What to know: UTEP Miners at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
What, when, where
UTEP will try to push its record past .500 when it once against travels to a place where it hasn't had much success, against Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana.
The game is set for a 5 p.m. Mountain time kick and will be streamed on ESPN+. It will be broadcast on 600 ESPN El Paso.
How is UTEP supposed to do?
Not poorly. The Miners are a two-point road underdog, meaning they would be a favorite on a neutral field. With an over-under of 53, they are predicted to lose 28-26.
Louisiana Tech has been a tough opponent for UTEP. The Miners won the first meeting in 1939 and also won last year, two of the three UTEP wins in a series Louisiana Tech leads 14-3-1. The Bulldogs lead 7-1 in Ruston, though the Miners were within a score on the last two trips there.
Who is Louisiana Tech?
The Bulldogs are off to a 1-3 start against a tough schedule that included losses to Missouri and Clemson. They are coming off a bye week after losing to South Alabama two weeks ago.
Senior quarterback Parker McNeil is at his fourth school after transferring from Texas Tech, where he didn't see game action in his one season. He's completed 55 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Louisiana Tech is ranked 91st nationally in total offense and 117th in total defense.
Louisiana Tech was an old WAC opponent at the beginning of the millennium then moved over to Conference USA in 2013. It and UTEP are two of the five current C-USA schools staying in the league.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs what to know
