Louisiana Tech vs. South Alabama Odds, Picks: The Team Total to Bet
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images. Pictured: Adrein Strickland (South Alabama)
- Louisiana Tech and South Alabama square off as part of college football's Week 4.
- The Bulldogs were smoked by Clemson in their previous game while South Alabama barley lost to UCLA.
- Doug Ziefel breaks down this matchup and offers up his pick.
Louisiana Tech vs. South Alabama Odds
| Louisiana Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13.5 -110 | 58.5 -114o / -106u | +400 |
| South Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13.5 -110 | 58.5 -114o / -106u | -550 |
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will continue their tough road stretch by heading to Mobile, Alabama to take on the surging South Alabama Jaguars.
Both of these teams took on Power Five competition a week ago, and each had strong showings. However, their contrast in styles creates quite a discrepancy between the two of them.
Louisiana Tech was able to take advantage of a slow start by Clemson last week, hanging around in the first half and trailing by only seven at halftime.
However, Clemson kicked it into high gear in the third quarter and pulled away.
Regardless, the Bulldogs still managed to cover the five-touchdown spread, and may be able to do the same this week.
As for the Jaguars, they are coming off of a crushing loss, as they were just seconds away from defeating the UCLA Bruins.
South Alabama started fast, as it led the entire first half and took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Jags were shut out in the fourth and would ultimately lose on a game-winning field goal as time expired.
That's all history now, though, as they need to bring the same effort again this week.
Can the Jaguars continue to roll? Or are the Bulldogs primed for another backdoor cover? Let's dive in to find out.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are a rarity in today's game, as they deploy an Air Raid-style offense. They've thrown the ball 69% of the time this season, which is good for the third-highest rate in the country.
They live and die on the arm of Parker McNeil, and to the surprise of many, McNeil found some success against the Tigers last week. He threw for 311 yards and one touchdown — although, he did only complete 55% of his passes and had two interceptions.
He and the Bulldogs may not have as much success against the Jaguars' secondary this week, as South Alabama's defense has been the reason for the team's early-season success.
The Jags' defense enters this matchup 25th in opponent completion percentage allowed and 51st in Passing Success Rate. The Jaguars are also 53rd in coverage rate, according to PFF.
Despite that, the Bulldogs are bound to have their moment on just pure passing volume alone, which will help our angle.
South Alabama Jaguars
South Alabama is a stark contrast to that of Louisiana Tech on offense, as it has been the model for a balanced offensive attack this season.
However, we may see the Jaguars keep the ball on the ground more in this matchup, given their significant edge.
The guy to keep your eye on is running back La'Damian Webb. Webb has had a fantastic start to his junior season, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and reaching pay dirt five times.
He is a tough man to slow down once he gets a full head of steam, as his 5-foot-7, 208-pound frame gives him a low center of balance.
He is bad news for a Bulldogs defense that has been absolutely ravaged on the ground. LA Tech has allowed opposing rushers to average 6.8 yards per carry, which is good for 126th in the country. However, that is the result of it ranking 120th in Defensive Line Yards and 129th in tackling.
The Jags should be able to keep the ball on the ground and move it down the field at will. Clemson had a similar approach last week, and its running back, Will Shipley, went for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Louisiana Tech vs. South Alabama Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Louisiana Tech and South Alabama match up statistically:
Louisiana Tech Offense vs. South Alabama Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 92 | 64 | |
| Line Yards | 124 | 85 | |
| Pass Success | 90 | 51 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 88 | 113 | |
| Havoc | 107 | 114 | |
| Finishing Drives | 92 | 62 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
South Alabama Offense vs. Louisiana Tech Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 52 | 130 | |
| Line Yards | 55 | 120 | |
| Pass Success | 28 | 38 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 47 | 100 | |
| Havoc | 21 | 88 | |
| Finishing Drives | 40 | 112 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 129 | 29 |
| PFF Coverage | 56 | 53 |
| SP+ Special Teams | 98 | 73 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.0 (58) | 27.2 (83) |
| Rush Rate | 42.1% (119) | 51.5% (82) |
Data via CollegeFootballData.com (CFBD), FootballOutsiders, SP+, Pro Football Focus and SportSource Analytics.
Louisiana Tech vs. South Alabama Betting Pick
There has not been much market movement on either the spread or the total for this matchup, and that is because it is about right.
The Jaguars are the superior team, but the teams' contrasting offensive approaches leave the over in doubt.
However, we saw just last week how the Bulldogs could hang around and even produce points against a stout defense with their Air Raid.
That is why I'm narrowing my focus to just South Alabama.
La'Damian Webb should have a field day against the Bulldogs' defense and account for multiple scores on the ground.
Overall, the Jaguars come in averaging 34.5 points per game and just put up 31 on UCLA. They should be able to fly over their team total in this matchup.
Pick: South Alabama Team Total Over 36.5 (-121)
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