Appalachian State Mountaineers at South Carolina Gamecocks: NCAA Football Free Pick

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The Appalachian State Mountaineers and South Carolina Gamecocks are ready to go at it on the grass at Williams-Brice Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 has the TV rights.

Betting Preview: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

In this Saturday matchup, South Carolina is getting picked as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 5 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline bettors would currently need to lay down $200 to win $100 back on the Gamecocks (-200). The Mountaineers are getting +170 moneyline odds. This matchup should provide several decent in-game betting scenarios, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 52 points.

This line initially opened at -4 and the over/under was placed originally at 51.5, so the early action has leaned to the Gamecocks.

The Mountaineers are 5-3 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.1 units so far in 2019. The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-4.

The Gamecocks have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 6.5 units. The team is 5-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 4-5.

The Mountaineers are 7-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Gamecocks are 4-5 SU.

The Mountaineers dropped one to Georgia Southern 24-21 in a matchup where their defense allowed the Eagles to eat up the clock by running for 335 yards on 56 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. Wesley Kennedy III had a productive day for the Eagles in that one with 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. On the offensive side, Zac Thomas completed just 25 passes on 51 attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Darrynton Evans (76 rushing yards on 17 attempts) led the ground attack in the loss. Malik Williams (eight receptions, 89 yards, one TD) and Thomas Hennigan (six catches, 78 yards) shared the receiving duties.

South Carolina just earned a 24-7 win over Vanderbilt. The defense let the Commodores run for 113 yards on 29 rush attempts. Ke’Shawn Vaughn had a productive outing in the loss, recording 87 rushing yards on 20 attempts for Vanderbilt. For South Carolina, Ryan Hilinski completed 24-of-31 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Deshaun Fenwick (102 rushing yards on 18 attempts) and Tavien Feaster (53 yards on 11 carries) handled the ground game in the win while Bryan Edwards (14 receptions, 139 yards, one TD) and Xavier Legette (three catches, 34 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.

Appalachian State has run the ball on 59.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while South Carolina has a rush percentage of 49.3 percent. The Mountaineers have rushed for 237.1 yards/game and have 21 scores via handoffs this year. The Gamecocks are averaging 184.6 rush yards per game and have 18 total rushing TDs.

The Mountaineers offensive scheme has averaged 204.9 yards in the air overall and has 16 passing scores so far. The Gamecocks have put up 224.7 pass yards per game and have 11 total pass TDs.

Defensively, Appalachian State seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 164.5 rush yards and 165.1 pass yards per game. The South Carolina defense has allowed 242.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 141.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.22 to opponents, while the Gamecocks have given up a 5.89 ANY/A.

Offensively, Thomas is up to 1,434 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 63 percent of his 194 attempts with 13 scores through the air and only three interceptions. Thomas has a 7.36 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 5.78 over the past two games.

Thomas Hennigan (394 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns this season), Darrynton Evans (752 rush yards, 10 rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Malik Williams (401 receiving yards, two TDs) have each played key roles lately.

In the home locker room, Ryan Hilinski has managed to complete 144-of-230 passes for 1,433 yards, nine TDs and three INTs. Hilinski’s ANY/A stands at 5.85 for the year and 6.94 over his last two games.

Bryan Edwards, Shi Smith and Tavien Feaster have combined for 526 total yards and three touchdowns over the last two games.

Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Free Pick

SU Winner: South Carolina, ATS Winner: South Carolina, O/U: Over

Betting Notes

  • The South Carolina D has created 19 sacks on the year while Appalachian State has 18.
  • The South Carolina offense has lost seven fumbles this season while the Appalachian State offense has lost one.
  • The Mountaineers offense has recorded seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Gamecocks have accounted for five such plays.
  • The Appalachian State defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while South Carolina has given up six such plays.
  • The Appalachian State offense has created 22 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while South Carolina has created 18 such runs.
  • The Mountaineers defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Gamecocks have given up 12 such runs.
  • Appalachian State, as a team, has produced 6.3 yards per carry across its past three contests and 6.7 over its last two.
  • South Carolina has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.6 over its last two.