College Football Week 4 continues on Saturday and we will see the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs travel to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on the Big 10 Network. Currently the odds for the game have Illinois favored by 3 points, while the total sits at 62.5. Currently 60% of the Public is on Illinois, while 60% is on the Over. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: LaTech improved to 2-0 by cruising to a 56-37 win over Rice last week. The Bulldogs scored the same total of points in their season opening, 56-49, victory over the Houston Cougars. LaTech's originally scheduled season opener was pushed back to Oct. 13, due to harsh weather conditions. Coach Sonny Dykes is in his third year at Louisiana Tech. He is 15-12 in his career and led the Bulldogs to the 2011 WAC Championship and Poinsettia Bowl. Colby Cameron was named Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the week after the senior quarterback threw for 276 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-37 victory Saturday against Rice. However, it’s the Bulldogs’ balance that makes them such a tough matchup for Illinois. Cameron and four running backs have combined for 578 rushing yards this season. Tevin King is averaging nine yards on his 35 carries and Kenneth Dixon is averaging 6.3 on 32 attempts. While the Bulldogs are one of the most impressive teams offensively in the nation, they are remarkably poor on the other side of the ball. LaTech is ranked last in the nation in total defense (585.0 ypg) and third to last in scoring defense (43.0 ppg). The unit will need to pull things together quickly if the team is going to continue its nine-game regular season winning streak, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the nation.
Coach Tim Beckman is wasting no time making his mark in his first year in Champagne. Illinois is coming off a 44-0 dismantling of Charleston Southern. The Fighting Illini had not shut a team out since Sept. 8, 2007 or defeated an opponent by a greater margin since Nov. 13, 1965. Illinois began its season with a 24-7 triumph over Western Michigan which was followed by a 45-14 loss to Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium. Unlike the visitors, Illinois has a traditional Big Ten smash-mouth style of play. The matchup with the Bulldogs is the second of a three-game home set for the Illini. The Illini's starting QB Nathan Scheelhaase is questionable for this week's contest as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that has kept him sidelined the past two weeks. After a quiet performance in his first appearance as a starter, Riley O'Toole exploded for 333 yards and five touchdowns through the air last week versus Charleston Southern. O'Toole also set the school record for single-game completion percentage (83.9), breaking Scheelhaase's record. After his breakout performance, O'Toole leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency (181.03). Junior wideout Ryan Lankford also had a career game versus Charleston Southern. Lankford hauled in seven receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, the junior has a team-leading total of 11 catches for 192 yards and three TDs. Illinois is much tougher defensively than LaTech's previous opponents. The Illini are ranked 25th in the nation with an allowed average of 298.0 yards per game. Opponents have managed only 17.3 points and 94.0 rushing yards per contest.
Free Pick: Im going to look to the Illini in this one. I feel that their defense is much tough than that of Louisiana Tech and that will be the difference here. Sure La Tech has put up 56 points in each of their first 2 games, but they have also given up 585 ypg and 43 ppg on the young season so far. Last week Illinois QB O’Toole threw for 333 yards and should he go in this one he will be facing a Bulldog defense that has allowed 392 ypg through the air thus far. The Illinois defense struggled in their lone road game vs Arizona State, but they still have allowed just 298 ypg thus far and in their two home games they have allowed a total of 7 points. Whoever QB’s for the Illini should have a field day vs the Bulldog defense, while Illinois’ own defense will clamp down the Bulldogs just enough to get the win and cover.
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