Arkansas State Needs Win in Key Sun Belt Conference Game
The Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Arkansas State Red Wolves meet on National Television on Tuesday. Centennial Bank Stadium will host the Sun Belt Conference matchup. ESPN2 will have the telecast at 8:00 pm EST.
Oddsmakers have the Mountaineers as a 10-point favorite. Bettors have brought the total is down to 59 after opening at 60.5.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are riding high right now. They are starting to gather some support in the national polls and want to look good on national television.
This past week they received 38 points in the Coaches’ poll (29th highest total) and eleven voting points in the Associated Press poll.
Statistically speaking, they’re very impressive. Even when stepping up in competition they have punched with some authority.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves have not done as well as expected. Especially with the caliber of quarterback they have on hand.
Appalachian State Looks to Stay Perfect in Sun Belt Play
The Mountaineers gave Penn State a heart attack in the season opener, losing 45-38 in overtime. Appalachian State has prospered by going 3-1 straight up and 4-0 against the spread. They have swept through its last three opponents with ease.
The Mountaineers have held each of them to single-digit point totals. That’s the first time that has happened in 20 years. As far as average margin between yards gained and yards allowed, App State is tops in the nation.
They have the second-best scoring margin.
Quarterback Zac Thomas is a 6-1 sophomore and has been pretty close to perfect. He is ranked ninth in the nation in passing efficiency with 10.54 yards per attempt. That is fourth best.
The Mountaineers have averaged 6.5 yards per carry, which is also among the top five in the country.
Special teams have indeed been special and has delivered a score on a blocked punt recovery, kickoff and punt return. They are the only program in the country to have achieved that trifecta.
The team is Currently averaging 51.8 points per game.
They are among the top dozen teams in FBS football in both rushing defense and pass efficiency defense. What is scary is that they are a young team.
Among the nation’s 130 FBS teams, only Illinois and Coastal Carolina have a higher percentage of underclassmen on their roster.
Their last game was ten days ago, a 52-7 win over South Alabama.
Arkansas State Has to Play Better
Arkansas State’s last outing was rather disappointing. They lost 28-21 to Georgia Southern. The defense allowed the Eagles to ramble for 409 yards, despite only one pass completion.
The defense could not stiffen up with the game on the line. They allowed a 47-yard touchdown run with just 19 seconds to go.
Quarterback Justice Hansen is as skilled as it gets in the Sun Belt Conference, has thrown for at least one touchdown in 21 of his last 22 games.
Arkansas State is 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS. BUT these games taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday is a different story. The Red Wolves have won 15 of their last 18 in that situation.
ASU’s punter is definitely a weapon. Cody Grace has had only 11% of his punts returned since his collegiate career began. Only ONE of them has been a touch-back.
So he is the reason the Red Wolves are #1 in the nation in the category of Punt Return Defense.
No other team in the country has won five conference titles in the last seven years. This Tuesday night game has some significance, as Appalachian State looks very much like the class of the Sun Belt at the moment.
