Appalachian State Mountaineers vs UAB Blazers Pick, Odds, New Orleans Bowl Prediction 12/21/2019

Game: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs UAB Blazers

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019

New Orleans Bowl

Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: UAB +19.5

Total/Over-Under: 47.5

Zac Thomas and the Appalachian State Mountaineers are headed to Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Saturday, December 21, 2019 where they'll meet the UAB Blazers in the New Orleans Bowl. The spread on this game has Appalachian State as 19.5-point favorites. The Mountaineers are 9-4-0 ATS and 6-7-0 when betting on the total. The Blazers are 5-7-1 when wagering on the over/under and 7-6-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Appalachian State Mountaineers played the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and ended up getting the win by a score of 45-38. Daetrich Harrington paced the team in rushing during the game. He broke a long run for 25 yards and he ran for 1 touchdown during the game. He rushed for 89 yards by way of 9 carries which meant he was running for 9.9 yards per tote. Darrynton Evans was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 63 yards on 2 receptions. He had an average of 31.5 yards per reception during the game. Leading the way at QB for the Mountaineers was Zac Thomas who went 9/17 with 149 yards through the air and added 2 touchdowns. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Mountaineers ran the football 51 times and added 267 yards which had them averaging 5.2 yards per rushing attempt. For the game, they ran 68 plays for 416 yards. For the game, the Mountaineers got 20 1st downs and they totaled 6 penalties for 39 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. When it comes to their defensive performance, Appalachian State gave up 24 completions on 46 throws for a total of 354 yards, and a completion percentage of 52.2%. In the running game, the Mountaineers gave up 159 yards on 38 runs which is an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt allowed. On the day, they conceded a total of 513 yards and forced 3 turnovers.

The Mountaineers head into this matchup 12-1 for the 2019 season. For total yardage, they rank 2nd in the Sun Belt and 20th in D-1 with 5,662 yards. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country with an average of 39.4 points per contest, putting them 9th in D-1. As a unit, they are averaging 229.2 rushing yards per contest which is 4th in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers have one of the top tier defenses in D-1, allowing 20.2 points per contest which has them at 2nd in the Sun Belt Conference. When it comes to yards on the ground, Appalachian State is giving up 136.2 yards per game putting them 1st in the Sun Belt Conference and 37th in the nation. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.9 yards per carry ranking them 2nd in the Sun Belt Conference and 51st in the country overall. In total, they have conceded 1,771 yards rushing through 13 games. When it comes to yards through the air, the Mountaineers have conceded 2,682 yards. Teams are completing 54.9% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 6.2 yards per attempt.

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In their last game, the UAB Blazers faced the Florida Atlantic Owls and took the defeat by a score of 49-6. Running the show from under center for the Blazers was Tyler Johnston III who went 4/11 with 42 yards passing but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He gave away 1 interception in the game. Spencer Brown led the team in rushing for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 11 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He rushed for a total of 65 yards on 18 carries which meant he was running for 3.6 yards per carry. Austin Watkins was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 43 yards on 3 receptions. He earned an average of 14.3 yards per reception for that contest. The Blazers ran the football 40 times and earned a total of 139 yards giving them an average of 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. In all, they ran 59 plays which gave them a total of 223 yards. On the day, the Blazers racked up a total of 14 1st downs and they had 11 penalties for 83 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. When it comes to their defensive performance, UAB allowed 18 completions on 39 throws totaling 299 yards, and a completion percentage of 46.2%. Against the run, the Blazers allowed 286 yards on 42 attempts which gave them an average of 6.8 yards per carry allowed. For the game, they allowed 585 yards and forced 1 turnover.

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The Blazers head into this matchup 9-4. UAB has built a respectable ground game this year by averaging 159.5 yards on the ground per contest, putting them 68th in the country. As a team, they have compiled a total of 2,074 rushing yards through 13 games, so they will want to continue to try to improve on the run game so opponents will have to respect all facets of the game. The Blazers average 352.9 yards per game overall which has them at 106th in the nation and 10th in Conference USA. The Blazers are giving up 20.8 points per game ranking them 2nd in C-USA and 26th in D-1. When talking about points allowed, they have given up 270 points in total. In discussing yards on the ground, they are allowing 108.3 yards per game ranking them 12th in college football and 1st in C-USA. For the 2019 season, they have given up 1,408 rushing yards and 11.7 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the elite units in college football. They are giving up 186.8 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Blazers are currently ranked 2nd in C-USA.

Who will win tonight's Mountaineers/Blazers college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Mountaineers -19.5

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