The Georgia Southern Eagles (-3) will meet the Troy Trojans at Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. ESPN+ is scheduled to broadcast the action and the opening kickoff for this conference showdown is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Georgia Southern Eagles at Troy Trojans
In this Saturday Sun Belt game, Georgia Southern is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 3 points. The Eagles are also receiving -155 moneyline odds while the Trojans are +135. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 56 points. If Georgia Southern allows a score or two in the early stages, it will likely create a solid in-game betting opportunity.
The total has not moved after it was initially posted at 56. Having said that, the line opened at 1 and the early action has slanted toward the Eagles.
The profitable Eagles have gained 5.8 units so far in 2019 and are 3-4-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 5-3.
The lackluster Trojans have lost 4.8 units this season. They’re 2-6 ATS and also have an O/U record of 5-3.
The Eagles have gone 5-3 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against conference opponents. The Trojans are 3-5 SU overall and 1-3 SU in conference play.
These two teams faced off last year with the final outcome being a 35-21 victory for Troy.
Troy enters this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Georgia Southern has lost zero in a row. The Eagles look to keep it rolling after a 24-21 win over Appalachian State last week. the Eagles completed 1-of-4 passes for 16 yards. Shai Werts went one-for-4 for 16 yards while NaJee Thompson completed -of- for yards. J.D. King (69 rushing yards on 21 attempts) and the signal-caller Werts (83 yards on 13 carries, one TD) mounted the running attack. Mark Michaud (one receptions, 16 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Troy narrowly fell 36-35 to Coastal Carolina. The defense allowed the Chanticleers to eat up the clock by rushing for 191 yards on 39 attempts, including three rush TDs. Jaivon Heiligh had a good outing in the win, posting 107 yards on 12 catches for Coastal Carolina. For Troy, Kaleb Barker completed 26-of-35 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns. DK Billingsley (83 rushing yards on 14 attempts) and the signal-caller Barker (eight yards on 11 carries, one TD) handled the running attack while Kaylon Geiger (12 receptions, 145 yards, one TD) and Reggie Todd (four catches, 89 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Georgia Southern has run the ball on 85.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Troy has a rush percentage of 46.9 percent. The Eagles have run for 270.3 yards/game (including 291.8 per game against Sun Belt opponents) and have 17 scores on the ground this year. The Trojans are logging 143.8 rushing yards per game (137.5 in conference) and have 13 total rush TDs.
Judging by the numbers so far, it seems like the Eagles ought to have an advantage when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, as their backfield has generated 5.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.6 YPC to opponents. The Trojans have registered 4.1 yards per carry and given up 3.8 YPC to opponents.
The Eagles offense has averaged 44.6 yards in the air overall (48 per game against conference opposition) and has two passing scores so far. The Trojans have put up 319.1 pass yards per game (351 against SBC competition) and have 21 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Georgia Southern appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 136 yards and pass for 216.4 yards per game. The Troy D has allowed 275 yards per game to opposing passers and 142.6 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Eagles have given up an ANY/A of 7.22 to opposing QBs, while the Trojans are yielding an ANY/A of 7.58.
Offensively, Werts is up to 192 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 48 percent of his 44 attempts with two scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Werts has a 3.78 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 2.38 over the last two games.
The Eagles have tried to maintain the clock by feeding their running backs early and often. The tagteam of Wesley Kennedy III (326 rush yards, five rush TDs) and J.D. King (379 rush yards, two rush TDs) have been focal points in the offensive gameplans for Georgia Southern.
On the other sideline, Kaleb Barker has managed to complete 169-of-258 passes for 2,055 yards, 19 TDs and six INTs. Barker’s ANY/A stands at 7.68 for the year and 9.63 across his past two outings.
The Trojans should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Kaylon Geiger (584 receiving yards, five receiving TDs), DK Billingsley (535 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Khalil McClain (268 receiving yards and five TDs) have seen a multitude of action lately.
Georgia Southern Eagles at Troy Trojans Betting Pick
SU Winner: Georgia Southern, ATS Winner: Georgia Southern, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The O/U for Georgia Southern’s last game was set at 42. The over cashed in the team’s 24-21 triumph over Appalachian State.
- Georgia Southern, as a team, has produced 5.9 yards per carry over its past three games and 6.6 over its last two.
- Troy has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and only 3.8 over its past two.
- The Troy offense has lost five fumbles this season while Georgia Southern has let nine get away.
- Over its last three matches, Georgia Southern is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Troy’s last match was set at 61. The over cashed in the 36-35 loss to Coastal Carolina.
- In its last three games, Troy is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Troy has lost five of its last six games SU, with a 24-point win over South Alabama on October 16th accounting for its only victory over that stretch.
- The Eagles offense has tallied one pass play of 40+ yards, while the Trojans have put up seven such plays.
- The Georgia Southern defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Troy has given up 13 such plays.
- The Georgia Southern offense has created 23 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Troy has created six such runs.
- The Eagles defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Trojans have given up six such runs.
- The Troy defense has recorded 18 sacks on the year while Georgia Southern has just 12.
