The No. 22 Appalachian State Mountaineers (-13) are set to face off against their in-conference foe Troy Trojans at Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and ESPN+ has the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs. Troy Trojans
Troy is a big home underdog in this SBC game and is currently getting 13 points. The Mountaineers are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Trojans are +375. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 64 points. If the favorites get behind early, it will likely result in a decent live betting opportunity.
The game’s total has yet to move after it was initially set at 64. Having said that, the opening line was 11.5 and the early action has slanted in favor of the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers are 7-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 5-6.
The Trojans have lost 3.6 units this season. The team is 4-7 ATS and seven of its games have gone over the total.
The Mountaineers have gone 10-1 straight up (SU), including 6-1 SU against conference opponents. The Trojans are 5-6 SU overall and 3-4 SU in conference play.
The Mountaineers are trying to maintain momentum following a solid 35-13 win over Texas State last week where Zac Thomas completed just eight-of-16 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Darrynton Evans (154 yards on 21 rushes, three TDs) and Marcus Williams Jr. (78 yards on 15 carries) mounted the ground attack in the win while Jalen Virgil (three receptions, 26 yards) and Corey Sutton (two catches, 45 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
On November 23, Louisiana knocked off this Troy team by a score of 53-3. The Trojans defense allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns to pass for 344 yards while rushing for 254 yards and five scores. Ja’Marcus Bradley had a good showing in the win, posting 96 yards on five catches for Louisiana. As a group, the Trojans collectively completed 18-of-40 passes for 203 yards and two interceptions. Kaleb Barker went 15-for-32 for 178 yards and two interceptions while Gunnar Watson was three-of-eight for 25 yards. Jamontez Woods (57 yards on 13 rush attempts) and DK Billingsley (68 yards on 10 carries) handled the ground game in the defeat while Kaylon Geiger (six receptions, 44 yards) and Reggie Todd (two catches, 33 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Appalachian State has run the ball on 61.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Troy has an overall rush percentage of 46 percent. The Mountaineers have produced 228.9 rush yards/game (including 243.9 per game against Sun Belt opponents) and have 28 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Trojans are putting up 152.9 rush yards per game (154.6 in conference) and have 18 total rushing TDs.
Based on the numbers so far, the Mountaineers should own an advantage when it comes to RB effectiveness. Their running backs has produced 5.3 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 4.0 to opponents. The Trojans have rushed for 4.4 yards per carry and given up 4.1 YPC to opponents.
The Mountaineers offense has tallied 200.5 yards per contest through the air overall (218.1 per game versus conference opposition) and has 22 passing scores so far. The Trojans have recorded 314 pass yards per outing (329 in the SBC) and have 30 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Appalachian State seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 143.4 yards and pass for 176.2 yards per game. The Troy defense has allowed 271.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 154.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Mountaineers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.54 to opposing QBs, while the Trojans have given up a 7.06 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thomas has amassed 1,845 passing yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 62 percent of his 253 attempts with 16 scores through the air and only four interceptions. Thomas has a 7.13 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.50 over the past two outings.
For the home team, Kaleb Barker has completed 245-of-376 passes for 2,984 yards, 24 TDs and nine INTs. Barker’s ANY/A stands at 7.37 for the year and 6.85 across his past two games.
These two teams met a year ago with the final outcome being a 21-10 win for Appalachian State.
Appalachian State Mountaineers at Troy Trojans Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Appalachian State, ATS Winner: Appalachian State, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The O/U for Appalachian State’s last game was 49.5. The under cashed in the team’s 35-13 victory over Texas State.
- Appalachian State, as a team, has produced 4.8 yards per carry over its past three games and 5.9 over its last two.
- Troy has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and only 3.9 over its last two.
- Troy has lost seven fumbles this season while Appalachian State has lost two.
- Over its last three matches, Appalachian State is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Troy’s previous game was set at 74. The under cashed in the 53-3 defeat to Louisiana.
- In its last three games, Troy is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Mountaineers offense has produced 11 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Trojans have put up eight such plays.
- The Appalachian State defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while Troy has given up 13 such plays.
- The Appalachian State offense has created 29 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Troy has created 10 such runs.
- The Mountaineers defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Trojans have given up 12 such runs.
- The Troy D has sacked opposing QBs 30 times this year. Appalachian State has produced 25 sacks.
