A couple of schools that like to run the football, No. 20 Mountaineers (-17) are gearing up to greet their SBC foe Georgia Southern Eagles in Appalachian State. The matchup gets underway at 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPNU.
Betting Preview: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 17 points in this SBC matchup. If they want to take the moneyline, bettors would currently need to put up $1,200 in order to win $100 back on the Mountaineers (-1200). The Eagles are getting +710 moneyline odds. There could be some decent live betting scenarios for this game, and oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 49 points.
Sharp bettors have been hammering the Eagles. The opening line was -18, while the game’s total has yet to change after it was initially established at 49.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this season as the Eagles have gained 2.0 units and the Mountaineers are up 4.4 units.
The flawless Eagles are 4-3 straight up (SU), including 2-1 SU against SBC opponents. The Mountaineers are 7-0 SU overall and are also 4-0 SU in conference play.
The Eagles are coming off a resounding 41-7 victory over New Mexico State last week. the Eagles completed 2-of-4 passes for three yards. Shai Werts went two-for-4 for 3 yards while Gerald Green completed -of- for yards. J.D. King (143 yards on 19 rush attempts, two TDs) led the running attack while Wesley Kennedy III (one receptions, nine yards) and Matt LaRoche (one catch, -6 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Appalachian State is coming off of a 30-3 win over South Alabama. The defensive unit did its part in the victory, holding the Jaguars to just 52 passing yards and 87 rushing yards. Tra Minter had a good showing in the defeat, recording 94 rushing yards on 23 attempts for South Alabama. For Appalachian State, Zac Thomas completed 16-of-28 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. Darrynton Evans (46 rushing yards on 19 attempts) and Marcus Williams Jr. (94 yards on 11 carries, one TD) handled the running game while Thomas Hennigan (six receptions, 58 yards, one TD) and Malik Williams (three catches, 37 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Georgia Southern’s run the ball on 84 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Appalachian State has an overall rush percentage of 63.5 percent. The Eagles have produced 261 rush yards per game (including 277.3 per game against Sun Belt opponents) and have 14 scores on the ground this year. The Mountaineers are totaling 249.3 rushing yards per game (257.8 in conference) and have 21 total rush TDs.
The Eagles offense has logged 48.7 yards per contest through the air overall (58.7 per game against conference opposition) and has two passing TDs so far. The Mountaineers have recorded 195.4 pass yards per outing (199 against SBC competition) and have 13 total pass scores.
Defensively, Georgia Southern has allowed opponents to run for an average of 133.7 yards and throw for 208.6 yards per game. The Appalachian State defense has given up 186.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 140.1 yards per game on the ground. The Mountaineers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.24 to opponents, while the Eagles have allowed a 7.45 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Werts is up to 118 yards on the year. He’s completed 50 percent of his 36 attempts with zero passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. He has a 1.95 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 7.77 over the last two games.
In the hosts’ locker room, Zac Thomas has completed 96-of-141 passes for 1,081 yards, eight TDs and two INTs. Thomas’ ANY/A stands at 7.16 for the season and 6.23 over his past two outings.
When these two schools faced each other a year ago, Georgia Southern knocked off Appalachian State handily 34-14.
Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers Free Pick
SU Winner: Appalachian State, ATS Winner: Appalachian State, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The Eagles offense has recorded one pass play of 40+ yards, while the Mountaineers have put up seven such plays.
- The Georgia Southern defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Appalachian State has given up zero such plays.
- Both teams have produced 20 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Georgia Southern offense has recorded 58 running plays of 10+ yards while Appalachian State has accounted for 49 such plays.
- The Eagles defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Mountaineers have given up eight such runs.
- The Appalachian State D has sacked opposing QBs 18 times this season. Georgia Southern has registered just 11 sacks.
- As a team, Georgia Southern has averaged 5.4 yards per carry across its last three contests and 5.8 over its last two.
- Appalachian State has averaged 5.6 yards per carry over its last three games and 6.7 over its last two.
- Over its last three games, Appalachian State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Over/Under for Georgia Southern’s last game was set at 52.5. The under cashed in the team’s 41-7 win over New Mexico State.
- Over its last three matches, Georgia Southern is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Appalachian State’s last matchup was set at 51. The under cashed in that 30-3 win over South Alabama.
