BYU at New Mexico Spread
Written by Anthony Moretti - Google +
The odds for this weeks game has BYU (7-2) the 26.5 point favorites over New Mexico (0-9). If that’s any indication, the Lobos shouldn’t pose any problem for the Cougars on the road. New Mexico is currently sporting the nation’s second longest losing streak at 13 games, and that looks to continue as gametime is set for 2:00 pm ET in Mountain West conference action.
Last week the Lobos played conference leader Utah in what turned into a 45-14 loss, with three td’s coming in the 3rd quarter. QB’s Donovan Porterie and B.R. Holbrook both threw td’s in the losing effort. In their defense, none of the QB’s have had much time to throw as the team is averaging 3.3 sacks a game, good for 114th in the nation. The offensive line hasn’t been getting much of a push in the running game either. The team is ranked 98th in the nation averaging 92.8 ypg. Without being able to run or pass, they’ve managed an anemic 14 td’s this year for 15.3 ppg.
The defense hasn’t been much better for the Lobos. They gave up 557 yards to the Utes, who averaged more than 7 yards per play. You can’t expect to win many games when you’re giving up 36.6 ppg, putting them at 112th in the nation. With a strong rushing attack coming into town, look for New Mexico to have trouble stopping the ground game. Currently they’re giving up over 170 ypg and this week’s contest looks to be another blowout.
BYU is coming off a victory against Wyoming in which it seemed the offense could do no wrong. They shut out the Cowboys 52-0, and QB Hall was nearly perfect. He went 20-22 for 312 yards and 4 td’s, improving his stats to 2543 yards, 21 td’s and 11 int’s on the year. Running the ball was just as easy, as they gained 231 yards and 3 scores. Harvey Unga has been a monster in that department, accumulating 783 yards and 9 td’s for the Cougars. The unit has put up an impressive 44 td’s and is averaing 458 ypg.
On the other side of the ball the BYU defense has been getting the job done. Against inferior Wyoming they only allowed 250 total yards. Their strength has been against the run, as they gave up 110 yards to the Cowboys, close to their average of 105.2. They’re looking to build on the momentum last week when they recorded three turnovers and three sacks.
This game is basically another warmup for BYU as they head into the last two games against Air Force and rival Utah, currently ranked 16th in the nation. If they can win out they have a great shot of finishing second in the Mountain West. They’re currently undefeated in road games, although the Lobos don’t present much of a threat here. Since New Mexico has put up 28 points or fewer in all their games, I give the Cougars the edge on the 26.5 point spread. The total is set 56.5.
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