PREDICTION: Appalachian State 35, Arkansas State 21
Recent Form
| Name | Record | ATS | Offense | Defense | Diff | ATS Home | ATS Away | OU Record | OU Home | OU Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | 3-1 | 4-0 | 51.75 | 17.00 | 34.75 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 4-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Arkansas State | 3-2 | 1-4 | 26.40 | 29.20 | -2.8 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| APP-ST | 10.12 | 16.25 | -6.13 |
| ARK.ST | 17.95 | 13.46 | 4.5 |
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| APP-ST | 14.31 | 9.99 | 4.32 |
| ARK.ST | 11.66 | 11.75 | -0.09 |
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| APP-ST | 6.49 | 2.81 | 3.68 |
| ARK.ST | 4.65 | 5.70 | -1.05 |
Appalachian State Mountaineers
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 4-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 51.75 | 17.00 | 34.75 |
| vs Conf | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 52.00 | 7.00 | 45.00 |
| Last 3 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 56.33 | 7.67 | 48.66 |
Arkansas State Red Wolves
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3-2 | 2-0 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 26.40 | 29.20 | -2.80 |
| vs Conf | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 21.00 | 28.00 | -7.00 |
| Last 3 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 25.67 | 22.67 | 3.00 |
Supergrid
| Title | Stat | Rank | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense | 51.75 | 5 | 29.20 | 87 |
| Awy Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense | 293.50 | 25 | 93.00 | 4 |
| Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense | 149.00 | 65 | 216.00 | 117 |
| Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense | 26.40 | 89 | 17.00 | 19 |
| Hme Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense | 348.00 | 13 | 169.00 | 21 |
| Hme Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense | 192.50 | 64 | 149.50 | 54 |
Head To Head Summary
| Name | Record | ATS | OU | Score | Rush | YPR | PA | CP | PY | TY | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 32.00 | 201.00 | 4.32 | 29.00 | 63.79 | 306.00 | 507.00 | 2.50 |
| Arkansas State | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 36.00 | 238.00 | 5.80 | 27.00 | 51.85 | 177.50 | 415.50 | 0.50 |
Head To Head Detail
| Date | Away | Home | Score | Line | Total | OU Result | ARY | APY | ATY | ATT | HRY | HPY | HTY | HTT | Away Team Attempts | Home Team Attempts | Away Team Completions | Home Team Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2015 | ARK.ST | APP-ST | 40-27 | 309 | 208 | 517 | 0 | 108 | 357 | 465 | 3 | |||||||
| Nov 15, 2014 | APP-ST | ARK.ST | 37-32 | 294 | 255 | 549 | 2 | 167 | 147 | 314 | 1 |
NCAA Football Betting Odds & Trends
| Appalachian State Mountaineers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mountaineers are 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| Appalachian State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Appalachian State’s last 6 games | ||
| Appalachian State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| Appalachian State is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games on the road | ||
Arkansas State Red Wolves | ||
|---|---|---|
| Red Wolves are 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games | ||
| Arkansas State is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games | ||
| Red Wolves are 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home | ||
| Arkansas State is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home | ||
Appalachian State Mountaineers
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spt 29, 2018 | S.ALA | 52-7 | W | -25/56.5 | W/O | 348 | 169 | 517 | 83 | 225 | 308 | 1 | H |
| Sep 22, 2018 | GWEBB | 72-7 | W | -44/56 | W/O | 432 | 260 | 692 | 34 | 126 | 160 | -2 | H |
| Spt 8, 2018 | CHARLT | 45-9 | W | -14/48.5 | W/O | 139 | 295 | 434 | 95 | 108 | 203 | 0 | A |
| Spt 1, 2018 | PENNST | 38-45 | L | 24/54 | W/O | 159 | 292 | 451 | 204 | 230 | 434 | 1 | A |
| Dec 23, 2017 | TOLEDO | 34-0 | W | 6/61 | W/U | 327 | 131 | 458 | 22 | 124 | 146 | -4 | A |
Arkansas State Red Wolves
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spt 29, 2018 | GASOU | 21-28 | L | -3/53.5 | L/U | 117 | 376 | 493 | 348 | 61 | 409 | 1 | A |
| Sep 22, 2018 | UNLV | 27-20 | W | -7.5/66 | L/U | 197 | 199 | 396 | 310 | 23 | 333 | -3 | H |
| Spt 15, 2018 | TULSA | 29-20 | W | 2/71.5 | W/U | 214 | 191 | 405 | 167 | 172 | 339 | -2 | A |
| Sep 8, 2018 | ALAB | 7-57 | L | 36.5/63 | L/O | 173 | 218 | 391 | 278 | 321 | 599 | 0 | A |
| Spt 1, 2018 | SE.MIS | 48-21 | W | -31.5/ | 188 | 497 | 685 | 122 | 163 | 285 | 3 | H |
Next up:
Appalachian State home to Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday, October 20
Arkansas State home to Georgia State Thursday, October 18
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