
Nico Evans, James Price and Raghib Ismail Jr. have combined for 538 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
For the home team, Marcus McMaryion has completed 84-of-119 passes for 923 yards, five TDs and one INT. McMaryion’s ANY/A stands at 7.83 for the season and 11.00 over his last two games.
Similar to the Cowboys, expect a balanced approach offensively from Fresno State this Saturday. Jordan Mims, KeeSean Johnson and Jared Rice have combined for 502 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over the last two outings.
When these two schools met a year ago, Fresno State won by a pair of field goals 13-7.
Wyoming Cowboys at Fresno State Bulldogs Free Pick
SU Winner: Fresno State, ATS Winner: Wyoming
Betting Trends
- Fresno State has lost three fumbles this season while Wyoming has lost two.
- The Fresno State defensive unit has notched 12 sacks on the year while Wyoming has 11.
- As a team, Wyoming has averaged 3.84705882352941 yards per rush attempt over its past three outings and 4.1 over its last two.
- Fresno State has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.5 over its last two.
- Over its last three matchups, Fresno State is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Wyoming was getting 4 points in its last game and the Over/Under going into it was 51. The under cashed and the spread pushed in the 17-13 loss to Hawaii.
- Fresno State was the underdog by 17 points in its previous game and the O/U was set at 59. The under cashed and Fresno State covered in the 21-3 triumph over Nevada.
- Wyoming has lost five of its last six games SU, with a three-point victory over Wofford on September 15th accounting for the only win over that stretch.
