Cody Clements and the South Alabama Jaguars battle James Tabary and the Arkansas State Red Wolves in a game that will feature two of the SBC’s best players to start this young season. In spite of its shortcomings this season, Arkansas State (2-3) has shown signs of life lately, winning two of their last three. The game kicks off Tuesday, Oct 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESP2.
In its last game before the bye, South Alabama defeated Troy 24-18. Gerald Everett had a good performance in the victory, grabbing five receptions for 45 yards and two TDs. Josh Magee also had a great game with 118 receiving yards on three catches. Arkansas State also won its game before the bye, defeating Idaho 49-35. Michael Gordon had a huge game running the ball for the Red Wolves, rushing 26 times for 221 yards and three TDs. Warren Wand put up 70 rushing yards and a TD on six carries.
Arkansas State is a six-point favorite in this game against the Jaguars.
Even with a positive Straight Up (SU) record of 3-2, the Jaguars have not been an excellent bet so far this year, going 2-3 Against The Spread (ATS). An important aspect of the game will be if the Jaguars can capitalize on Arkansas State’s tendency to throw interceptions. The Red Wolves currently rank 121st in the nation with 1.8 thrown per game. On average, the Red Wolves earn nine flags each game, one of the worst rates in the nation. Such errors could be beneficial for the Jaguars if they persist into this week’s game.
Over on the other sideline, the Red Wolves head into Week 7 with records of 2-3 for both ATS and SU. Chances are Arkansas State will rely on its run game against a defense that allows 204.8 rushing yards per game, ranking 103rd in the nation. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the Jaguars to keep up with Arkansas State’s defense in a few areas. The Red Wolves’ secondary will be looking to pad their stats when they face off against the Jaguars, who rank 108th in terms of completion percentage with an average of only 52.5%. The Red Wolves can do some damage if they take the ball away from the Jaguars. The Jaguars rank 110th in the country in turnovers with 2.2 per game. The Jaguars will have to stay focused in the second quarter against Arkansas State. The Red Wolves usually finish off the first half with dominance, averaging 13.2 points during the second quarter. Arkansas State has put in some strong special teams performances this season. The team has averaged 140 return yards per game, ranking them fifth in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Arkansas State, ATS Winner – Arkansas State
Notes
South Alabama is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of South Alabama’s last 7 games.
South Alabama is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
South Alabama is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of South Alabama’s last 6 games at home.
Arkansas State is 2-1 SU when leading at the half this season. South Alabama is 2-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Arkansas State is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Arkansas State defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers per game this season. South Alabama is just 1-3 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
