NCAAF New Mexico Bowl Betting Analysis: Fresno State vs UTEP Preview & Pick

Following a great season, there have been a lot of personnel moves surrounding the Fresno State Bulldogs. We’ll see if this affects their performance in their bowl game, as the Bulldogs will take on the University of Texas-El Paso Miners in the 2021 New Mexico Bowl. It’s time to take a look at our NCAAF Betting analysis for the upcoming match between Toledo and Middle Tennessee so you can against their New Mexico Bowl odds.

New Mexico Bowl Betting Preview for Fresno State Bulldogs Vs UTEP Miners

Miners Back Bowling

This will be UTEP’s first bowl appearance since 2014. Their turnaround has been credited to head coach Dana Dimel. At 7-5, the Miners have had one of their best seasons since the bowl appearance in 2014. They’re averaging just over 25 points per game on the season.

Their passing attack is the strength of their offense, as they throw for nearly 250 yards per game. They also have a solid rushing attack, as they run for just over 140 yards per game.

Quarterback Gavin Hardison has thrown for nearly 3000 yards on the season. He has thrown for 17 touchdowns, but he has thrown 12 interceptions. Hardison likes to spread the wealth, as he has three receivers with over 500 yards receiving on the season. 

UTEP has a two-headed monster in their backfield. Running backs Ronald Awatt and Deion Hankins have led the way for the Miners. Awatt has over 800 yards on the ground, while Hankins has tallied over 400 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Miners have had a great season. They’re giving up just under 25 points per game. Their passing defense is one of the top-rated defenses in the country, as they’re giving up just over 200 yards in the air per game.

Their rushing defense isn’t too shabby either, as they’re giving up just over 130 yards a game. We’ll see if they can stop the powerful Fresno State offense.

Crazy Times for Bulldogs

Speaking of Fresno State, it has been a hectic few weeks for the Bulldogs. Coming off of their 9-3 season, head coach Kalen DeBoer left Fresno for the head job at the University of Washington.

All three of Fresno State’s losses this season came against teams that will also be playing in a bowl game.

The Bulldogs have one of the top offenses in the country, as they’re putting up just over 33 points per game. Their passing offense is ranked ninth in the nation, as quarterback Jake Haener throws for over 330 yards per game. We’ll see if the highly-rated Fresno passing attack can throw the ball against UTEP’s very strong secondary.

Haener was a source of controversy a few days ago, as he was rumored to be following DeBoer to Washington. After thinking it over, Haener has decided to stay at Fresno and will lead the Bulldogs in the New Mexico Bowl.

While much of the hype surrounding Fresno is because of the offense, their defense has quietly had a great season. They’re only giving up 20 points per game, which makes them the 21st-ranked scoring defense in the country. They only give up 127 yards per game on the ground, so they will be very hard to run against.

Bulldogs Top Miners

The Bulldogs are 11.5-point favorites to win the New Mexico Bowl. We think that the Bulldogs are the better team and that they’ll beat UTEP by a score of 34-20. 

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