Sam Houston Bearkats vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Prediction and Picks – Friday, October 31, 2025
Use Code SSWC The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will host the Sam Houston Bearkats this Friday night, and we'll preview the lines and odds in our Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech prediction. The Bulldogs are 4-3 heading into Friday's game, while the Bearkats are still looking for their first win at 0-7. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM ET on Friday, October 31.
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What's wrong with Sam Houston?
It'd take less time to list what the Sam Houston Bearkats are doing well than the metrics by which their football team looks noncompetitive. The team is in its first year under head coach Phil Longo, a past offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who'd held that role at Ole Miss (2017-18), North Carolina (2019-22), and Wisconsin (2023-24) before taking the head chair in Huntsville this season. K.C. Keeler, who coached the 2024 Bearkats to a 9-3 regular season record and a win in the New Orleans Bowl, is currently leading a Temple Owls team that's 5-3 and sixth in the American Conference standings
Longo's Bearkats, of course, are last in the Conference USA standings at 0-7 overall. They rank 114th in passing yards (180.0), 115th in rushing yards (114.6), 129th in points (17.0), and T-133rd in points allowed (38.9) per game out of 136 FBS teams. They're one of only nine teams to average fewer than 300 total yards per game (294.6), and they're tied with Oklahoma State and UAB for the worst points-allowed average behind Georgia State (40.8). With one more loss, the Bearkats will have tied their 0-8 start in 2023–their first season at the FBS level after joining Conference USA.
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Hunter Watson completed 13 of 19 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, averaging a 68.4 completion percentage and 8.5 yards per attempt, in the team's 35-17 loss to the UTEP Miners two weeks ago. It marked the second game in a row in which Watson attempted fewer than 20 total passes–he'd completed 12 of 19 for three touchdowns in the team's 29-27 loss to Jacksonville State the week prior–but that's due to freshman quarterbacks Landyn Locke and Mabrey Mattaeur combining to throw 17 passes in the second half. Watson suffered an undisclosed injury at the end of the first half and was quickly ruled out for the second. No details regarding the injury have been publicly released, and whether Watson will play in Friday's game is unknown.
Louisiana Tech falls 28-27 to WKU in OT
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, tying them with Delaware for sixth in the Conference USA standings. They've lost two straight games to Kennesaw State (35-7) and Western Kentucky (28-27) after a 4-1 start, and they'll be looking to bounce back against a Sam Houston team that's lost at every opportunity this season.
Whether the Bulldogs' 28-27 loss to the Hilltoppers last week was bad—or tough, heartbreaking, or any other synonym for a closely contested game that nevertheless ends in a loss—is a matter of perspective. The Bulldogs entered the game as 4.5-point favorites, found themselves down 20-7 at the end of the first half, and scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to force overtime. They ultimately lost after allowing the Hilltoppers to end their first overtime touchdown with a successful two-point conversion. Louisiana Tech outgained Western Kentucky by 109 yards throughout the game, but they ended two drives with missed field goals and two more with turnovers on downs. The offense advanced 67 yards on a 14-play drive at the end of the first half, the last snap of which they took at the WKU five-yard line, and ended it without scoring any points.
Blake Baker completed 31 of 45 passes for 340 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in this game–good for a 68.9 completion percentage and 7.6 yards per attempt. It marked the first game of the season in which he attempted even 30 passes, let alone 40, and he did it while leading the team on the ground with ten carries for 49 yards. He's carried the ball 64 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns this season, playing significantly into a ground game that ranks 88th among FBS teams with 141.1 yards per game. Clay Thevenin and Omiri Wiggins, who rank first (296) and second (226) on the team in rushing yards and each have three touchdowns on the ground, combined for 36 yards on 15 carries against Western Kentucky.
Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech Pick
Spread Pick for Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech
- Louisiana Tech -16.5 (-118) (4 Units)
The Bearkats are 0-7 straight-up this season and 1-6 against the spread, only covering as 7-point underdogs in their 29-27 loss to Jacksonville State. They've gone on the road four times, losing each game by anywhere between 17 (41-24 at Western Kentucky; 37-20 at Hawai'i) and 55 (55-0 at Texas) points. They have rarely been competitive this season. The Bulldogs are 5-2 against the spread; I'd expect them to stay on top of things against the Bearkats, especially if Watson remains sidelined.
Over/Under Pick for Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech
- Under 48.5 (-105) (4 Units)
Only LSU and Kennessaw State have scored over 20 points against Louisiana Tech in regulation, and the Bulldogs' 49-14 win over New Mexico State is the only time they've scored over 30 points themselves. The Team Total Under is 5-2 in their games and 3-1 Under their last four, only failing to hit in that New Mexico State win and the team's OT loss to Western Kentucky last Tuesday. On the Sam Houston side, their offense is brutal. They scored 21 or fewer in five of their last six games.
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