The Arkansas State Red Wolves (-4.5) and Georgia Southern Eagles are ready to face off on the grass at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET and interested parties can witness the action live on ESPN+.
Betting Preview: Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves
Georgia Southern is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 4.5 points in this Saturday SBC game. In order to take the favorite, moneyline bettors would currently need to wager $200 to net $100 back on the Red Wolves (-200). The Eagles are getting +170 moneyline odds. If one team can find paydirt in the early stages, it will likely create a solid betting opportunity in-game.
The line originally opened at 4 and sharp bettors are siding with the Red Wolves.
The Red Wolves are 1-3 against the spread (ATS) and have recorded 2.0 units so far. The team’s recorded an O/U mark of 1-2.
The Eagles are up 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-0 ATS and have an O/U record of 0-2.
The Red Wolves are 3-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any SBC competition yet. The Eagles are 2-1 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Red Wolves are coming off a 27-20 win over UNLV last week where Justice Hansen completed 19 passes on 27 attempts for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Hansen (35 rushing yards on 13 attempts) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Marcel Murray (95 yards on eight carries, one TD). Kirk Merritt (five receptions, 34 yards) and Justin McInnis (three catches, 39 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Georgia Southern just suffered a brutal 38-7 loss to Clemson. Shai Werts completed two-of-eight passes for 20 yards. Werts (10 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) and Wesley Fields (27 yards on 14 carries) spearheaded the running game as Obe Fortune (two receptions, 20 yards) and Kennedy III (one catch, 40 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Arkansas State has run the ball on 50.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Georgia Southern has a rush percentage of 86.1 percent. The Red Wolves have rushed for 190.8 yards/game and have three touchdowns on the ground this year. The Eagles are logging 244.3 rushing yards per game and have eight total rush TDs.
The Red Wolves offensive scheme has averaged 276.3 yards through the air overall and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Eagles have recorded 81.0 pass yards per game and have two total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arkansas State has allowed 219.3 rush yards and 169.8 pass yards per game. The Georgia Southern defense has allowed 177.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 178.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Eagles are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.42 to opponents, while the Red Wolves have given up a 5.06 ANY/A.
Offensively, Hansen is up to 762 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has connected on 61 percent of his 99 attempts with 10 scores through the air and only two interceptions. Hansen’s got an 8.15 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 6.36 over the last two outings.
The Red Wolves will likely try to maintain tempo by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Along with Justice Hansen (25 yards), Marcel Murray (183 rush yards, one rush TD, one receiving TD) and Warren Wand (136 rush yards) have really been focal points in the offensive game scripts for Arkansas State.
Shai Werts has connected on 7-of-15 passes for 49 yards, zero TDs and zero INTs for Georgia Southern. His ANY/A stands at a horrendous 1.10 for the year and 8.50 across his last two games.
The Eagles also prefer to keep their RBs involved. Along with Wesley Kennedy III (48 receiving yards), Wesley Fields (59 rush yards, one rush TD) and Monteo Garrett (46 rush yards, one rush TD) have gotten a lot of touches recently.
When these two programs met a year ago, Arkansas State got the victory over Georgia Southern, 43-25.
Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Georgia Southern Eagles Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Arkansas State, ATS Winner: Arkansas State
Team Betting Trends
- The Arkansas State defense has 11 sacks on the year while Georgia Southern has just four.
- Georgia Southern has lost two fumbles this season while Arkansas State has lost three.
- The Red Wolves offense has created one pass play of 40 or more yards, while the Eagles have accounted for two such plays.
- The Arkansas State defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Georgia Southern has given up one such play.
- The Arkansas State offense has created six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Georgia Southern has created five such runs.
- The Red Wolves defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Eagles have given up three such runs.
- Georgia Southern was favored by 32 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was set at 49.5. The under cashed and Georgia Southern failed to cover in the 38-7 loss to Clemson.
- Over its last three matches, Arkansas State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Arkansas State was favored by 8 points in its last game and the Over/Under going into it was 66. The under cashed and Arkansas State failed to cover in the 27-20 victory over UNLV.
- Arkansas State has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last two games.
- Georgia Southern has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last two.
