Georgia Southern at South Alabama NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 10/3/2019

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Ladd-Peebles Stadium

Ladd-Peebles Stadium is the venue where Cephus Johnson and the South Alabama Jaguars will play the Georgia Southern Eagles on Thursday. South Alabama opens this matchup as 13-point underdogs. The Eagles are 1-2-0 ATS and 2-1-0 when betting on the total. The Jaguars are 1-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 1-3-0 against the spread.

Key Georgia Southern Eagles Injuries

09/29/19 RB Andrew Cunningham Undisclosed is questionable Thursday vs South Alabama
09/29/19 OL Brian Miller Undisclosed is questionable Thursday vs South Alabama
09/29/19 OL Jakob Cooper Undisclosed is questionable Thursday vs South Alabama
09/29/19 P Magill Bauerle Suspension is questionable Thursday vs South Alabama
09/29/19 FB Wesley Kennedy III Suspension is questionable Thursday vs South Alabama
09/02/19 DE Justin Ellis Knee is out for season

Key South Alabama Jaguars Injuries

09/10/19 RB Jalin Buie Knee is out for season

In their last game, the Georgia Southern Eagles faced the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and lost 37-24. Leading the way at QB for the Eagles was Shai Werts who went 6/12 with 37 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He walked away with no picks. Shai Werts led the team on the ground in the game. He tore off a long run of 21 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for a total of 93 yards by way of 21 carries which means he ran for an average of 4.4 yards per run. NaJee Thompson led the team in receiving yardage by earning 24 yards on 4 receptions. He notched an average of 6.0 yards per reception in the game. The Georgia Southern Eagles rushed the ball a total of 56 times and racked up a total of 215 yards earning them an average of 3.8 yards per rush. On the day, they ran 68 plays which gave them a total of 252 yards. For the game, the Eagles racked up a total of 18 1st downs and they had 3 penalties for 35 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. When discussing the defense, Georgia Southern allowed 11 catches on 18 attempts totaling 165 yards, and a completion percentage of 61.1%. In the running game, the Eagles allowed 275 yards on 41 carries which gave the opponent an average of 6.7 yards per run allowed. For this contest, they conceded 440 yards and forced 2 turnovers.

The Eagles come into this game with a record of 1-3 in 2019. They are one of lowest scoring teams in the nation averaging 21.3 points per contest, ranking them 112th in the country. As a team, they have an average of 201.8 yards on the ground per contest which is 6th in the Sun Belt Conference. For total yardage, they sit in 11th in the conference and 131st in the country with 1,006 yards. The Eagles have one of the worst defenses in college football, giving up 36.3 points per contest putting them 9th in the conference. In terms of yards on the ground, Georgia Southern is giving up 135.5 yards per contest which has them at 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference and 53rd in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.8 yards per rush ranking them 3rd in the conference and 56th in Division 1 overall. In total, they have allowed 542 rushing yards through 4 games. When it comes to passing yards, the Eagles have conceded 199 yards. Teams are completing 61.8% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 8.2 yards per try.

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In their last outing, the South Alabama Jaguars played the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks and were defeated 30-17. Tra Minter led the team on the ground for that contest. He tore off a long run of 40 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries which had him averaging 7.9 yards per run. Jalen Tolbert was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 44 yards on 4 receptions. He earned an average of 11.0 yards per reception for that contest. Running the show from under center for the Jaguars was Cephus Johnson who went 14/26 with 114 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He walked away with 1 interception in the game. The South Alabama Jaguars ran the ball 52 times and earned a total of 263 yards which had them averaging 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. In all, they ran 78 plays which added up to 377 yards. In the game, the Jaguars earned a total of 24 1st downs and they totaled 6 penalties for 46 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. When it comes to their defensive performance, South Alabama conceded 17 catches on 25 tries totaling 286 yards, and a completion percentage of 68.0%. Overall, they conceded a total of 430 yards but finished the game without a turnover. On the ground, the Jaguars conceded 144 yards on 30 attempts which means they allowed 4.8 yards per carry allowed.

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The Jaguars come into this matchup with a record of 1-4. South Alabama is making teams consider moving more up into the box by averaging 193.4 yards on the ground per game, putting them 45th in college football. As a team, they have compiled a total of 967 yards rushing through 5 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Jaguars average 333.4 yards per game overall ranking them 108th in college football and 8th in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars are conceding 31.2 points per game which puts them at 6th in the Sun Belt Conference and 102nd in college football. When talking about points given up, they have allowed 156 total points. In regard to rushing yards, they are allowing 179.4 yards per contest which puts them at 100th in Division 1 and 6th in the conference. For the 2019 season, they have given up a total of 897 yards on the ground and 7 rushing TDs. Their passing defense is one of the mediocre units in Division 1. They are conceding 223.6 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Jaguars are ranked 4th in the Sun Belt Conference.

Who will win tonight's Eagles/Jaguars college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Eagles -13

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