The SBC’s top passer, Matt Linehan (1,911 yards, 10 TDs), will be on display when the Idaho Vandals meet the South Alabama Jaguars. It’s been a rough season for South Alabama (3-4) and it hasn’t gotten any better as of late, having lost three of its last four. Players will take the field Saturday, Nov 7 at 3:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESP3.
South Alabama was defeated by Texas State 36-18 in their last game. Marvin Shinn had a good game in the loss, totaling three receptions for 94 yards. Idaho came up short as well, getting beat by New Mexico State 55-48. Elijhaa Penny had an outstanding performance on the ground for the Vandals, gaining 192 yards and two TDs on 35 carries. He added 58 yards and a TD on three receptions. Callen Hightower also had a big game with 115 receiving yards and a TD on 10 receptions.
South Alabama is a five-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable.
Heading into Week 10 of the college football season, the Jaguars are 3-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Jaguars have records of 2-3 for both SU and ATS. The Jaguars have a strong passing game with an average of 13.9 yards per pass, good enough for 23rd in the country. Transitioning to the South Alabama defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Vandals will be matching up against a stout South Alabama pass defense, which only allowed 158.2 passing yards over their last five matchups. South Alabama’s secondary should be ready to play against the Vandals, who rank 117th in the nation with 1.5 interceptions thrown per game.
On the other side, the Vandals have 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Idaho has a record of 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Vandals like to keep the ball in the air. On average, they pass 40.2 times per game. The Idaho pass defense has given teams fits during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of only 213.0 passing yards against this intimidating unit. The Jaguars need to secure the ball against the fumble-minded Vandals. They’re 10th in the country in fumbles recovered with one per game. Idaho fans don’t normally have much to complain about when it comes to the refs. The Vandals record very few penalties, ranking 20th with only 4.9 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – South Alabama, ATS Winner – Idaho
Notes
South Alabama is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games.
South Alabama is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of South Alabama’s last 9 games.
South Alabama is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of South Alabama’s last 5 games at home.
Idaho is 3-1 SU when leading at the half this season. South Alabama is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, South Alabama is winless (0-3) SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The South Alabama rushing attack is ranked 102nd nationally, while the Idaho run defense is only ranked 124th. The Vandals rushing game is ranked 93rd, compared to the 114th-ranked run defense of the Jaguars.
