Sun Belt Game of the Week: App State vs Troy

When: Saturday, November 12 – 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL

Broadcast: ESPN3

Odds: Troy -1.5 via Oddsshark

This is the Sun Belt game y’all have been waiting for, Appalachian State (#1) vs Troy (#2). While there are still a couple of regular season games left in the season, this particular matchup is going to be a great indicator of the who will appear in the Sun Belt Championship. Arkansas State still has a shot at the title as they are also undefeated in conference play, but all eyes will be on the Mountaineers and the Trojans to see who will take the number one spot. Someone has to lose tomorrow, but who will it be?

App State Advantages

Kayla: The Mountaineers offense has been unstoppable and they look championship ready. The combination of quarterback Taylor Lamb and running backs Jalin Moore and Marcus Cox has made their ground game one of the best in the league. Lamb is now at a total of 1567 total passing yards for the season and Moore leads the league in rushing yards. The one thing that really sets App State apart from other Sun Belt teams is their relentless defense. The Mountaineers have held the last two teams to only 10 points, now that’s saying something.

This is going to be the best Sun Belt matchup of the season because of how similar the two teams are. Even Vegas doesn’t seem totally sure who’s going to win by looking at the spread. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a tough game for both sides, but if the Mountaineers want to win this one their ground game and defense are going to have to be perfect.

Predicted score: App State 26, Troy 24

Troy Advantages

Ryan: The Trojan offense has been good this year especially the five guys upfront. Troy’s offensive line has been so efficient this year only giving up two sacks. Senior lineman Anthony Garcia is one of the key offensive linemen for the Trojans. He has been creating holes for Jordan Chunn and has protected Brandon Silvers while in the pocket.

Troy’s defense has been the talk of the town as well. This defense is tied for third for most interceptions with 15. Alongside Troy is:

1. Cincinnati
2. BYU
3. Nebraska
4. Clemson

Even though this secondary has given up a lot of yards, they make it up by forcing interceptions. Blace Brown leads the Trojans with 5 picks. Along with the secondary Troy’s rush defense has been impressive. The Trojans’ opponents average 97.8 yards a game. Last week Troy held UMass to under 50 yards.

Predicted score: Troy 31, App State 24