Pinned
Link copied
The South Alabama Jaguars will be returning home after a two-game road trip. South Alabama and the Texas State Bobcats will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The Jaguars will be strutting in after a win while Texas State will be stumbling in from a defeat.
The Georgia Southern Eagles typically have all the answers at home, but last week South Alabama proved too difficult a challenge. South Alabama came out on top against Georgia Southern by a score of 38-31. The victory came about thanks to a strong surge after the first quarter to overcome a 21-7 deficit. RB La'Damian Webb went supernova for South Alabama as he rushed for four TDs and 247 yards on 35 carries.
There was early excitement for the Bobcats after they claimed the game's first points last week, but it was the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks who ended up claiming the real prize. It could have gone either way late during winning time for Texas State or Louisiana-Monroe, but it was Louisiana-Monroe snatching the 31-30 win. Texas State was up 21 to nothing at the end of the first quarter but somehow couldn't manage to seal the deal. Despite the loss, they had strong showings from QB Layne Hatcher, who passed for two TDs and 237 yards on 41 attempts, and RB Lincoln Pare, who rushed for one TD and 100 yards on 25 carries.
Texas State's defense was a presence as well, as it collected one interception and three fumbles. S DeJordan Mask picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown.
South Alabama is the favorite in this one, with an expected 16.5-point margin of victory. They are currently two-for-two against the spread in their most recent games, a trend bettors might want to take into account.
The Jaguars' win brought them up to 7-2 while the Bobcats' loss pulled them down to 3-6. A couple defensive stats to keep an eye on: South Alabama enters the contest with only 85.1 rushing yards allowed per game on average, good for fifth best in the nation. As for Texas State, they come into the matchup boasting the 22nd fewest passing touchdowns allowed in the nation at ten.
