BYU Cougars vs. Utah State Aggies: 11/2/2019 Betting Pick

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The BYU Cougars (+4) aren’t traveling far to battle the Utah State Aggies at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. ESPN2 is scheduled to have the TV rights and the game gets going at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Betting Preview: Utah State Aggies vs. BYU Cougars

BYU is the road underdog in this game and is currently getting 4 points. The Cougars are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Aggies are -175. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 51 points, and if one side finds paydirt early, it will probably create a reasonable live betting opportunity.

The over/under has not changed after being set initially at 51. Having said that, the opening line was -5 and sharp bettors are siding with the Cougars.

The Cougars have gained 0.3 units so far and are 3-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-3.

The Aggies are down 1.0 unit this season. The team is 4-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-5.

The Cougars are 3-4 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Aggies are 4-3 SU.

These two programs met last year with the final result being a 45-20 victory for Utah State.

The Cougars just put together a 28-25 win over Boise State on October 19. Baylor Romney completed 15 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Lopini Katoa (just 37 rushing yards on 12 attempts, one TD) and Sione Finau (89 yards on 11 carries, one TD) provided the running attack while Matt Bushman (five receptions, 101 yards, two TDs) and Talon Shumway (three catches, 74 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.

Utah State just suffered a 31-7 defeat to Air Force. The defense let the Falcons kill the clock by running for 448 yards on 78 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. Kadin Remsberg put up a solid showing in the win for Air Force, recording 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts. For Utah State, Jordan Love completed 14-of-23 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown. Gerold Bright (24 yards on six rush attempts) mounted the running attack while Deven Thompkins (six receptions, 26 yards) and Siaosi Mariner (three catches, 38 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.

Each of these teams has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. BYU’s run the ball on 49.4 percent of its offensive possessions while Utah State has a rush percentage of 47.5. The Cougars have run for 121.3 yards/game and have 10 scores on the ground this year. The Aggies are putting up 157.7 rush yards per game and have nine total rushing TDs.

If 2019 results can translate to this game, then the Aggies might own an advantage in all aspects of the ground game, as their running backs has generated 4.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.8 to opponents. The Cougars have registered 3.6 yards per carry while allowing 4.7 yards per rush attempt to opponents.

The Cougars offensive scheme has logged 258.9 yards per game through the air overall and has eight passing TDs so far. The Aggies have produced 247.6 pass yards per game and have 10 total pass scores.

Defensively, BYU appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 217.3 yards and pass for 188 yards per game. The Utah State D has allowed 234.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 180.7 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cougars have given up an ANY/A of 5.85 to opposing QBs, while the Aggies are yielding an ANY/A of 5.98.

Offensively, Romney is up to 221 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 15-of-26 attempts with two passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. Romney’s got a pristine 9.04 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.15 over the last two games.

For the home team, Jordan Love has completed 134-of-215 passes for 1,451 yards, seven TDs and eight INTs. Love’s ANY/A sits at 5.46 for the year and 4.07 over his past two games.

BYU Cougars at Utah State Aggies Free NCAA Betting Tip

SU Winner: Utah State, ATS Winner: Utah State, O/U: Under

Team Betting Notes

  • The Cougars offense has produced three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Aggies have accounted for five such plays.
  • The BYU defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Utah State has given up three such plays.
  • The BYU offense has created seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Utah State has created 11 such runs.
  • The Cougars defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Aggies have given up eight such runs.
  • The Utah State defense has recorded twice as many sacks as BYU this season (14 versus seven).
  • BYU, as a team, has rushed for 3.8 yards per attempt over its last three games and 3.7 over its last two.
  • Utah State has averaged 3.5 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.5 over its last two.
  • In its last three matchups, Utah State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
  • The Over/Under for BYU’s previous game was set at 44. The over cashed in the team’s 28-25 triumph over Boise State.
  • Over its last three matchups, BYU is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
  • The Over/Under for Utah State’s previous match was set at 60. The under cashed in that 31-7 loss to Air Force.