The Troy Trojans and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks meet Saturday in college football action from Malone Stadium. Troy sits at 7-2 overall this year, following a victory versus South Alabama last Thursday. As for LA-Monroe, they just finished up a game versus Southern Miss. In that one the Warhawks dropped to 2-7 with a 17-point defeat. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Troy Trojans 

The Trojans lost to Kansas State (42-13) and James Madison (16-14) early in the year, but since then they’ve won six straight outings. Troy has managed a reasonable 27.2 points per game so far, with 17 scores, four interceptions and 276.0 yards per game coming from the pass. Rush-wise, Troy averages 161.1 yards per game and has amassed 10 TDs in that time. 

Last Thursday against South Alabama, Troy was down early but ultimately scored 14 points in two different quarters during a 28-10 win. QB Gunnar Watson put up 271 yards with three touchdowns while Kimani Vidal led the rush with 125 yards and a score of his own. Tops in receiving was Chris Lewis with 120 yards and three TDs off four catches. 

Troy Trojans Team Facts

• Troy has won 17 of its last 18 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Troy has covered the spread in each of its last eight road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Troy has lost the first half in each of its last four road games against conference opponents.
• Each of Troy’s last seven games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.

LA-Monroe Warhawks 

Over on the Louisiana-Monroe side, they had some early success this year but ended up losing six of their first eight games. The Warhawks averaged just 20.4 points per game in that time with 19 total touchdowns. The running game averaged 158.9 yards per outing with six scores, while the Warhawks got 189.5 yards per game with 11 scores and seven picks from the pass. 

Back on Saturday versus Southern Miss, the Warhawks gave up 17 points in the first quarter and couldn’t score in the first half during a 24-7 loss. Blake Murphy managed just 81 yards and three interceptions, and Hunter Smith rushed eight times for 35 yards. Dariyan Wiley had a solid game however, catching three balls for 137 yards and a TD. 

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Team Facts

• Louisiana-Monroe has lost each of its last eight games against conference opponents.
• Louisiana-Monroe has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight home games in November.
• Louisiana-Monroe has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 games against conference opponents.
• Six of Louisiana-Monroe’s last seven November games as an underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Troy rank 12th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (16.1).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll stick with Troy in this one. The Trojans are rolling along nicely these days and coming off a nice effort versus South Alabama. Troy posted 400 total yards (271 passing) in that one with 21 first downs, but did struggle a bit on third-down tries with a sketchy 5-of-14 success rate. Still, Troy has gathered 27 or more points in five of six games during this current win streak and given up 13 points or fewer in each of the last five. 

As for LA-Monroe, they were a mess against a struggling Southern Miss team in their last outing. The Warhawks put up four turnovers, 10 first downs and 4-of-13 on third-down tries in that one. It’s going to be another uphill battle against Troy, and I don’t think LA-Monroe will quite get there cover-wise.