The Appalachian State Mountaineers are set to face off against their in-conference rival Arkansas State Red Wolves at Centennial Bank Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPN2.
Appalachian State Mountaineers at Arkansas State Red Wolves Betting Preview
The Mountaineers are 4-0 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit this season. The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-0. The Red Wolves have gained 0.5 units this year. The team is 1-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-3.
The Mountaineers have gone 3-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Red Wolves are 3-2 SU overall and are also 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Mountaineers are coming off a resounding 52-7 victory over South Alabama on September 29. The defensive unit did its part in the win, holding the Jaguars to just 225 passing yards and 83 yards on the ground. Kawaan Baker had a good day for the Jaguars in that one with 17 rushing yards and a score on eight attempts, along with 89 yards on four catches. On the offense, Zac Thomas completed just eight-of-18 passes for 146 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jalin Moore (123 rushing yards on 19 attempts, two TDs) and Marcus Williams Jr. (59 yards on nine carries) provided the running attack in the win while Thomas Hennigan (four receptions, 65 yards) and Corey Sutton (two catches, 46 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties.
Two weeks ago, Georgia Southern got the win against this Arkansas State crew by a score of 28-21. The Red Wolves defensive unit allowed the Eagles to eat up the clock by rushing for 348 yards on 49 attempts, including three rush TDs. Wesley Fields was on a different level for Georgia Southern, putting up 98 rushing yards on 10 attempts, along with 61 yards on one catch. For Arkansas State, Justice Hansen completed 38-of-50 passes for 376 yards and one touchdown. Hansen (40 yards on 16 rush attempts, one TD) and Marcel Murray (42 yards on 10 carries) mounted the ground game in the defeat as Kirk Merritt (11 receptions, 92 yards, one TD) and Justin McInnis (eight catches, 60 yards) led the Arkansas State pass-catchers.
Appalachian State has run the ball on 62.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Arkansas State has a rush percentage of 48.6 percent. The Mountaineers have produced 270 rush yards/game and have 13 scores via handoffs this year. The Red Wolves are logging 175 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
It appears that the Mountaineers could hold an advantage when it comes to RB efficiency, as their backfield has generated 6.5 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 2.8 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Red Wolves have rushed for 4.6 yards per carry and allowed 5.7 YPC to opponents.
The Mountaineers offensive scheme has averaged 254 yards in the air overall and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Red Wolves have produced 296 pass yards per contest and have 12 total pass scores.
Defensively, Appalachian State has allowed 104 rush yards and 172 pass yards per game. The Arkansas State defense has given up 148.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 244.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.74 to opposing QBs, while the Red Wolves have given up a 5.45 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thomas is up to 711 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 67 percent of his 70 attempts with seven passing scores and three interceptions. He has a sparkling 9.53 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.09 over the last two outings.
The Mountaineers will likely try to maintain tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Jalin Moore (249 rush yards, three rush TDs), D’Andre Hicks (28 rush yards), and Marcus Williams Jr. (90 rush yards, one receiving TD) have delivered in the offensive game scripts for Appalachian State.
Justice Hansen has connected on 99-of-155 passes for 1,130 yards, eight TDs and two INTs for Arkansas State. His ANY/A stands at 6.90 for the season and 7.12 over his past two games.
The Red Wolves also like to rely on their backfield. In addition to Marcel Murray (90 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Kirk Merritt (zero rush yards, 204 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Omar Bayless (zero rush yards, 187 receiving yards, one TD) have seen a lot of touches lately.
These two conference adversaries did not get a chance to face each other a year ago.
Betting Prediction: Appalachian State Mountaineers at Arkansas State Red Wolves
SU Winner – Arkansas State
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
As a team, Appalachian State has averaged 7.12403100775194 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 8.3 over its last two.
Arkansas State has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.4 over its past two.
Arkansas State has lost four fumbles this season while Appalachian State has lost two.
The Mountaineers offense has recorded three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Red Wolves have put up one such play.
The Appalachian State defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Arkansas State has given up seven such plays.
The Appalachian State offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Arkansas State has created six such runs.
The Mountaineers defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while the Red Wolves have given up 11 such runs.
The Arkansas State defense has registered 13 sacks on the year while Appalachian State has just seven.
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