The SBC’s top passer, Matt Linehan (2,228 yards, 12 TDs), will be on display when the Idaho Vandals take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Coming into the game, the Vandals are 3-6 while the Mountaineers are 7-2. The game will begin Saturday, Nov 14 at 5:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3.
Idaho fell to South Alabama 52-45 last week. Deon Watson had a huge game in the loss, hauling in seven passes for 109 yards and two TDs. Matt Linehan had a big game as well, totaling 317 yards and two TDs through the air. Appalachian State came up short as well, falling to Arkansas State 40-27. Taylor Lamb had a great game passing the ball for the Mountaineers, connecting on 22 of 35 pass attempts for 321 yards, four TDs and one interception. Malachi Jones also had a great game with 75 receiving yards and a TD on four catches.
The Mountaineers are favored by 20 points against the Vandals this week and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 66 points.
Heading into Week 11 of the college football season, the Vandals are 3-6 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Idaho is 2-3 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Vandals have seen an uptick in scoring recently, averaging 34 points during the last five games. They average 30.2 points per game on the season. Lately, they’ve made opposing defenses pay, averaging 181.6 rushing yards per game during those five games, higher than their season average of 154.9. During their last five games, the Vandals have also improved their pass coverage, giving up an average of 210.4 passing yards. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Mountaineers can protect the ball against Idaho’s aggressive defense. It’s ranked fifth in the nation in fumbles recovered with 1.1 per game. Idaho has only earned an average of 4.7 penalties per game on the season, making them one of the least penalized teams in the nation (12th).
Across the field, the Mountaineers have 7-2 SU and 5-4 ATS records this season. Over their last five games, the Mountaineers have a SU record of 4-1 and a 3-2 record ATS for those betting with them. Chances are Appalachian State will continue to rely on its run game, where its 254.1 rushing yards per game ranks 10th in the nation. Moving on to the Appalachian State defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Vandals. The Vandals are matching up with Appalachian State’s defense at an inopportune time. Over the last five games, Appalachian State’s opponents have only averaged 187.8 yards through the air. The Appalachian State defense will take advantage of every opportunity the Vandals give it. The Mountaineers generate two turnovers per game, 17th in the country. Teams need to stay focused in the first quarter against the fast-starting Mountaineers, who average 9.6 points in the first 15 minutes.
Predictions: SU Winner – Appalachian State, ATS Winner – Appalachian State, O/U – Over
Notes
Idaho is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Idaho’s last 10 games.
Idaho is 5-18 SU in its last 23 games at home.
Idaho is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home.
Appalachian State is 7-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Idaho is 3-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Appalachian State is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (6-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
