The South Alabama Jaguars (1-2) will look to get back on the winning track when they face the Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-1) at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina on Thursday, September 19 at 7:30 PM ET. The Mountaineers are favored with a point spread at -7.5 (-105).
The Jaguars finally broke through and landed their first win of the season, a massive 87-10 blowout over the Northwestern State Demons. After the first quarter, the score was 24-10, but the Jaguars turned it up and went into the half up 52-10.
Gio Lopez put up 257 yards and four touchdowns on 15 completions out of 19 attempts. Fluff Bothwell had seven carries totaling 143 yards and had two touchdowns. The offense had a fantastic day, but was arguably not as spectacular since it was against a much weaker team.
The Jaguars' offense produced 622 yards and 22 first downs. Defensively, they allowed 237 yards and eight first downs and forced the Demons to have four turnovers. They also had more possession of the ball, coming in at a little over 33 minutes.
Their offense is now averaging 48.3 points per game, which is a bit off since their recent 87-point outburst. On defense, they are giving up 29.6 points per game. While their offense recently surged, they need to worry about their defense.
The Mountaineers returned to the winning side after a 21-19 victory over the East Carolina Pirates. They rallied down 16-0 after the first quarter and steadily chipped away at the lead to win.
Joey Aguilar converted 32 of his 47 passes for two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. He also threw a career-high 424 yards, with Kaedin Robinson being the leading receiver with seven receptions and 129 yards.
The monster yardage from Aguilar helped, as the team put up 505 yards and 25 first downs, had possession for 39 minutes, but had three turnovers total. On defense, they held the Pirates to 324 yards and 15 first downs and were able to force three turnovers.
The Mountaineers are averaging 26.3 points per game and giving up 31.6 points in return. One bad loss affected their average, but they are at least within reach against teams better suited to their skill level.
MyBookie has excellent college football betting odds in the South Alabama Jaguars vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers matchup. Market insights estimate that the Mountaineers have a 53.1 percent chance of winning.
The Jaguars have too many issues on both sides of the ball. While the Mountaineers have their share of problems, they are slightly more appealing on paper and should be able to cover the spread.
