Two of the SBC’s best players will be on display in this game, as Brandon Silvers and the Troy Trojans travel to Kidd Brewer Stadium to play Taylor Lamb and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Appalachian State (6-1) and Troy (2-5) enter this week’s game on different trajectories. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 31 and will air on ESP3.
Appalachian State beat Georgia Southern 31-13 last week. Simms McElfresh had a solid game in the win, registering six receptions for 66 yards and one TD. Troy managed to get the win as well, crushing New Mexico State 52-7. Brandon Burks had an outstanding performance on the ground for the Trojans, rushing for 133 yards and one TD on 10 carries. Brandon Silvers also had a big day, contributing 288 yards and five TDs through the air.
The Mountaineers are a heavy 24-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
The Mountaineers enter the game with records of 6-1 Straight Up (SU) and 5-2 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Appalachian State is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Appalachian State run game is productive, currently ranking 10th in the nation with 275.9 rushing yards per game. Turning to the Mountaineers defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. Expect the 23rd-ranked Mountaineers run defense to cause headaches for the Trojans run game. The Mountaineers give up 120.3 rushing yards per game. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Trojans can protect the ball against the ambitious defense of the Mountaineers, who rank 10th in the nation with 2.3 turnovers per game. Based on its tendencies, the Troy defense will probably make it easy on the Mountaineers right from the first whistle. The Trojans allow their opponents an average of nine points in the first 15 minutes. Appalachian State can top most teams in terms of time of possession. The Mountaineers have an average time of possession of 32:51 per game for 25th-highest in the nation.
Across the field, the Trojans have 2-5 SU and 4-3 ATS records this season. The Trojans went 1-4 SU and 3-2 ATS over the last five games. Opponents have had headaches with Troy’s 25th-ranked pass defense, which gives up just 185.1 passing yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Appalachian State, ATS Winner – Appalachian State
Notes
Appalachian State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Appalachian State’s last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Appalachian State’s last 6 games at home.
Troy is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Appalachian State is 6-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
The Appalachian State defense has forced an average of 2.3 turnovers per game this season. Troy is 0-4 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Appalachian State is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 10th-ranked rushing attack will face the 95th-ranked run defense of Troy, while its 23rd-ranked run defense will look to contain the 113th-ranked rushing game of the Trojans.
