The Georgia State Panthers (5-6) put their three-game win streak on the line as they travel to take on the Georgia Southern Eagles (8-3). The SBC’s second-leading rusher, Matt Breida (1,495 yards, 16 TDs), and the leading passer, Nick Arbuckle (3,814 yards, 23 TDs), will be featured in this game. In spite of its shortcomings this season, Georgia State has shown signs of life lately, winning three of its last five. The game will air Saturday, Dec 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESP3.
In last week’s matchup, Georgia Southern won big over South Alabama 55-17. Matt Breida had a huge game running the ball in the victory, rushing 21 times for 187 yards and two TDs. Georgia State also won last week’s performance, defeating Troy 31-21. Keith Rucker had a great game for the Panthers, pulling in 10 receptions for 154 yards. Nick Arbuckle also had a great game with 368 yards and two TDs through the air.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 61 points and the Panthers are a huge 22-point underdog.
Sitting at 8-3 Straight Up (SU) and 7-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Eagles will look to improve heading into Week 14. In their five most recent matchups, the Eagles went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. A focal point of Georgia Southern’s offense is the run game, which ranks first in the country with 375.6 rushing yards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. The Panthers are not likely to run the ball very often at Georgia Southern. They are one of the least-effective running teams in the nation, averaging 99.5 rushing yards per game. It is critical for the Panthers to prepare for Georgia Southern’s big-play defense, which ranks 11th in the nation with 2.2 turnovers per game. The Eagles are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 9.4 points. With the ninth-highest time of possession per game at 34:03, expect Georgia Southern to control the clock this week.
In the other locker room, the Panthers head into Week 14 with records of 7-4 ATS and 5-6 SU. Over their last five games, the Panthers have a SU record of 3-2 and a 4-1 record ATS for those betting with them. Georgia Southern fans may be in trouble when the Panthers come to town this week. Georgia State averaged a whopping 370.4 passing yards per game over its last five matchups. During their last five games, the Panthers have also done a better job of keeping their opponents off the scoreboard. They’re allowing 30.4 PPG, but have given up an average of 24 over their last five. Georgia State’s pass defense has performed well over those five games as well, holding its opponents to just 214.2 passing yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Georgia Southern, ATS Winner – Georgia Southern, O/U – Under
Notes
Ga Southern is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ga Southern’s last 5 games.
Ga Southern is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ga Southern’s last 5 games at home.
Georgia State is 4-2 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Georgia Southern is 8-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
Georgia Southern is only 1-2) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 4-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Georgia Southern is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its first-ranked rushing attack will face the 84th-ranked run defense of Georgia State, while its 27th-ranked run defense will look to contain the 126th-ranked rushing game of the Panthers.
