Samford Bulldogs vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers Prediction, 2/20/2021 FCS Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Samford vs East Tennessee State

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021

Location: William B. Greene Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, TN

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Samford (-6.5)

William B. Greene Jr. Stadium is the venue where and the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (0-0) will take on the Samford Bulldogs (0-0) on Saturday. Samford opens this matchup as 6.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 56.5.

In their last game Samford took on the Auburn Tigers and were beaten 52-0. Liam Welch went 12/23 with 66 yards through the air but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He tossed 2 interceptions on the day. Jay Stanton paced the team in rushing during the game. He broke a long run for 6 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for 19 yards via 10 carries which had him averaging 2.0 yards per carry. Jai'Rus Creamer was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 20 yards on 1 catch. He earned an average of 20.0 yards per reception during the game. The Samford Bulldogs ended up rushing 30 times and generated 51 yards earning them an average of 1.7 yards per attempt. In all, they totaled 56 plays for a total of 114 yards. In the game, the Bulldogs earned 11 first downs and they had 3 penalties for 25 yards.

When discussing the defense, Samford gave up 22 completions on 32 throws totaling 251 yards, and a completion percentage of 69.0%. Against the run, the Bulldogs gave up 293 yards on 53 tries which means they had an average of 5.5 yards per carry allowed. On the day, they conceded 544 yards but didn't get any takeaways.

When it comes to getting in the endzone, the Samford Bulldogs were sitting at 35.2 PPG. Samford recorded 387 points and a total of 49 touchdowns, while averaging 24:42 mins of ball control per contest. Samford compiled 119 passing first downs and 135 rushing first downs.

In their last game East Tennessee State played the Vanderbilt Commodores and took the defeat by a score of 38-0. Jacob Saylors led the team in rushing for that contest. He broke a long run for 12 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He scurried for 51 yards on 14 carries which meant he averaged 4.0 yards per run. Anthony Spagnoletti was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 33 yards on 2 catches. He had an average of 16.5 yards per catch for that contest. Trey Mitchell went 5/12 with 50 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The East Tennessee State Buccaneers ran the ball 35 times and racked up a total of 37 yards giving them an average of 1.1 yards per attempt. On the day, the Buccaneers racked up 8 1st downs and they had a total of 1 infraction for 5 yards. In all, they finished with a total of 52 plays which gave them a total of 105 yards.

When it comes to their defensive performance, East Tennessee State gave up 17 completions on 26 tries for a total of 198 yards, and a completion percentage of 65.0%. In the game, they allowed 418 yards but finished the game without a turnover. In the running game, the Buccaneers gave up 220 yards on 31 attempts which gave them an average of 7.1 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

When it comes to how much they scored, the Buccaneers were scoring 33.9 PPG. Holding an average of 30:04 minutes per game of ball control, the Buccaneers recorded 28 touchdowns in addition to 373 points last year. They had a tally of 107 first downs through the run game and 77 first downs via the pass last season.

Who will win tonight's FCS game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Samford (-6.5)

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