The Liberty Flames and Jacksonville State Gamecocks meet Saturday in college football action at AmFirst Stadium. Here’s a Jacksonville State vs Liberty Prediction. This article will include a Jacksonville State vs Liberty Pick.
Liberty Flames Betting Preview
The Liberty Flames beat Maine, and they play Bowling Green and James Madison next. The Liberty Flames look for a sixth straight 2-0 start. Ethan Vasko is completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 197 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Reese Smith and Jamari Person have combined for 85 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, while Donte Lee Jr. has 3 receptions.
The Liberty Flames ground game is averaging 194 yards per contest, and Ethan Vasko leads the way with 63 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensively, Liberty is allowing 7 points and 316 yards per game. Aidan Vaughan leads the Liberty Flames with 6 tackles, CJ Bazile Jr. has 1.5 sacks and Amarian Williams has 1 interception.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks Betting Preview
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks lost to UCF, and they play Georgia Southern and Murray State next. Jacksonville State hope to avoid back-to-back 0-2 starts. Gavin Wimsatt is completing 51.7 percent of his passes for 139 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Cam Cook and Deondre Johnson have combined for 78 receiving yards on 6 catches, while Brock Rechsteiner has 3 receptions.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks ground game is averaging 165 yards per contest, and Cam Cook leads the way with 75 yards on 17 carries. Defensively, Jacksonville State is allowing 17 points and 424 yards per game. Trevor Woods leads the Jacksonville State Gamecocks with 8 tackles, Gharin Stansbury has 1 sack and Jaheim Jenkins has 1 pass deflection.
Why the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will win
- Jacksonville State has won each of its last seven home games against conference opponents.
- Jacksonville State has covered the spread in each of its last five games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Liberty has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games as a road favorite.
- Jacksonville State has won the first half in each of its last six home games against conference opponents.
- Jacksonville State has won the first quarter in five of its last six home games against conference opponents.
Why the Liberty Flames will win
- Liberty has won each of its last 10 September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Jacksonville State has lost three of its last four games.
- Liberty has covered the spread in each of its last four games in Alabama.
- Jacksonville State has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games in September.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Franklin Baret Jr. ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Liberty Flames Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Reese Smith ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Jacksonville State vs Liberty Prediction
I was high on Liberty entering the season, as I wrote up the first game against Maine and said the Flames should be a top-25 team soon and could be a playoff team if they run the table. However, this line feels inflated. Jacksonville State is not a pushover and just went toe-to-toe with UCF on the road, a game it could have won outright.
Also, Liberty is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games when favorites of 5 or more points. Jacksonville State has covered 4 of its last 5 games when underdogs of 5 or more points. I still like Liberty to win, but I’m grabbing the 6.5 points with Jacksonville State.