The Sam Houston Bearkats and the New Mexico State Aggies meet Wednesday in college football action from Aggie Memorial Stadium. Sam Houston is fresh off a Thursday matchup versus Liberty. In that game the Bearkats lost by five points to remain winless so far. As for New Mexico State, they’re sitting at 3-3 overall this year following a win over FIU last week. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Sam Houston Bearkats 

The Bearkats had some tricky matchups in their first three games this year and had trouble finding the scoreboard. Sam Houston lost to BYU 14-0, Air Force 13-3 and Houston 38-7 in that opening trio. Game four versus Jacksonville State was a better effort but still a loss 35-28 in overtime. Bearkats QB Keegan Shoemaker finished with 285 yards, two TDs and a pick in the defeat. 

In the Liberty matchup last week, the Bearkats were up 10-7 after one quarter. Sam Houston was outscored 14-6 the rest of the way however and lost 21-16. Shoemaker managed 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and also led the rush with 52 yards. Noah Smith caught 13 passes for 97 yards to lead the receivers. 

Sam Houston State Bearkats Team Facts

• Sam Houston State has lost each of its last 12 games.
• Sam Houston State has covered the spread in three of its last four road games.
• Three of Sam Houston State’s last four games as a road underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.

New Mexico State Aggies 

Over on the Aggies’ side, they’ve alternated wins with losses in every game so far. First came a loss to UMass 41-30 in the opener, then a 58-21 blowout win over Western Illinois. After a loss 33-17 to Liberty, the Aggies took out New Mexico 27-17 before losing to Hawaii 20-17. New Mexico State QB Diego Pavia threw for 155 yards and two scores in the loss at Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex. 

New Mexico State clawed their way back to .500 on the year with a 34-17 win over FIU last Wednesday. The Aggies finished off with a 17-0 advantage in the fourth quarter. Pavia had 256 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the victory, and Jordin Parker led the receivers with a 49-yard TD catch. Ahmonte Watkins paced the rush on 89 yards from five carries. 

New Mexico State Aggies Team Facts

• New Mexico State has lost nine of its last 10 matches when playing with a rest advantage.
• New Mexico State has covered the spread in six of its last seven October games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Eleven of New Mexico State’s last 12 games as a home favorite have gone OVER the total points line.

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably stay with the Aggies here. Sure, that’ll break the trend that New Mexico State has opened up with, but the team should be in line for another solid performance at home. The Aggies need to get better on third downs, however; they went just 2-of-10 on conversions in the win over FIU. New Mexico State has scored 27 or more points in four of six games this year, so they should be able to hang a solid total in this one. 

As for Sam Houston, they played a good Liberty team pretty well during their last outing, even though they ended up losing. The Bearkats put up 327 total yards (255 passing) in the loss. They’ve now scored 16 points or fewer in four of five games. I don’t see a huge total here either.