UTEP vs. Northwestern Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 2

It’s going to be a trying season for the Northwestern Wildcats and their interim head coach David Braun. Last week, they fell to 0-1 in the Big 10 and overall after a 24-7 beating by Rutgers, the Big 10’s perennial doormat.

UTEP is at least on more stable ground as a program, and they’re favored in this matchup after starting the season 1-1 with their win coming against Incarnate Word. The Miners are coming off a 5-7 year and bowl eligibility is the goal for head coach Dana Dimel in his sixth year.

I’ll give you my pick for this UTEP-Northwestern matchup, but first you need to check out this great promo in the FanDuel Sportsbook. All you have to do is click the link below to sign up, then deposit $5 and place a bet on this matchup. After that you’ll receive $200 in bonus bets, win or lose, and $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket. 

Now, let’s get into the odds. 

UTEP vs. Northwestern Odds, Spread and Total

Northwestern vs. UTEP Betting Trends

• Northwestern is 0-1 ATS
• The UNDER is 1-1 in Northwestern’s games
• UTEP is 1-1 ATS
• The UNDER is 2-0 in UTEP’s games

UTEP vs. Northwestern How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, September 9
• Game Time: 3:30 PM EST
• Venue: Ryan Field
• How to Watch (TV): BTN
• UTEP Record: 1-1
• Northwestern Record: 0-1

UTEP vs. Northwestern Key Players to Watch

UTEP

Deion Hankins RB: Hankins has been very busy through two weeks of the season, already amassing 228 yards on 39 carries. The Miners have multiple running backs who get touches, but last week, Hankins got the lion’s share with 24 and went for 174 yards. It appears he’s going to be the No. 1 back going forward in about a 70/30 split with Torrance Burgess Jr. who went 10 for 85 and a touchdown last week.

Northwestern

Bryce Gallagher LB: Gallagher had a ridiculous Week 1 for the Wildcats finishing with 19 total tackles. Only four solo, but he was in on just about every play from his spot at linebacker. Gallagher is a fifth-year senior who had 90 and 100 tackles in each of the last two years. He likely won’t be in the backfield much or force many turnovers, but it’s great to have a sure tackler in the middle, especially against UTEP’s rushing attack.

UTEP vs. Northwestern Prediction and Pick

Gavin Hardison, UTEP’s quarterback, was good last week, but he still only threw for 94 yards. He went 10/13 with two touchdowns, but this is clearly a limited passing offense and a team that wants to run the ball a lot. They ran for 329 yards last week against Incarnate Word, and will likely use a similar recipe on Saturday against Northwestern. 

It’s hard to know how Northwestern will hold up against that type of run-game. They allowed 122 rushing yards to Rutgers last week while only gaining 12 themselves and allowed Ben Bryant, their quarterback, to be sacked five times. Defensively, they have Gallagher in the middle which helps and they did a decent job limiting the Rutgers rushing attack. 

Both of UTEP’s games have gone under and this is a team that has lost to Jacksonville State and only beaten Incarnate Word. Even though Northwestern is in shambles I can’t trust the Miners to go into Evanston and leave with a win. 

Instead I’ll play the under. Neither team is going to be particularly interested in airing the ball out or playing at a fast pace. Northwestern held Rutgers leading rusher to 3.5 yards per carry last week. It’s a low total, but I don’t think this game has much chance of clearing it. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change