The Georgia State Panthers travel way up north to Moscow, Idaho to get it on with the Idaho Vandals on Saturday, December 3rd. The Sun Belt Conference match-up is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET and can be followed on the ESPN3 Network. Enter the game in the Kibbie Dome, the Vandals are -6.5 point favorite and the contest’s total rests at 52.5 points.
Georgia State (3-8):
Georgia State had lost three straight matches before claiming a triumph in their last game on November, 19th against the Georgia Southern Eagles. As a result, head coach Trent Miles was fired with two games remaining in the season after going 9-38. Interim coach Tim Lappano is running the show in the meantime.
In the 30-24 victory, quarterback Conner Manning went 21 of 39 passing for 318 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This season, Manning has completed 185 passes for 2,418 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine picks.
Georgia State is a pass heavy offense, in large part do to it’s dismal ground attack. Kyler Neal is the top running back, logging just 268 yards and two scores on 60 carries. Throughout the season, the Panthers have only ran for 87.3 yards per game which is 126th in the country.
Three panther wide outs have produced in the passing game for Georgia State this year. Altogether, they have reeled in 120 balls for over 1,500 yards and eight scores. Running back Glenn Smith is second on the team with 36 catches and three touchdowns.
The Georgia State defense will be in need of an overhaul to start their 2017 campaign. A strong focus on stopping the run will be first on the list, as the Panthers rank 90th in the nation against the run. Surprisingly, their secondary has performed quite well, ranking ninth in the country, giving way to only 177 yards per game.
Idaho (7-4):
It has been a real nice year for Paul Petrino’s Idaho Vandals. Unpredictably, they are headed to a bowl game for the first time since 2009. The Vandals have played in two bowl games in the program’s history, and both were the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise on the “Smurf Turf” in 1998 and 2009.
The Vandals like to play a balanced brand of football, so they don’t ask to much of their starting signal-caller. When called upon, quarterback Matt Linehan has thrown for 2,677 yards with 12 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
When the Vandals are grinding out the yards via the ground attack, they look to two steady tail-backs to handle the work load. Combined, the duo has advanced the pigskin 233 times for over 1,050 yards with 10 trips to the back of the end zone. Back field mate Denzal Brantley has stepped-up his game, scoring three touchdowns over the last four contests.
Quarterback Matt Linehan isn’t stingy about who he tosses the ball around to. Three different wide outs have acquired 91 passes for over 1,300 yards and four scores. Linehan really likes to get the ball to his tight end Trent Cowan. This year, the big target has snatched 43 catches 517 yards and a team-high five touchdowns.
Opposite of the Panthers, the Vandals have a hard time stopping the pass. This year, they rank 110th, which is good for 269.9 yards a game. Idaho’s front seven does play better, limiting opposing running backs to 150 yards again (44th).
Trends and Notes:
The Panthers are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 conference games.
The Vandals are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 conference games.
The Under is 4-0 in the Panthers last 4 road games.
The Over is 8-3 in the Vandals last 11 conference games.
Game Prediction:
The Panthers have struggled all season, and the Vandals are just a better football team. Expect Idaho to take advantage of that porous Panthers run-stop, setting the tone for a long day for the Panthers defense.
The Vandals should breeze to a fairly easy win and will officially find out its bowl opponent after the contest. Although, the result of this game will not change the probability that the Vandals are headed to the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl in Tucson. Take the Vandals -5 half-time in this Sun Belt affair on Saturday.
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